So my father-in-law and I were taking off my Chevy's tires and I crawled under to snap some reference pictures in case I decide to buy parts later and need to see what I have. My concern is this part where the tie rod end meets the knuckle (?) and I wanted to address it. It's a Mustang II manual rack and I'd been thinking about going with a power rack and I'd been told I could reuse my tie rod ends. So I looked at them and the driver's side one has me worried. Do I need to replace it? Thanks in advance, guys! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
It took me 3 minutes to see what you are talking about. The M2 setup dropped in the weeds, has the tie rod bent by the sway bar. Send the car to a good shop with a lift, and look every inch of that front end over real good. Bad ball joints, cracked A arms, cracks on lower A arm mounting areas.
F&J, until I put bags on it, I can't get it on a lift! 4 inch blocks, and I've tried. And I'm not taking the blocks out just to let some guy look at it. It's on stands now and I figured I'd look at it. It hasn't driven badly at all, I just thought I'd post this up and ask if I should be concerned. Thanks. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If you change racks, the bent arm will be replaced with the new rack. 1" longer sway bar end links might take care of the interference that bent the old rack arms. I would replace the tie rod ends just because that one took a pretty good hit and they are cheap. Blue
Thanks, guys! I was looking at replacing it with a T-bird rack and seeing what all else I have to worry about! How much are tie rod ends usually? Should I go for longer ones? Thanks!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yes you need to be concerned. If that rack is hitting the sway bar, apparently the suspension is not riding at the height it was designed for. That increases angles on ball joints for one thing, and a "cramped" joint can wear quickly and can fall apart on the road....if it really is cramped. Can't tell by pics if it is or isn't. Any time a setup is stressed, you need to look at every possible nook to make sure there are no cracks forming. These can be unsafe front ends in some cases; meaning ones not built with "correct" balljoints, or inferior arms, and or mounting points. Not to mention the ones that the ride height is very wrong.
Forget that layin frame bullshit and get the car up to a safe ride height....steering arms hitting sway bars is not something conducive to staying alive a long time....
Chopolds, the car doesn't lay frame. Like I said, it has a Mustang II front end and 4 inch blocks in the back. I'm only planning on putting bags on it to raise it up for a better ride, not drop it down lower. I haven't done anything to the front suspension. That was the previous owner over 10 years ago. I'm just updating/fixing what needs done. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
You'll just bend the new rack unless you change the sway bar in relation to the tie rod. If you can take it to a place with a pit (Jiffy Lube?) so you can see the tie rod with the suspension loaded, you'll be able to see what your clearance is. Drive carefully!
Looks like to me the inner tie rod is bent not the rack. Blue 49 got it longer sway bar links. And replace the tie rods inner and outter.
Well, if I get a new rack it wouldn't have outer tie rods. Think longer ones would do the trick? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Your sway is bent to hell too. Looks like the car has been jacked up by it more than once. Replace sway bar, rack, tie rod ends and lengthen the sway bar links so they don't hit the steering. If you look at the tie rod jam nut, it's being worn away by the sway bar.
No longer tie rods will not fix it the sway bar is the problem needs to be moved away from the tie rods.
My old single post stands up a little high so I use a couple of 2x10 to drive on when cars are to low.
Looks to me like you need to ditch that sway bar and replace with one that isn't going to foul, then replace the tie rods & ends before about thinking of adding anything else. I know TCI do a sway bar that fits to the rear of the crossmember, which would mean it'd be right out of the way.
I'd have to agree that the tweaked sway bar is the majority of your problem. Along with someone using it to jack the car up instead of putting the jack under the crossmember or using a bottle jack to lift the car high enough to get a floor jack under the crossmember or as was mentioned before running the car up on 2x boards to get it high enough to put a jack under it. If everything right with the sway bar there should be no possible way that the tie rods would hit it. I'd look on the top side of the sway bar to make sure it isn't hitting on the frame and causing it to flex enough so that the tie rod hits it.
Your sway bar has been deformed, and is now all cock-eyed, leading to the interference and deformation of the tie rod when the wheel hit a bump. Replace that sway bar, it's mounting bushings (including it's mounts to the frame), links, and the tie rod ends. None of this is expensive, so don't try to re-use any of it. My $0.02.
It is a rack car - they don't have Inner tie rods in the traditional sense - they don't have a tie rod end on them. They have pivot ball that generally rides in a Nylon socket or cup. His is definitely bent and needs to be replaced, which probably means a new rack. I can't help but wonder if the short little sway bar links were used because the sway bar would hit the frame otherwise. The bar is so bent to hell that it has to be sorted out first. OP - can you show a picture from underneath with the car sitting on the ground. that would really help to know what is going on.
I've been looking at my picture wondering what happened to my sway bar and the bent crossmember above it when it came to me. Once I was driving and the brakes went out. I drove over a curb to avoid rear ending the car ahead of me. At the time, I seem to only remember a dent on a corner of the crossmember, nothing wrong with the sway bar, but that was years ago and I'm looking at it now. Mustang IIs HAVE inner tie rod ends as well as outer ones, and they do sell them, but the clips for the inner ones aren't reusable and a new rack (which I'm in the market for anyway since I'm upgrading to power steering) will come with new inner tie rod ends. So it looks like a new sway bar, bushings and tie rod ends are on my shopping list along with a new rack. If I get the wheels back on it tonight I'll try to snap some pictures. Thanks, everyone. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
One other thing, I replaced a power M-II rack with a manual one....the shaft stub going to the column is a different length, and I had to make a new connector shaft/joint to fit
Yeah, the guy who suggested a T-bird rack also mentioned it'd be different. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Took a few more pictures. The sway bar isn't hitting with the car at ride height. I was thinking about going to dropped spindles for another 2 inch drop. I shouldn't be into the scrub line by then, should I? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Both sides look bent to me. At the very least you need to buy new tie rods. I still think you need to re-locate the sway bar. Personally I'd do this before buying new spindles.
I'll be switching the tie rods and the whole rack when I switch to power steering. I'm not worried about the tie rods right now. The car steers fine. I wouldn't even be going to power steering if parking weren't so bad. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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