I bought some new tie-rod ends as well as a drag link for my 71 F-100 (2wd, PS).

The tie rod ends come with parts like the nut, cotter pin, rubber seal and zirk.

The hole that the zirk screws into is not threaded. Do I need to tap this, or is the metal soft enough where the zirk will do the job?

Any one experience a new part with a non-threaded zirk orifice?

 

That is a new one on me. I'd take that stuff back and try another part. If quality control is that bad, I would not use these parts on my truck.

 

The ones without the threads still screw in normally. I'm not sure if it's soft metal or the thickness of the metal. Just screw in the zerk.

Larry
www.larryscars.com

 

The parts in question were bought from Autozone (you can order them online like I did.) The parts themselves are from Perfect Circle. They are the cheaper of the two choices. I admittedly use the cheaper parts as this is a light duty truck; I don't even drive it 6000 miles a year. The more expensive parts are from Rare Parts.

I find that Autozone does pretty good as far parts for my truck. Kragen (Checker, Shucks, PartsAmerica.com) tend to have a better selection and don't tend to be stumped so easily on some parts, but their web site needs help as it doesn't tend to adjust itself to the vehicle in question. Usually prices are comparable, however, every once in a while Autozone really beats the pants off of the CSK people particularly if you buy a serious engine parts like cams or rebuilt heads.

Another comment about buying parts online is that I've heard guys say that they don't want more Autozone junk... Online, you can see exactly who makes what and usually you get a selection much larger than what they carry in the store particularly at CSK. Very often, I've checked for a part online, and then I just go to the parts store and tell them that I want this (in-house) part number, thank you.

 

> Do I need to tap this, or is the metal soft enough

Yes! I had a balljoint like this and all that happen is the zerk popped out after a while. Which is more of a hassle than a tierod.

 

So, rebocardo, are you saying I have to tap them? Or not?

BTW...

I spent a couple of hours in my garage looking for the black tube of JBWeld. I found the red one easy enough...

But I ran across the boxes that the tie rod ends came in. At least two were in boxes that was labeled Norris McQuay. I had mentioned that the website said they were Perfect Circle.

 

A few related questions, since my trucks completely torn apart.

What is a zirk?

Why would you replace a drag link? Isn't that one of the stout steel rods? I gess I don't understand what could be wrong, other than being bent.

Anything else I should look at while it's apart? I've got all new bushings, are these ball joints replaceable?

 

A Grease nipple is commonly known as a ZERK.

 

The draglink is really just another tie-rod with tie-rod ends. These are those ball & socket joints that allow the three D motion of the parts.

And when you don't lube them (using your grease gun on the zerk fitting) they get loose and you feel it in your steering, have improper toe and possibly a separated tie-rod end.

The drag link might be a stout rod, but the real action is in the tie-rod ends. Most cars have a drag link or center link and then two tie rods at either end and of the center link. You can adjust toe and thrust angle by adjusting these tie-rod ends together and individually, respectively. Some cars have an adjustable center link so that you can make sure that your pitman and idler arms are parallel or whatever spec the car desires.

My 71 F-100 has a combination draglink/tie-rod that goes from the pitman to the steering knuckle (or spindle) no idler and then another tie-rod that attaches directly to the drag link and then to the other spindle.

All the attachments are thru ball joints that are called tie-rod ends when used on tie-rods. They really are no different than the ball joints that you would find on the ends of your upper and lower control arms (or wishbones) on good old fashioned RWD cars that have front double-wishbone suspension, but again, they are called tie-rod ends when at the end of the tie rod.

Now typically, on conventional cars (double-wishbone w/o rack & pinion steering), you can replace these tie rod ends as they are the moving parts of the tie rods and they have to be a separate part in order to be adjustable for purposes of alignment. Well with Ford, they didn’t feel they needed two tie rods and a drag link, they just went with a single draglink and single tie-rod and the drag link isn’t adjustable, so if you’re gonna replace the tie-rod ends on an F-100 like mine, you’re gonna buy a drag link. And it’s not much more than the pair of tie-rod ends for the other side. There maybe more cast iron or steel, but that’s not a big deal when you’re already making something like that and there is no machined threads.

If the car is apart and your tie-rod ends are not attached to anything, try to moving them with your fingers. They should be very difficult to move. They shouldn’t rattle. They should be tight. You can check this with the suspension up on jacks. Hold your entire hand over the tie-rod end and grab the tire and move it back and forth and feel if anything like the tie rod is moving separate from the spindle arm. You get the picture. (You’re not trying to turn the steering wheel lock to lock.)

Sorry to go on and on, and sorry if I’ve told you anything that you already know. I don’t know what you know, so I thought that I would be broad.

And if you’re wondering why I would have a problem with these zerk fittings while obviously having done some work on a few front ends, it’s because I haven’t worked on a car that didn’t use (or at least by retrofit) sealed-for-life ball-joints and tie-rod ends!

 

So, on a 69 F250, what would typically need attention, and how much would it cost to do it right?

I've got a small fortune invested in the rest of this project , and a lot of my time. The steering is about the last area that needs attention.

 

I'd look at all the soft parts in the front end:
king pins-use the brass bushing $53, plus machine shop costs to install

centerlink $86

tie rod ends $130 (I think this might include the centerlink; it's hard to tell from their descriptions)

radius arm bushings $22

These are all AutoZone prices; I used the premium brand for all of the pricing.

On the F250, does it use a pitman and an idler arm, or just the typical pitman with upside-down Y arm configuration? I usually deal with the 1/2 ton trucks, none of which use an idler arm.

 

I just screwed the zerk into the tie rod end, it hasn't come out yet. I have seen a lot of them that way ie not threaded.

 

I haven't seen many that come threaded. The zerk is strong enough to thread into the hole and not come out in my experience. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

I decided to do my front suspension/steering in the course of my motor swap on my '72 F250 so I'm (too) familiar with this whole process. I even sprung for a new PS gear and pump to make sure everything is solid. Anyway....

The F-250 uses the same steering set-up as the F-100. You have a draglink that has ball joints on both ends and two tie-rods coupled together; four ball joints in total. If your steering linkage has never been replaced then it is probably in need. Your kingpins may or may not need to be replaced. I removed my brake spindles so I could paint everything so, with everything apart, I replaced the kingpins too. The axle pivot bushings and radius arm bushings are available in polyurethane from Energy Suspension; much better than OEM. The parts are not expensive; you should be able get the draglink, tie rods, kingpin kit, and urethane bushings for around $300 total; not bad for a completely rebuilt front end!

Now, with the F-250, you have to know your original GVW; it should be on your doorplate. The kingpin set and axle pivot bushings vary depending on the GVW (I learned this the hard way). For example, I have a Camper Special so my kingpins are larger than typical but my axle pivot bushings are regular F-250 size. The parts may or may not be listed by GVW; sometimes you have to get both sets and return what you don't need. I can provide more info if needed.