I'm not familiar with the twin I-beam suspension on this '96 Ranger but I get a clunk even on small bumps in the road. What should I look for? It only has 56,000 miles.

 

Jack up the truck and put it on jack stands (do not do this while its supported by a jack!). Grab hold of the wheel/tire at 3 oclock and 9oclock. Push back and forth and look for play in the linkage. Next do 12 oclock and 6 oclock. Again look for play/looseness in any of the joints/pivot points. Do both sides. This is a start. The noise could be from just about anywhere up there, tie rods, upper/lower control arms, sway bar end links, etc.

Good luck, let us know what you come up with.

 

Change your break pads recently? Check the caliper bolts. They like to loosen themselves up after break jobs.

 

Check to see if it has a broken sway bar link on the left or right side or if one of the bushings for it could be bad.

 

Can you feel anything in the steering wheel while going over bumps at low speeds? If so it may be the steering rack. I guess it would seem unlikely with only 56k but it may be worth a look. Search the forums for steering rack issues and you'll see some info on front end clunking noise. I replaced mine,was a little skeptical as to weather or not it would solve the problem but sure enough it did!