140 bricks

Yesterday I finally got around to checking out the odd clunking in the rear suspension, the irritating squeak in the rear hatch, and the unnerving rumbling vibration that occurs in the drivetrain from around 2,700 RPM to 3,300 RPM. Poor old 145. She hasn't had a real rest in 36 years! Once on jackstands, I began pulling and prodding around underneath; this is something I have been meaning to do for months. The inspection revealed: 1) a bad u-joint. 2) blown shocks front and rear(I sort of already knew that by the way it drove), and shrunken, rotted shock bushings that were the cause of the rattling. 3) Under the panel inside the rear hatch I discovered the source the annoying squeak---the lock mechanism had a loose screw---and that was it. Time to buy some parts and get cracking. Worn out as she is, this old girl just keeps running better!