Play in a Tie Rod

[qman]

I have PS in my 72. The arm that comes out of the PS unit connects to the steering parts with a tie rod/ball joint. When I turn the steering wheel there is a ton of play in this sucker. By what name do I ask for this part?

[kid]

Pitman arm goes to a Center link that goes all the way to the right side. The left side tie rods hooks to that Center link.

http://www.autozone.com/N,14600196//sho ... ultSet.htm

[qman]

If I'm reading you correctly, then the Pitman arm is what comes off of the PS unit. At the end of that is the worn out ball joint. So I ask for a left side tie rod?

[kid]

No the Center link is what you want. It hooks to the pitman arm.

[MadMaxetc]

You need the most exspencive one.

I would just do them all while you have them out $150 should cover it. Then $35 for an alignment.

[qman]

Ok then, is it called a "center link tie rod"?

And Max, what do you mean "all of them"? All of them what, tie rods? How many are there?

This would probably fix all of the play in my steering then wouldn't it?

[MadMaxetc]

Well you have the "Center Link" or "Drag Link" that goes from the Pitman Arm to the PS spindle ($40). Then you have the "Inner Tie Rod" ($15) the runs from the middle of the Center/Drag Link to the Coupler (where you adjust the toe in/out). Then you have the "Outer Tie Rod" ($25) that runs from the Coupler to the DS spindle.

The prices are what I paid about 2 months ago at O'Reilly's. So $80 for parts not $150.

You can get a Alignment done at any shop, but you will probably only get the Toe In/Out set for $35-$45. If you take it to a shop that does bigger trucks then for $60-$70 you can get the Caster, Camber and Toe set. I would make sure your King Pins are good before you do the $70 alignment.

As for fixing to slop in the stearing, that is dependent on the King Pins being good as well as the stearing box. BUT if there is as much play as you say, then doing this won't hurt, and it should get better.

[qman]

Oh, so I won't just be buying ball joints, I'll be buying the long rods with a ball joint on the end? I figured I'd be buying a handful of balljoints, each of which would fit in my pocket.

[kid]

Ball Joints as you call them are tie rod ends. Bumpside Fords don't have ball joints.

[kid]

The rod ends are part of the center-link. It is one piece. I paid 130 for mine from AZ and it is for a F100 and I use it on my 350 but that was last year when I rebuilt the front end - Brakes, Studs, Wheel nuts, KingPins, rod ends, Center link and shocks 686 dollars when I was done.

[MadMaxetc]

the $50 one has no warenty and the $107 one has a 1 year. Same part, you just pay for the warenty. I just got the $50 one cuz it will most likly NOT go bad in a year, and IF it does then I can just get another one for $50, that is still less than $107.

You are not going to be able to do Just the little parts on the ends. They are pressed in and not rebuildable by a normal guys like us.

The parts and $ I said are as cheep as you are going to get.

[MadMaxetc]

Here is the PDF of all the parts and $ of what it cost me to rebuild EVERYTHING when I switched to front Disks.

edit: I just looked, and I need to update the $ for the King Pins. I will do that tonight.