I recently bought a '99 Trooper running 285/75's with a T-bar crank to match the height of the rear with OME 919 springs. Not really sure how high, but IMO too high so dropped by at least 1.5". The point of this is the front has been way cranked for probably two years and about 30,000 - 45,000 miles.

When I bought the truck, the owner warned me of the clunk (he is pretty sure it is brake caliper), but my mechanic (who I have since come to realize is no where near as good as I thought he was) seemed to think it was no big deal. I have not driven the truck much, but the noise is not really getting worse. I do notice that there is more vibration obvious at slow speeds than I would have expected. Today, when moving at a walking pace or slower it felt like something was grabbing and releasing.

On the way home I took it to a parking lot and drove in tight circles with the window as the problem is most noticable when turning. I could neither hear nor feel anything, with the glaring exception of the loud pop (I could feel it through the floor) when, after doing forward circles for a while, I switched to doing backward circles.

So the loud pop happens when I change direction with the wheel at or close to full turn.

Can anyone shed some light on what this might be? The CV boots are not torn or show any unusual signs of wear. I know very little about the history of the truck besides the lift, as mentioned above (thank goodness Matt keeps records!).

Thanks for the help!
Bill