I spent my weekend trying to chase down a noise when let off the brake of the van.

In so doing I found my rotors could stand a cut (rust build up around edge and some pitting, both from extended periods of being left undriven), found the caliper clips were well due for a replacement, that the outer front wheel bearing cage was cracked w/2 stray rollers, and that my outer left tie rod end was shot, and the inner not far behind.

I cut the rotors, replaced the clips, bearing, and tie rod ends.

These things eliminated the noises I could elicit by hand, but only served to mute, slightly, the target noise.

I got my wife to help by driving the car towards me while I laid on the ground watching the suspension components as she hit the brakes every 30".

I saw the right spindle snap forward (clockwise) and the torsion bar (I think that's what it is--the bar attached to frame by bushings and the LCAs by bolts through the flanges of rubber bumpers)

Closer examination showed that the rear torsion bar (sic) bolt was loose by like 1/2".

After work today I torqued the torsion bar to LCA bolts.

I drove it, hitting the brakes every 30".

The noise was a little more muted, but still there.

I decided to put a floor jack under the LCA while the van was supported by a jackstand under the k brace, expecting to see some unwanted movement @ either ball joint.

Instead, I found the entire UCA is flapping in the breeze. The top bolts of the UCA are not even finger tight.

I had the alignment done in the fall at a local independent tire/alignment shop.

In late December, an imbecile totalled their Mercedes on the right end of my bumper (drove into the side of the van and drove the Mercedes' unibody a couple inches into the side of my bumper.)

While putting my tools away, and organizing my homicidal thoughts towards whatever hunk of human flotsam had half-assed the alignment, I looked at the dents (still unrepaired as I have yet to have spray paint weather on a weekend this year) and imagined them blaming the accident for the bolts all coming loose.

With everything re-torqued to spec after an alignment, should an accident be able to jar everything loose like that? (I can see it snapping bolts, but should they just go loose like that?)

sorry for the long post.