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Hi everyone
I have to replace the tie rods and idler arm on my 77, and so I have to remove the whole asm (see red in pic).
Will the front wheels (+ parts that are attached to it) stay in their place when I remove the assembly (will remove only the red highlighted parts), or will they drop down?
Replace the subassemblies one at a time. Count the threads on the tie rod ends and measure the piece with a tape measure from end to end. Your goal is to keep it close to where it was before you started so you can safely get it to an alignment shop. Good luck. Jerry
Replace the subassemblies one at a time. Count the threads on the tie rod ends and measure the piece with a tape measure from end to end. Your goal is to keep it close to where it was before you started so you can safely get it to an alignment shop. Good luck. Jerry
Thank you Jerry!
What about the safety? Will the wheel of one side drop down when removing LH or RH subassembly? Or will it stay just in place?
What about the safety? Will the wheel of one side drop down when removing LH or RH subassembly? Or will it stay just in place?
You can remove the complete assembly and the wheels will stay in place but when you do replace each part do what Jerry said about measuring set up . You will also be able to turn wheels right / left , with no problem . when assembly is removed .
Steven
No they will not drop down. They will pivot on the upper and lower ball joints like they do when you turn the steering wheel, but independent of each other. Do you have power steering? If so, I would remove the inner tie rods from the relay rod and the outer from the steering arms and replace the tie rods on your work bench ensuring they are adjusted to the exact same length as the old were on each side. While they are off the car, separate the relay rod from the idler arm and replace it then torque the relay rod to spec at the idler arm.
If you have manual steering, pull the relay rod and tie rod assemblies as a unit and replace everything on the bench. Also, rebuild the relay rod. It is easy and often the real source of loose steering. Then bolt on a new idler arm and reinstall everything. You can do this, good luck!
I rebuilt everything and these components were filthy, rusty and looked horrible. This is the original relay rod cleaned, painted and rebuilt, original spindles and hubs (new bearings seals, and dust shields), and original pitman arm. The idler arm and tie rods and adjusters are all new, but painted.
Tie rod asm + idler arm
