Popping noise from under the car with event coming up in 2 weeks

[Nicks67GTO]

Ive got a hillclimb event coming up in 2 weekends and I'm getting multiple pops from under my car while taking off or braking hard and occasionally while driving. Its not engine related. Its clearly in the suspension somewhere. It only happens when a load is placed on the suspension. If I feather the clutch from a stop it usually leaves fine. If I leave with enough power to place a load on the suspension I can hear a pop followed by 3-4 more lighter pops that sound like they're coming from the rear. Hard braking causes a good pop as well. A quick rundown on my setup:

-SC&C stage II chassis with the Currectrac RCA's and Ridetech shocks
-9" Moser with a trutrac
-Richmond 5 speed
-Kore3 front brakes/hubs 02' F body rear brakes

-Iv'e greased everything in the suspension with Super Lube

-Cycling the suspension by hand is quiet and non eventful

-It does not feel like anything in the tranny or clutch and both work flawlessly at all times

-Iv'e had the car in the air on jack stands and ran it through the gears and it does not do it at all

-Iv'e got a new 3.5" driveshaft and 1350 spicer U joints. It did this before and after the new driveshaft so its not that

-I checked Tq on the aluminum ABC body mounts

-Pulled the clutch and throw out bearing and both seemed fine upon inspection

-Pulled the 9" apart looking for a broken ring gear or trutrac. Both seem to be perfect and there was no metal in the rear axle housing

-Axle bearings might need replacement in the future but they aren't in horrible shape yet and I have no issues rolling them over with my fingers.

I'm starting to wonder if its my Johnny Joints?? Has anyone had Johnny Joints do this? I read something on a Jeep forum where guys were getting popping noises out of their Johnny Joints but I just don't see how they would make popping noises?

[David Pozzi]

Do you have a go-pro camera?

[65 drop top]

I had similar symptoms years ago, it was a torn trans mount.

[Nicks67GTO]

Do you have a go-pro camera?

Unfortunately no I dont

[Nicks67GTO]

I had similar symptoms years ago, it was a torn trans mount.

I'll look mine over well. Maybe I'll just get a new one since this one is 20 years old

[Typhoon1015]

Do you get the same pops while taking off and while hard braking? Or does it pop taking off after hard braking? Sounds like you covered most everything from the trans back to the brakes. Trans mount could be moving around binding up the ujoint. Are you able to tighten the preload on the johnny joints?

[Nicks67GTO]

Do you get the same pops while taking off and while hard braking? Or does it pop taking off after hard braking? Sounds like you covered most everything from the trans back to the brakes. Trans mount could be moving around binding up the ujoint. Are you able to tighten the preload on the johnny joints?

I get a series of pops taking off and one pop when I hard stop. I just tried jacking my transmission up with the mount still attached. It was trying to lift the car and the mount stretched what was probably a bit more than 1/4" and I backed off. Should that have stretched at all? It is a rubber one. I might still just replace it. I'm sure they're cheap and its old. The preload is not adjustable on the Johnny joints but the uppers I went through the other week were really tight still. Im going to go through the lowers Friday.

[GrabberGT]

Anytime I hear someone mention "popping noise in the suspension I think about my ball joints that were bad on my brand new front control arms. They would pop going over undulationin the road. Drove me nuts. I say replace the johny joints and inspect mounting locations. Cheap enough to try out.

[Rod]

were i found noises on other cars.....

check the shocks make sure there snug top and bottom

look at the idler arm or power steering unit, the bolts to the frames come loose with the bigger tires we run

swat bar mounts on frame and the endlinks