Tie rod end retaining nuts

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Sep 25, 2023 | 08:41 AM

leadfoot4

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Tie rod end retaining nuts

A couple of years ago, when I replaced the harmonic balancer on my C-5, I had to remove the steering rack. This, of course, meant that I had to disconnect the tie rods from the spindles. As many of you know, the factory used some sort of funky retaining nuts, that had to be tightened in a specific way. I assume that this was because you're tightening a steel shaft into an aluminum spindle, which obviously being a softer metal, could either be either expanded or worse yet, cracked.

I tightened this nut as carefully as I could, but I've been concerned that maybe, in the interest of not overtightening it, I may not have gotten it tightened correctly. Given my past experience in the "oval track world", where "nylock nuts" are regularly used, I've considered installing the nylocks on my front tie rods. I looked at a McMaster catalog, yesterday, and see that they offer the nylocks in Grade 8. Is there any reason not to use these nuts? If not, does anyone happen to know the thread pitch of the OE tie rods? I'd like to have the nuts on hand, before disassembling the car.

TIA!

Sep 26, 2023 | 06:13 PM

leadfoot4

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Nobody?

Sep 27, 2023 | 08:55 AM

Bobbo76

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I can't imagine why you couldn't use a nylock. I track my car and I've never had an issue with the oem standard, plain lock nuts.
I'm sorry I can't tell you the size but you could answer half of your question by getting under the car with a thread gauge.
Best of luck to you Sir.

Sep 28, 2023 | 08:12 AM

leadfoot4

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobbo76

I probably could borrow a thread gauge, but I'm pretty sure that I'd need to remove the wheel, in order to be able to adequately access the stud, and put the gauge up to it.

I store my C-5 during the winter, and use the OE wheels, equipped with a set of old, fairly well worn tires, for storage purposes. I was hoping to purchase some of the lock nuts, and have them on hand for when I put the car away, so I could do the tire swap and tie rod nut swap in a single afternoon. As previously mentioned, Grade 8 nuts are available, but I believe that they'd have to be ordered.

Sep 29, 2023 | 04:53 PM

grinder11

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Don't know if you'd need grade 8, but it can't hurt. Been awhile since I've looked at the tie rods, but don't they use a castellated nut and cotter pin arrangement?

Sep 29, 2023 | 05:27 PM

leadfoot4

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Quote:

Originally Posted by grinder11

Don't know if you'd need grade 8, but it can't hurt. Been awhile since I've looked at the tie rods, but don't they use a castellated nut and cotter pin arrangement?

The replacement parts that I've seen, do have a traditional castellated nut and cotter pin. However, at least on my '01 C-5, the tie rod stud has a "hex" in it's end, that accepts an allen wrench, I assume to hold the stud stationary, while initially installing the retaining nut. I looked up the install/tightening steps, in the FSM, last evening, and it calls for an initial torque of 15 ft/lbs, then 160* of rotation, then check for torque of 33 ft/lbs.. The retaining nut has a sort of a built in washer, that looks like an umbrella, for lack of a better term....

I was thinking Grade 8 nuts, from a known source, McMaster Carr, rather than "big box hardware store" nuts, of unknown origin.