Bouncy clunk rub clunk rub rub rub...... Looking for a thread on fixing a noisy cab latch / air suspension

[GeneralDisorder]

And yet another variable are the front cab mounts and pivots... Is your cab on square? Clamp a straight edge onto the frame and measure out to the rear cab edges. Depending on how the front was bolted together or impacts the chassis may have sustained, your cab may be askew IRT the frame causing your interferences at the rear. In building up my habitat frame I discovered my cab is twisted 1/2" to the drivers side at the rear...

Definitely a concern. My truck was hit in the drivers step and it bent the $hat out of the step and step curtain. And then in addition the floor above the lift ram was buckling from the bouncing of the cab from the AOP pulsations. Royal mess. Replaced the step and step curtain and both fenders (one cut from the accident missing a whole section and the both sun-damaged and severely warped. Once I got the latch bracket level, and centered it stopped shifting to the right at the back when engaging the latch - then I had to angle the latch to match the angle of the cab pin...... was all just a big angry wrestle fest. I used Nord-Locks on everything to prevent anything from shifting hopefully...... Replacing the cab bushings showed there was no significant shifting of the cab on the originals in my case. It's just a real nastly stack up of parts - the tire crane, the air lift spreader frame, and the latch bracket all bolt together and have to align within a tight window for the cab pin to hit the latch square and for the front of it to slip between the latch and the engine hoisting bracket.

 

[GCecchetto]

That whole mess back there should have got several someone's reprimanded or fired. To be fair it was a REALLY quarter-arse setup that was quickly implemented to delete the air ride because the cost to install it on trucks that were (at the time) going to have the cabs upgraded to armor did not make sense. I spent like a year messing around with it. Mine never hit the spare crane but had MANY other issues - primarily the whole cab would shift like 1" to the left when the pin engaged the latch. I actually got a new bracket - which according to the TM had a revised part number. I was SO convinced they must have changed the dimensions.... Nope! Same $hit. I ended up doing multiple shim revisions of the whole mess. The latch had to be angled up in the front, and the latch bracket had to leveled left to right.

Every one was different is what I came to the realization of. The tolerance stack up between all the parts is obscene and so your only choice is to iteratively zero in on each truck's unique problems and address them.

Sorry I don't have a magic bullet on it. It's royally F'd and I wish it wasn't. FWIW mine has about 3/4" between the latch pin triangular plate and the crane. And that's pretty much immovable. You may have better luck moving the crane back a little.

Okay.....guess I'm glad it's not just mine. Mine does the shift to the right though. I do want, and plan, to replace the front cab mounts and have the new bushing I bought from you back before picking the truck up in Maryland, and have had stainless steel washers and bushing made since mine all very corroded. Unfortunately, at the right front mount, the the bolt and bushing have become one and I have been unable to remove the bolt. During the process of the engine restoration and bombproofing I did, I was soaking the bolts/bushing with penetrating oil hoping to loosen things up, but no love. I have worked the head of the bolt with an air hammer hoping the vibration would loosen it up, no love. Tried the air hammer with a chisel bit under the bolt head hoping it would lift it out, no love. Since I have the factory winch, the right side body mount bracket is also part of the roller fairlead so there is no access to the bottom of the bolt to drive it out.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

At some point you just have to start removing stuff, and then shield the area with some tin can heat sheilds, wrap things in wet rags, etc and apply a liberal application of blue wrench. As my shop foreman likes to say - can't be stuck if it's liquid.

 

[GCecchetto]

At some point you just have to start removing stuff, and then shield the area with some tin can heat sheilds, wrap things in wet rags, etc and apply a liberal application of blue wrench. As my shop foreman likes to say - can't be stuck if it's liquid.

Well, I'm going to do everything I can to avoid the fire wrench, but it may end up being what has to happen.