Another thing to think about...

When I first got mine, I'd hear a clunk when I came to a stop or right when I let off the brake from a dead stop. It felt like it was coming from the forward mounts on the front seat (under the center console almost).

For me it turned out to be the drive shaft spline. As you stop/start, the rear axle moves a tiny bit from spring expansion/compression and it twists a little when you apply the throttle. The axle needs to be able to expand/contract a tony bit to account for this.

Apparently the splines on the rear drive shaft are coated with some kind of blue coating. Not sure if the coating makes the splines 'stick' or if the goo is supposed to act as lubricant and it fails over time, but in any event, if you drop the rear drive shaft where it meets the rear axle and remove the rubber boot/separate the front half and rear half of the drive shaft, you can grease those splines and it goes away.

Some pics of what I'm talking about:




Mine had that issue for the first week or two that I had it till I read up on the fix here. Took me about 20 minutes and a little waterproof grease I had from my old motorcycle axle bearings.

Quickest/cheapest fix I've ever done!

If the sway bar links don't fix it, that would be my next suspect.

 

GREAT pic of why you should have no tension on the sway bar links. If you look at the sway bar mounts on the axle, there is nothing to apply any kind of twisting pressure unless the truck is on an angle left-to-right:

 

That's the best use of Ex Truck Nutz i've ever seen!

 

Makes sense to me, like I said when I replaced mine it's been a while. I just knew it was easy haha.

 

Yup, that is the case. Like I said, I haven't done mine in so long, I forgot. I did the ones on my dad's T-bird recently though, we did have to adjust the jack some. I forget how much exactly, but the tire HAD to be off to access it- couldn't get in there otherwise..

Those factory end links were nothing like the truck ones. One of his actually snapped in half...

 

I will keep an open mind to the possibilities that it could be coming from somewhere else. It does sound like it is really is coming from the front as though when I just take my foot off the brake and give it very little gas that the front end lifts a bit off the front suspension and I then get the clunking, very strange. I'm going to order the parts by the end of the week,, hopefully I will hit a home run the first time around. I will try disconnecting the bar to see if all is quiet.

 

I thought the same when I heard the suggestion to check the splines. It felt to me like it was right under the hump between the front seats. When I got under the truck and found the splines were behind the front row, I thought "no way this is gonna work".

I figured I'd drop the pennies in grease and a half hour and prove myself right. Wellllll...I proved myself wrong.

In any event, it looks like you are making a good fix (if the sway bar link bushings are bad they needed replacing anyway). If it works, fantastic! If it doesn't, don't lose hope since the spline fix is a few cents of grease and a half hour of your time, and you can walk away knowing you fixed both issues and won't have to touch them again for quite some time.

Let us know how it goes!

 

I replaced the sway bar bushings and the links today, clunking is still present. I guess I'll check the spline in the rear drive shaft and grease it next

 

You are correct Robert. There should be no tension on the sway bar when it is sitting on a level surface. I changed my end links with the wheels on the ground.

Edit - sorry, I didn't realize there was a second page to this thread. Glad you got your answer.