By Gary Anderson
Originally published in the Austin-Healey Magazine, December 1991
If you hear a dull clunk from the vicinity of one or both the rear wheels when you start off from a stop, it could be that your splines are worn. Or it might be simply that the u-bolts fastening the rear axle to the leaf springs are loose. Either way, it is worth checking out and correcting. If the u-bolts are loose by as much as a quarter turn, this play is enough to allow the axle to "wind up" and produce the clunk sound. If the bolts are loose and the sound goes away when you tighten them up, then you probably don't have a problem with the splines. But check them periodically anyway.
Not what you were looking for? Don't forget you can check our back issues using the AHCUSA Magazine Index.