Like a scene out of the movies, I’m leaving parts behind on the street. I was pulling out of my driveway today when I heard a KLANK!, and found the two parts or parts of parts on the road any ideas? I was turning the steering wheel when the long cylinder fell off. The hose piece was found where I had been parked.

 

That is a rubber bushing. Check your control arms and shocks.

 

Thanks! Are both of those parts associated with the control arms and shocks?

 

Nix the shocks, If a control arm looks like this:

 

Here's where it would be if its a front A arm bushing, this picture is from a 1966 Cutlass A arm so yours might be a little different shaped, but still have two bushings where the A arm connects to the frame crossmember. There should be a bolt through the center of that bushing and it would be unsafe to drive the car with one of these missing. It could also be from the rear. Does the size of the items look similar to these?

 

If the front bushings are all there then it might be from the rear end. I'm not well versed in the 1964 Jetstar, but think you'd still have the same bushings as this rear end from a 1964 Cutlass. There's two on top of the pumpkin, with short arms that have bushing attached to the frame above the rear end. Then the lower control arms have bushings on each end, attaching the rear end to the frame in front of it. All these should have bolts running through the middle of them so that's the thing to look for, a missing bolt. Let us know if this resolves your question. John

 

That's pretty serious, don't drive your car until you identify the problem.

 

Thanks gents. will let you know as soon as I do. This gives me a good place to start. I was able to drive the car about half way down the block without issue, but I'll keep it there until the mystery is solved.

 

The serrations on the end of the metal tube lead me to think that is an upper control arm bushing.

Wherever it came from, I dunno how the sleeve could fall out unless the bolt / nut was missing as well.

 

x2

 

Klink Clank Klunk

 

Here's my guess, new parts were installed in the past- maybe years ago. The old control arm or rear end bushing/sleeve was hammered out and ended up under the car, new parts were installed, car drove away with old parts stuck up in a cavity and finally fell out then....??? As others have said those pieces look like would be held in with a bolt and if the bolt and those parts came out I think you would know it now! I have found lots of old parts/tools under cars. I found a set of channel locks under the old truck I just bought. All rusty and seized up like they had been there a year or more. I would check the car for sure and make sure though..

 

Greg has a point. My lawnmower came to me occasionally having only 50% of the right steering, and a swiss army style torx key wrenches tool was laying there blocking it.