What is a good method to remove the tie rod ends on my 1972 F600. I don't want to damage them because you can't find replacements but the tie rod is bent and needs straightening also the threaded part is seized in the tube. It is ruining my front tires. I have general hand tools and a small oxy acetelene torch kit for heat if need be. Any ideas are welcome.


JHolland

 

the two methods that I have used #1 pickle fork ( you will ruin the rubber seal ) #2 loosen castellated nut to the point of some gap between nut & the arm it tightens down to , have a helper with a big pry bar put a strain on the tie rod as close to the end as practical , then the arm that has the tapered hole the tie rod tapered bolt inserts into ; smack it with a hammer on the side good luck and have some bandaids on hand

 

tie rod

Ok here is what I did. Didn't want to buy a pickle fork so I loosened the nuts some then protected the seal with a wet cloth and some tin foil wrapped around it. Used my torch and some heat then sprayed with PB blaster to soak a while. Heated again and gave it a few good hits with a hammer on the side of the bracket it is attached to and one side popped out. Repeated on the drivers side and it too popped out. No harm no foul. Both tie rod ends cleaned up good. I am going to order a piece of tubing and fit the ends for a sound repair. I measured the over all length so I would know how long the adjustment needs to be. And yes I did need medical attention when I was through...

 

Smacking the knuckle on the side (90° to the taper bore) momentarily ovals the bore and allows the tapered pin to release. If you can hit it inline with the knuckle's arm, so much the better, but sometimes you can't swing anything in that direction. I haven't used a pickle fork in decades once this was explained to me. Prying on the thing doesn't help, since the smacking changes the bore geometry and does the work of releasing, not the pry force.

I'd be very leery of heating a forged knuckle, but these things do seem pretty stout.

 

I didn't heat it very much. Just enough to expand it a tiny amount. Didn't turn it red or anything. I cut the bad area out and turned a short piece of round stock to slip in the tube and threaded a short piece of tubing for the tie rod end. Going to weld it up tomorrow and reinstall. I plan on ordering a piece of seamless tubing and remake it new. My repair is temporary.

JHolland