66 D200 Tie Rod question

[olypopper]

In the middle of my disc brake conversion and noticed my tie rod has a bend......are they supposed to be straight and if so, does anybody have a line on new ones?

[JimE]

These guys can take of you, they are not cheap.
http://shop.rareparts.com/smtp/shopdisp ... =0393|D100 PICKUP&iproduct=0049|STEERING, GEAR, PUMP & COMPONENTS

Jim

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Bend it back straight!

[Noelie84]

The Tie Rods are not supposed to have a bend. The Center Link is.
The Tie Rods are located closest to the spindles, are connected by an adjusting link and look like this:



The Center link goes from the Pitman Arm to the spindle and looks like this:

[PwrWgnDrvr]

The Center link goes from the Pitman Arm to the spindle and looks like this:

That part seems to be called a drag link, not a center link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_link
Also note the pictorial diagram at the link.
"The term is commonly used in automotive technology for the link in steering linkage that converts rotation of a pitman arm to a steering arm and eventually to tie rod links which pivot the wheels to be steered. The drag link converts the sweeping arc of the steering arm to linear motion in the plane of the other steering links."
"The drag link connects the pitman arm to the steering arm, or in some applications it connects to the tie rod assembly. Unlike a center link, the drag link does not connect to an idler arm, and has no inner tie rod ends attached to it."

[Noelie84]

Very true, it is a Drag Link since it attaches only to the steering arm and not to an idler. But the function is the same, and annoyingly the terms are used interchangeably by parts manufacturers; Moog calls it a Drag Link; AC Delco calls it a Center Link. Was always a headache when I worked at a parts store, guessing which name a manufacturer had chosen

[JimE]

Very true, it is a Drag Link since it attaches only to the steering arm and not to an idler. But the function is the same, and annoyingly the terms are used interchangeably by parts manufacturers; Moog calls it a Drag Link; AC Delco calls it a Center Link. Was always a headache when I worked at a parts store, guessing which name a manufacturer had chosen

Correct, I have had replace 2 of them over the years. Jim

[olypopper]

I will straighten the tie rod, replace the ends and install a new center link. Thanks for the info fellas.

[JimE]

Once they bend they can only be adjusted a little bit, be careful. Jim