I bought a complete front end rebuild kit from Spohn. About 100 miles later I hit a rock slide on a mountain road that bent the center link. I got a brand new center link but now I'm having issues getting the castle nuts back on the inner tie rods.

The threads at the very tip of the threaded portion of the inner tie rods that the castle nuts screw onto got smacked a bit also by the rocks. I had no problem removing them, but now when I get the castle nuts on about a full turn, they become difficult. The problem is that the entire threaded rod coming out of the tie rod end turns inside the grease fitting so I can't apply the force I need to get the castle nuts past the first couple messed up threads.

Any ideas? I really don't want to have to replace my inner tie rods too

Thanks! Alex

 

I had that same problem when I took my steering linkage off the Camaro a couple winters ago to work on the frame rails. What I did was take a bar clamp, the kind you squeeze with one hand to tighten, and used that to hold the parts together tightly enough that it stopped spinning. It took a few tries, but I eventually got them back together.

 

Ah, I see. That sounds better than trying to grab the bottom few threads and ruining them or putting a pick through the cotter pin hole like I was thinking lol.

I'll give that a try, thanks!

 

there is a tool that i have had for 30-40 yrs. for such problems . i'm not sure what the tech. name is . i have always refered to it as a thread comb/file . 4 sided/square , about 1/2" ea. side , about 8 1/2" long , with about 3" of different thread serrations on each side on each end ( 8 total thread #'s ) . use like a file on threads that are damaged . it's like a thread chaser for bolt's & stud's . went out and got it from my tool's , it has NU-THRED , NO.1 , JAW MFG. CO , READING PA. stamped on center handle . i have been wrenching more years than many of yall have been alive . i can't count the number of times it's use has pulled my **** out of the fire on repairs . i'm 71+ yrs. old and still wrench on my own car . good luck .

P.S. did a quick on-line ck. snap-on , craftsman , etc. all have them , called thread restorer . metric & SAE , good tools for any wrencher .

 

I ran into a similar problem before. What I did was to take a pry bar and put the end on the K-member and pull so that the bar pressed against the back of the tie rod end. It kept the tie rod from spinning without damaging it. In principal it is the same thing as 92RS accomplished with the bar clamp.

My current issue that I am working on is getting that damn lock nut on my outer tie rods loose so I can replace the hiem joint (I have Baer bumpsteer kits instead of outer tie rods). I finally got the passenger's side off last night, but the driver's side is being very stubborn. I'll give it another go tonight.

 

Thanks for the tips, I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Alex

 

After re-reading my previous post, it dawned on my to use a prybar with my wrench to get the lock nut off my tie rod. Worked beautifully. All done.

 

thats why air tools are great!!!

 

...also a great way to overtorque when used improperly. Please explain to me how an air tool would be used to break a lock nut off of a tie rod without damaging it or the threads.

 

that's why you use it properly. The title of the thread is CASTLE NUT not LOCK NUT there is a difference. I'm a tech and I use air tools for a lot of my work because time is money my friend and i don't have time to mess around with a wrench/socket and a pry bar for 30 minutes. Although the pry bar idea I use quite often. And yes i know not everyone has access to air tools and most people do this in their own driveway. Use a 3/8 impact gun, it's not going to ruin the threads, the take off torque of the gun will spin the nut off very quickly leaving no room for the nut sit there and spin like it would with a wrench or ratchet.

 

A lot of the newer replacement suspension and steering components use locknuts instead of castle nuts and cotter keys.
Either way, using a pry bar or a bottle jack or regular jack under the component that your are trying to tighten or loosen will hold the piece up tight into the taper and hold it while the nut goes on or off.

I use air tools to do this, I usually turn the selector **** down a couple of notches and don't just kill it with force. It works fine.

 

Yeah this is true but stock replacements for our cars still use the castle nut approach. thanks for the agreement and yes like i said using them properly and in an appropriate manor works just fine without harming things.

 

I ended up just buying 2 new inner tie rods. Upon closer inspection, they were both slightly bent right in the middle where the threads starts from the accident after all.