I recently bought a 71 ford. it has strange sounds at times. I am sure it is not the belts as I tightened them up. I also greased all the fittings including the fittings on the ujoints. it is supposed to be a low mileage car that sat for many years getting rusty mostly on the bottom (not undercoated)...had to replace the gas tank because of rust...the sound is like birds chirping but sort of rubbery. could tires make this sound. I hear it mostly at lower speeds and going around corners. cant tell if front or back. it doesnt grind or whine just birds chirping...is there someone in this group that might have had this type of problem?
If you can drive in a parking garage, or at a slow speed through an overpass, try to isolate the noise to the front or rear of the car. If the front, most likely the front suspension bushings need to be replaced due to age. A good lube job will probably not cure the problem, but give it a try.
A lot of early 70's Fords do not have grease fittings on the upper A-frame bushings, or the ones that do are not easily accessible with a grease gun. Most replacement grease fittings have a 90 degree angle to them to facilitate greasing.
If the car has front disc brakes, and the rattling noise disapears when you apply the brakes, the front disc pads are loose and need the tabs "knocked down" to tighten their fit inside the caliper.
If the noise is a chirping while reving the engine, replace and correctly tighten the belts.
The upper (outer) part of your shock absorbers should turn by hand, try giving them 1/2 turn and see if that helps could be dry rot rubber inside. I had that sound and that was it.
One thing you might try.... get a can of silicone spray lubricant, and spray, one at a time, the rubber bushings in the suspension. In between spraying the next check for your chirping. If you spray one and the chirping disappears, you've likely pinpointed the problem area. This is only a temporary fix, so it will return.
I had an old Mustang that didn't have grease fittings and being a poor GI ($300 a month didn't go far) I couldn't afford a real repair. I went through cases of spray lube to keep it quiet. In the long run I could have paid for the repair with what I spent on the lube.
Another means to help narrow it down is to have a friend assist. One drives and the other tries to identify where the sound is coming from: front, rear, left right. Lift the hood with engine off. Start the engine. If no sound, rev up the engine. Try both in gear and in neutral. Turn wheels. See if the source can be identified as a belt, power steering or water pump, etc.
NOTE: Be careful not to run over the >I appreciate all the responses...I hope it is something simple like the
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