VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Tie rod repair?

I've been taking out the old girl '32 out for some neighborhood spins, and I'm now looking to take care of the little things that have been liveable but could stand improving.

One thing I can't quite eliminate is a bit of wandering by the front end. I've checked and rechecked the toe-in a number of times, but the front end still drifts a bit from side to side out on the road, and I have to be careful to correct it from drifting off. I kept the original tie rod components during the rebuild a few years ago because nothing looked worn. However, I'm curious if a tie rod repair kit (with new piston, spring, cup, etc.) might tighten up the steering.

Would the original parts in a tie rod be "worn out" and need replacing even if it visually looks okay?

Would

Have you adjusted your steering box yet? If not, you might want to try that first. Also, check the air pressure in your tires.

Tire pressure is really critical with those old narrow tires, They probably need more pressure than the newer tires.
Wheel bearings need to be repacked and adjusted more often , also a dragging brake shoe will cause handleing fits.
Also they seem to handle much better on a good smooth gravel or dirt road than on a bumpy blacktop. (IMHO)

Have some one move the steering wheel back and forth rapidly while you hold you hand on the tie rod end and drag link ends.If you feel any play either tighten the end screw a little or check for a broken spring inside.Do the same with the steering pitman shaft.Check to see if its working in and out of the steering housing.Adjustment or rebuild necessary?Just about every straight axle Chevrolet that I ever drove gave me the feeling that it would either want to go left or right but never straight ahead.This was especially noticeable on black top roads where the amount of crown varies.I have never owned one so I have to assume they may have had worn parts,etc.-but that the memory I have when I think back as to how they drive....Incorect caster could also cause this.

I should've mentioned I've adjusted the steering box a long time ago as much as it can be tightened.

These are all good steps - responding in order, then:

- The tire pressure issue is an interesting one - what would be the tire pressure for '32 coupe?

- Wheel bearings? That's one I've never considered. I have put in one new replacement and repacked the older one on the other side during the original rebuild. How do bearings get "adjusted"?

The springs on the tie rods are good - I've removed and repacked them a couple of times - but could a spring get tired out and need replacing...?

Adjusting the wheel bearings, After they are pepacked with grease or replaced, the spindle nut is run up (with the wheels and tires mounted) and the wheel is spun and the nut tightened as per the repair manual, some go by the amount of drag when the bearings are tightened then backed off a certain amount, while other manuals suggest that the slack or wobble of the bearing be used to set the tightness of the spindle nut. This is done before adjusting the brake shoe to drum clearance so that the brake shoes do not have any drag on the wheel bearings, also the brake shoes can not be adjusted correctly unless the wheel bearings are in good condition and adjusted correctly.)IMHO)

And some dudes tighten the spindle nut while the wheel is spinning and then back off to the next cotter pin hole.

Yeah I think most "Dudes" do it this way, but not all!

Donald doesn't! :( :( :( :(

What tire psi do you recommend?

...and replacing the tie rod springs?


And, if Donald doesn't do these things, then I can only be helping myself by going the opposite way, right?

Right! If you do it opposite from how Donald or his Model T buddies do things, then you will be, without a doubt, doing it the right way.

If you need new springs, you can get them in the tie rod kits that are available at the Filling Station.

Right - I saw 'em in the catalog.

But is it a common approach to replace the springs (as well as the other pieces, since they're in the kit anyway) even if the originals look fine (in other words, they can be slightly misshaped or "tired out", and a visual inspection isn't going to provide clues?) :confused:

And tire pressure...? (I've just guessed at it, and I can't recall if it's because the manual does state it and it always looked too low, or the manual in fact makes no mention.)

The springs do get weak from use over the years, so if you have any doubts about them, then put in new kits and that will eliminate one problem.

On the tire pressure, 35 pounds seems to be about right, but it will vary depending upon the car, the driving conditions, your speed and etc. You might have to experiment and see which pressure works the best for you.

35 psig should be the minimum. 45 psig should be the maximum. The wider the tread the lower the pressure. I use 42-45 psig in my '28 tires and 40 psig in '31 passenger. It eliminates a lot of the wandering but not all. Some of the roads with a trough for each wheel on those 18 wheelers will cause you fits. The track on our old Chevys does not match the track on the 18 wheeler tires so our cars are constantly searching for the groove.

JYD, I usually kinda, sorta, well sometimes, agree with you, how-some-ever I need to bring this to your attention about Donald, that one might consider going along with.
'Member when his car had a lettle bitty problem it quit runnin', and he had all of those big horsepower guys pushing it down the road? 'member they were pushing it forward, if you did the opposite of that , wouldn't you be pushing the car down the road backwards? and would not you take the chance of running over one of the pushers, that thought it really should be going down the road forward? Just something to think about!

Huh?? :confused: :confused: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

It must have been a hot day in Texas :confused:

Yes Gene ,it wuz, how did you guess?

I get what he's saying. Macky's saying if one does the opposite of what ol' Donald is doing, would that mean those who would push one's car would instead get a car pushed into them?

Well, I think it means that, if I were to own a Model T (and this is strictly hypothetical, mind you) I would get my friends to pull it along the street instead of pushing it.

Well, I'll start a process of elimination, then. I'll try out the tire pressure strategy first. Excuse one to take it for a drive. Then I'll try the bearing adjustment strategy. Excuse two to take it for a drive. Then I'll see about replacing the springs with the kits. Excuse three to go out for a drive.

I love it!! :cool2:

Here is smething to add about tierod ends. How toosolve the ggg shape ball problem. MODEL A bolt in type drag link studs are the same dia. ball. Have a machinist cut and weld in.

Better yet on the egg shaped ball ends. Get the "weld in" in Model A ball ends. They have the same 1/2" shank that Chevrolets have. You need to put a washer on the bottom to get the same spacing for the ball as original on the Chevy. To remove the balls carefully grind the peined end on the arm. Center punch the shank end and drill a pocket in the end (3/8" dia. or so). (If you are sure you are in the center then you can use up to a 1/2" drill.) Use a socket or piece of pipe as support and air hammer with a tool that fits the pocket to remove the original end. That will leave a 1/2" dia. hole. Tap in the "weld in" Model A end with washer (spacer). Now you can heat and pein the end or weld it in. Not too difficult. Done it several times. Makes worn hard steering like "power steering".

Shoot guys, I like the wheel to be hard to turn works like an auto-pilot! also helps to develop my pectorials and bicuspidsand other mussals! much better than hoisting a 12 oz. can of Colorado Cool Aid!

(TIC) of course!

On the "egg shaped" ends, do you guys mean if the tie rod end is misshapen after years of extensive driving (i.e. it's no longer round like it should be?)

Yes, if the ball end shows wear to the point that is is eggshaped it should be replaced. But, you could always drink lots of Coors and then you won't notice it, and you probably won't care anyway. That would probably be the easiest fix!