OK so here's my problem...

RAE has bad upper ball joints, new control arms with moog bushings and BJ's all ready to go, that takes care of that problem. And my inner tie rods are all sloppy as well. But the problem I have is that the truck has a new center link and the idler arm and pitman arm are nice and tight, but the inner tie rods are sloppy. Not worn out sloppy, they are worn out, but too small for the tapper of the center link sloppy. The outer tie rods are fine.

Here are a couple pics,







Now the tie rods are toast, but they should still be seated nice and tight. They are being held in with a couple extra washers under the castle nuts!! Never seen that before.

So I pulled one of them loose, just removed the cotter pin and nut, and the tie rod fell out. So I took some measurements and this is what I have.

Original tie rod...on the tapper... 0.704 to 0.635

New center link...on the tapper... 0.754 to 0.661

So as you can see there is way no way the tie rod could ever fit tight into the new center link. So here is my question, since this was a D350 gasser originals would it run a smaller tie rod then a diesel? I have been searching for new tie rods and have a set of ES2120R ad ES2121L from NAPA coming in, these are for a gasser D350. I'm thinking maybe the new center link is for a diesel D350? Did they run a bigger tie rod?

Thoughts?

 

most of the suspension/steering parts shouldn't vary between the 250 and 350 trucks. at least i wouldn't think so having the mighty cummins to support. but being that the truck was originally a gasser, it's possible the center link was replaced with one for a diesel. moog's website, i believe, gives dimensions of the individual parts in their descriptions. give that a look and see what you can come up with.

Edit:
inner tie rod for the gassers:
http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com...d=MOOG-ES2120R

inner tie rod for the diesels:
http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com...d=MOOG-ES3123L

 

The "D" series center link is different between the gas & diesel versions. There is a double offset that provides additional room for the oil pan to center link clearance. Normally you would need the complete diesel set from wheel to wheel & in some cases the gasser mounting holes for the outer tie rod ends may require reaming depending upon if it's a 250 or 350 series truck.

 

Thanks for the info and links Jimbo!!

It appears that my center link is for a diesel then, since the tapper on the short is about right. And the tapper on my existing tie rod is almost identical as the gasser ones.

Well since my outers are fine, for now, I'll just order 2 diesel inner tie rods and go with those for now.


That's good info to know...Thanks!!

 

So why are the lengths different on the tie rods? The gassers are 5" and the diesel is 10". I see the diesels are 5/8 thread and the gasser is 9/16 so obviously they use a different adjustment sleeve, but are they that different?

 

i don't know the answer to that one. but i like knowing we've got beefy 5/8" shafts on both inner and outer tie rods!

 

Can someone post a pic of their tie rod end configuration from there factory diesel D250-D350 2wd truck?

 

these are moog replacements but still the original setup.

driver side:


passenger side:

 

Thanks for the pics Jimbo!!

Wonder why they went with the short and long tie rods, and the shorty adjustment sleeve?

I think I've decided what I'm going to do, for now at least. I'm going to order the diesel inner tie rods, then have them shorted, and then machined down to a 9/16 thread, instead of the 5/8. This will work for the time being and give me some time to find the other parts I will need to properly convert everything over to the diesel front suspension.

 

any updates on the tie rods? did it work?

 

I ordered the parts from RockAuto.com last week, just waiting for them to arrive.

For now I installed one side of a cotter pin to take up the slop between the smaller tapper on the gasser tie rod and the larger tapper on the center link, then tightened it down. Quite a bit better, but the tie rods have taken a beating and are totally shot!

I will update when I get the parts and talk to the machinist about what I need down.

 

Update....

Well it's all back together now. Here's what was done to get around the differences in the gasser vs diesel center link and tie rod ends sizes.

I ordered all new tie rods, two diesel inner tie rods, and two gasser outer. Here is a pair of the new ones. You can see the difference!!





So to get around having to find a set of diesel lower ball joint arms and such, I decided to have the big diesel tie rods machined down to fit the gasser adjustment sleeve, and therefore have the proper size end and tapper to fit the diesel center link.

I found a local guy who works out of his back yard. I brought him in one of the old used gasser inner tie rod and adjustment sleeve, and the two diesel units. He then milled down the shaft size and threaded them, Left hand thread of course. He said the hardest part was figuring out how to mount the tie rods in the milling machine since the odd shaped tie rod head was too big for his chucks. He ended up having to pin them on each side, center them, then mill them down, then thread them, then cut them to size.

Diesel and gasser tie rods.



And them assembled in the sleeve.



And now mounted in the truck.



I have also redone my upper control arms, so after the VE pump is re-sealed, new piston pump installed, new fuel heater and lines, I will get the front end realigned.

Hope this helps others out.

 

holy crap that was some work!!! all that matters is you got it to work. way to go!! those adjusting sleeves are completely different too. mine are only about 4" long. the inner tie rods have about a 10" shaft.

 

Was it worth it from a money standpoint? I would think you could have just bought new tie rods, sleeves, and center link before paying for the machine work.

 

he would've had to buy a steering knuckle from a gasser as his was 3/4 ton gasser to begin with. the taper in the knuckle is different apparently as he found out. he first bought a center link for a diesel not knowing there was a difference. which is why he had to buy the diesel inner tie rod ends to fit the taper of the center link. i'm not pointing fingers at you thrashingcows, i had no clue they were different either. IMO, i probably would've bought the diesel parts and replaced all that was necessary to make them work.