Tie rod close to the drag link rod

Tom maxwell

Tom maxwell

Member
I have been through past threads about the tie rod rubbing against the drag link rod. I have slight signs of these rods rubbing on my A.
I have a stock pitman arm.
I was looking for the measurement that these rods were apart when new.
Also I am interested in the measurement that will tell me if I have excessive sag in the front leaf springs by just measuring the car on the tires and the weight of the car on the springs.
The dimensions in the catalogs are always with the springs out of the car.
30 coupe
Thanks
Tom
 
Do you have the original wishbone/bellhousing connection or the aftermarket black hollow rubber ball?

Joe K
 
A sagging front spring is the #1 cause of this. It will actually wear a flat-spot on the drag link.

The easiest way I tell is by looking at the space between the wheel and fender, and in the fron, look at the spring hangers (shackles) and see if they are hanging at near 45 degrees.
 
Les Andrews showed me that if a spring is still in good shape, you should be able to slip your index finger between the bottom of the shackle and the spring. If they are too close together, chances are your spring is weak.
 
Thanks guys.
I will check the clearence on the spring shackles. The angle appears to be very close to a 45 degree
Also this weekend i will check the radius ball.
But, I'm still inerested in the diemension when the car is on the rubber.

I have about 1/4" clearance when on the rubber, but there are signs that somewhere along its years the rods have rubbed.
Is there a dimension between the rods?

Tom
 
Guys
here is a picture of my front ends. If you see something out of place beside the diconnected tie rod and drag link , let me know..
Tom
 

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Tom,
As Brent said a sagging spring is the primary cause of this. Another easy tip off of a worn/sagging spring is take a look a the car from the front. A good spring will have the entire front axle visible below the front splash apron.. or very close to fully visible. I see you have an aftermarket spring and foreign shackles on it.... Just beware that there are several suppliers of springs out there. some are better than others.... older nors and original shackles are better than the foreign replacement shackles as well. I think if you fix the front spring you will fix your problem. Another potention problem.. I just took one apart last week that had a broken center bolt. When that happens the axle can shift a little and cause issues as well.

Larry Shepard

Larry
 
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