Steering rod ends pt. 1

I started the steering rod end replacement project today. Here's a pic of the two tie rod ends, two relay rod ends, and a drag link end.



Here's a reminder of what's on the truck now:



Meanwhile, I noticed that my bump stop experiment had verified my suspicions.



Here's another picture of my weak spring rate.



The rod ends didn't come with grease fittings. These appear to be pretty high quality though. "555" brand from Japan. Toyota pieces would have been ideal, but the cost was nearly $400. I could replace these 4 more times for that much. Got these from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters.



I was reading about toe-in measurements online and in the FSM, and decided to measure mine before disassembling the steering linkage. I drew a line around the circumference of both front tires, measured the distance between the lines at the front of the tire, and then at the back, and subtracted for the difference. NOTE: The photos are deceiving. I took them before measuring. I attempted to take measurements from halfway up the tire both front and rear.



Here's a video of how I drew the straight lines.



I placed a board across two cheapo jackstand and used the level just to ensure consistency between the front and back measurements.



Making the same measurement on the back side of the tire:



I wasn't really surprised that the truck was still within spec. Now to replace these parts while keeping it that way.



I needed replacement cotter pins for the engine mounts. Don't you hate it when you go in for two and come out with 555?



I also thought it was interesting that the FSM had measurements for the standard relay rod and tie rod lengths. I measured these on the truck, just out of curiosity. It was an awkward place to use a measuring tape, but the values seemed right on.



I counted the exposed threads on each end, recorded the numbers, and marked the threads with a sharpie just in case.



The tie rod tube looked pretty decent after some work with the wire wheel.



Right before dark it started snowing- crazy, because it was sunny and beautiful this morning. I had to put the wheels back on the truck and take it off the jack stands in order to pull it in enough to shut the garage door, then jack it back up, so I lost some time.

I had to get organized since I was losing some of my workspace.



All the rod ends got a coat of chassis black and new grease fittings.



This is where I pick up tomorrow. I stopped because I don't want to put the newly-refurbished rods back on with the old hardware. But it looks like I might end up doing that anyway, because tomorrow is Easter and nowhere is going to be open for purchasing nuts and bolts. I guess I can replace the bolts later. Still have to give the relay rod tube a coat of chassis black too.