oooo how i wish it had.......
heres the follow up with the solution
no one mentioned the isolators and the end links however there is one more overlooked part to replace the actual sway bar bushings which are also....rubber......
last night i got out to drive after i posted here and the sound was back. first thing i did was look under the car with a flashlight (it was night time) and when i saw the bushings thats when it crossed my mind. the way i tested it was to spray the bushing with wd-40 when i drove out again the noise was gone. problem solved i thought........
today.....
dropped my bro off at school and the sound is worse than ever.
when i got home i looked under the car again. the sway bar bushing is in terrible condition, cracked/worn out. i knew i needed new bushings so i went to napa and the local ford dealer. 26.5mm is the size of the sway bar stock bushing on 2001 gt's. napa didnt have them today and the dealer cant get them until monday. so tomorrow morning napa should have them for me.
recap: certain bumps in the road that trigger this knocking on slow turns it knocks/rattles.
1 the isolators were old and decayed
2 the sway bar links were were too large and aged too boot.
stock end links on a lowered car (throws off the geometry also)
3 the sway bar chassis bushings were shot.