Yes there was some noise b/c there is a small amount of space between the pin and the A arm plate/sway bar. No preload=slight clunking noise.
It is very easy to get them off. Of course, all you do is pull the pin and slide the link off of the stud. I grease the studs every so often to help with sliding them on and off. It helps a lot to be on level ground (i.e. parking lot).
But I have been running with only 1 link connected for over 7 months now. The other link is off and inside the jeep, lol. I like this a lot better, it rides better, less clunk (not sure if that was the problem in the first place) and when I go offroading, I just air down and go. No more crawling under it pulling off the discos.