Faultfinder
Make your classic feel new again by banishing annoying noises
Our guide to audible niggles.
Nothing makes a decent classic seem like an old crate quite like an assortment of squeaks, rattles, creaks, groans and bangs when traversing a bad road surface. A single noise is relatively easy to track down and address, but when a car’s seemingly harbouring a large collection of audible poltergeists, you’ll have to methodically exorcise each one of them in turn.
The first step is to try to identify the source(s) of noise. An assistant is handy here, as they can sit in different parts of the car as you drive. Driving with the windows closed will show up noises that emanate from the interior trim. It will also highlight heavy knocking that’s coming through the bodyshell – from the suspension or exhaust for example, or from a door that’s clonking against the body aperture.
Driving with the window down, meanwhile, will help to identify noises from external items that are either lighter in weight or not directly attached to the body. Rattles from loose braking components, for example – or a loose handbrake linkage or flapping cable under the car.
To fix most of these problems you’ll just need to track down and tighten up the screws, nuts, bolts and clips that have worked themselves loose or that weren’t installed properly in the first place. Sometimes, though, the noise is telling you that a slack linkage or mechanism needs adjusting or overhauling.
Broken fixing clips are a prime suspect in the case of creaking or rattling trim. They’re regularly the victim of hamfisted disassembly during maintenance or restoration. Panels that are touching due to warping or damage can often be silenced by the tactical insertion of foam. In any case, persistence will make all the difference. Whether you choose to spend a weekend on improvements or just attend to them a little at a time, you’ll be amazed at the results.