Yup, even built the pitman arm for my old T this way. Machined down the splined end of the old GM arm and welded to some steel bar stock. You can really tell the quality of the metal when machining and welding it!
There are tapered reamers but you will find 7 degree end mills are cheaper. Instead of tapering it half way weld the hole shut drill a new hole and cut a new taper from the side you want
Thanks for all the advice. I've managed to locate an original 32 pitman arm which should solve my problems. I'll let you know how it turns out.
So, if you paid big bucks for it, please don't divulge it here as it will be a target price from this point on, lots of "outsiders" lurking in the classifieds. But if you must........
A Unibit will also allow you to sneak up on a good taper. Both myself and I believe @SamIyam have used this method in the past. A little clean up with a file and you can make a perfect taper. When I did my pitman I test fit the rod end in it and almost stuck like a press fit!
If there ever was a part I'd want to fit right, it would be a tie rod end. Step drilling and then filing the hole is not how I'd do it. Buy the proper 7 degree reamer and you will have it available for the rest of your life. Use it on your own cars! Help neighbors! Amaze friends!
I dug up an old post where I mentioned how to do this. The Unibit gets you SUPER close. I never actualy measured it but by eyeball it was damn near the same. I then used Dykem, a cone shaped burr on the die grinder to sneak up on a perfect fit. The rod end was used as a Go/Nogo guage as I worked my way close. It is not unlike how gunsmiths built Colonial era weapons and houshold items in many ways. You just don't have a store bought reamer! In my case I was doing the work late on a Saturday. Improvisation at its best.
Why not just drill it straight through, and change the joint on the end of the drag link to a quality heim end? Seems like that would be the cheapest, easiest fix.
it helps is you search for a 1.5'' per foot taper reamer also if you ever get stuck and need a longer tie rod end the jeep cherokee tie rod ends are 7.15 degree also they are 11/16 - 18 tpi - same as early ford - not the one at the pitman as they are m18 but the are a tad longer but the pin is a bit long - you need a fat washer and the taper pokes through 1mm on the thin side of a stock steering arm oh and available left and right
I’m sure you are right about that. But Heim Joints have been in use since before WWII and used extensively on aircraft ever since. Just saying that’s pretty traditional. Your mileage may vary.
I think it was Lars Brandow in Sweden that used a ball joint stud to "sort of" broach the hole. Get hole close, then heat red hot then hammer the ball stud in. I think it might be an idea to knock it back out quickly before it gets heat shrunk in there. It sounds feasible to me. It might have been a radius arm mount he was describing. I can't quite remember.
No one is going to like this solution but it is a solution. When I was shop foreman for Linn Creek Welding in the '70s we had a dump truck with an altered steering box come in. The pitman arm for the oddball steering setup was backward to what it needed to be. We discussed cutting a taper on the opposite side, and even trying to source a different pitman arm. We ultimately cut the pitman arm turned it over and welded it back together. Now just for chits and giggles we stick welded it with E7018. Most of us are too high tech to weld that way any more, but you can buy wire and gas to achieve the same result. It did not break. The truck hauled for at least another decade that I know of.
It seems to be worked out , in future situations I’ve used DJ 5 pitman arms . The dispatcher jeep left hand drive ( dont think it matters ) fit the f-1 box , is thick and about the same length . I purchased half dozen mail jeeps and its amazing how many parts are for hot rods .shifters , e brake assembly, steering column and wheel , 5x5.5 x15 wheels , solid frt end , dana 44 rear , fuel tank , etc . Sorry for the side track but if any one want to try one I’ll send you one to try , just pay shipping both ways .
Visual proof that the builder of @NB141FD car wasn't the only one that took the dumb approach to deal with wishbone clearance. This was changed out years back; but I just ran across it under a bench Friday.
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