I have been trying to figure out how to adjust your LH and RH tie rod adjuster tubes so that you can center your steering gear without changing your vehicle toe setting. If you recall, when you turn each adjuster tube, you want one tie rod assembly to lengthen while the other shortens by the exact same amount in order to center our steering gear without changing the front wheel toe setting.

I have determined the following:
Inner and outer tie rod ends are interchangeble. (They are identical except that two of them are RH thread and two of them are LH threads where they thread into the adjuster tube.)
The RH and LH adjuster tubes are the same. (One end has a RH thread and the other has a LH thread.

Therefore, the tie rod ends with the appropriate thread must screw into each end of the adjuster tube. Once they are screwed in, you now have two tie rod assemblies that you can lay on the floor similar to car position. Now the outer ends can either be the same hand thread or you can turn one tie assembly end for end and now the outer tie rods will be opposite hand threads.

I have made some sketches and depending which way you mix and match the tie rods you can either make them both extend or retract together if you turn the adjuster tube the same direction. Or by turning one tie rod assembly end for end, you can make one side operate in the opposite direction from the other if you turn the adjuster tubes in the same direction.

Here is what I determined:

Don't forget, since the tie rod ends are identical (except for the RH or LH thread), the relay rod attach points and the steering arms on the knuckles won't care which ones assemble where.

If the outer tie rods have the same hand thread, one will shorten and the other will lengthen if you rotate the adjuster tubes in the same direction.

If the outer tie rods have opposite hand threads, they will both extend or retract together if you rotate the tubes the same direction.

Since the steering linkage assembly came into the assembly plant all ready assembled, the Corvette AIM book isn't any help. The Chevrolet shop manual is very clear: Turn the adjuster tubes in the same direction. Therefore, the OEM linkage assembly must have had the tie rods with ends that were opposite threads.

Since our cars are 20 to 33 years old, you probably don't know if Bubba mixed and matched your tie rod assemblies sometime in the distant past. So use this rule of thumb.

If you have outer tie rod ends that screw into the adjuster tubes with the same hand thread, turn the adjuster tube the same direction so that your toe setting will not change.

If your outer tie rod ends screw into the adjuster tubes with opposite hand threads, you will need to turn the adjuster tubes in opposite directions.

I am interested if anyone has anything else to add. For instance, as the car came from the assembly plant, what hand thread was on the outer tie rods (RH or LH?)

BTW, I will write this up so it will post on the http://www.corvettefaq websight for your future enjoyment.

 

Jim I always enjoy your post's because you are usually (always) bang on, with steering related issues. In the 70's I operated a alignment machine And my experience was that you had to look closely at the location of the LH thread tie rod end because they were sometimes on wrong from the factory
some had to turn up some down. The older the car the more likly it was differant on each side.


[Modified by paso, 9:30 AM 8/28/2001]