pop and then rattle in front-end area

[Kurt Combs]

I was turning into the Napa parts store parking lot yesterday and heard a loud pop. Sounded like something breaking, maybe a shock mount or something of that nature. I jacked the truck up when I got home and looked at all the suspension with the truck on one jackstand. I couldn't see anything broken. I took off the driver's side tire and adjusted the wheel bearings, and it all seem normal. There might be a little movement in the wheel, but not much. So I drove it 70 miles round-trip to work and it seems fine at high speeds and it steers normal. At slow speeds I have a noise coming from the area of the drives side wheel. My guess is that people could hear it if I was driving past them on the street. It is probably there at high speeds and I can't hear it for the cab noise. I climbed under the truck again tonight and I can't see anything wrong. Push up and down of the drives side fender and I might be getting some noise out of the wheel area, but not certain where it is coming from. It might be coming from under the hubcap, but that doesn't seem possible. Could I have broken a kingpin or something else? Truck is a 1972 F-250, two wheel drive, with diskbrakes.

[fordman]

i think that is a worn king pin noise. did the tire move in or out at the top or bottom when you checked it? if it moved any at all the king pins is worn and needs replaced.

[FORDification]

Sounds to me like dried-out kingpins that are binding and then finally popping loose.

[Kurt Combs]

So this is a fix it soon, but not immediately necessary?