hello fellas , well I'm just starting to work on the front end , on my modal a ford ,I split the wishbone and about ready to make some brakets ,here's my question I was going to use ford ball joints they look to be about 3/4 inch ,I have a set off a 89 buick they look to be about 5/8 or 11/16 I have everything I need there ,there just a little lighter could I use them, thanks guys
the `35-`48 ford tie rod ends are part number ES416R for right hand , ES416L for left hand. they are 11/16-18 thread. O'Reillys has them for $14. you can get weld on bungs from Speedway for under $10 each
Check out HAZE CITY website they make these cool old style ends and kit that looks killer. I decided not to split mine otherwise these would be my first choice.
I'm all about using what you have as long as it will do the job. Smaller, Lighter in the steering department? Well you make that choice, Me I'll stay with the bigger of the 2 choices. I have seen Heim Joints doing that job Broken and many a loose and worn out Ford rod end in the same place. They Knock while going down the road just before they Fail. Just so you know the Shank that bolts everything to the Frame rail is tappered. Not all rod ends are the same there and a proper tapper fit is a Must Have or it will fail. What do you have in your Tappered Ream drawer? Sometimes what you happen to have laying around isn't your best choice. The Wizzard
Lets use a little common sense here, instead of my friend said.....if tie rod ends will work under the front end of a buick, which is three times the weight and steering effort of a model a, they'll work under a model a. Run what ya brung, it's the essence of hot rodding, just make sure you use new parts and fab the brackets correctly.
I agree with Pist an broke. The spilt rods take a heck of alota shock when you hit a small are big bump. Bigger is better.
that's kind of what I thought , this way I have the piece off the spindle for a bracket,, kind off wonder about the quality of a 14 doller tie rod end , the quality of a lot of these parts arnt there
if don't like the $14 dollar tie rod ends get the $44 Moog ones http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/MOO0/ES416R.oap?ck=Search_es416r_-1_2126&keyword=es416r
I'm a big "use what I have" guy but if I were you I would look at what successful aftermarket chassis suppliers such as Chassis Engineering, Pete & Jakes, SoCal, use and not deviate too far from their examples. This would not be a good place to go smaller and lighter. I bought a '29 pickup that had split 'bones using larger than normal tie rod ends. They had "loosened up" quite a bit by the time I got the truck. They had also elongated the holes in the brackets. It was obvious that these parts take a beating. Since they weren't readily visible, I bought some aftermarket urethane bushed ends and rebuilt the brackets. They weren't exactly "period correct" but they absorbed road shock way better and lasted beyond the five years I owned the truck.
"They had also elongated the holes in the brackets." If the tie rods loosened in the "brackets", they were not installed correctly the first time. A correct taper on the tie rod end will not "loosen" when properly tightened.
Me, I left the front and rear alone. Unsplit wishbone in the front, closed drive in the rear. Everything moves as it should and no banging or hammering from funny angles and such. It's enough to get the drag link straight so you don't get bump steer because you geeked up the geometry. Cliff Ramsdell
That's right, the holes were not tapered, the nuts were snugged up and cotter pinned - it all loosened up and rattled. The damaged holes were another factor in the decision to go with "street rod" ends, I could just drill them out to 5/8" straight holes. The truck was an early version of what became rat rods, just a pile of cast off parts made into a pickup. The guy was clever in his use of left over parts but not too swift at engineering and assembly. To his credit, after some de-bugging I put a bunch of miles on that old truck, had a lot of fun with it and made money on it when I finally sold it.
The Jalopy Journal
