Re: Tie Rods and Torque Arms

Posted by JohnCobb On 2014/4/19 19:36:28

I just finished the front end on my 1939 Packard Six and had exactly the same issue. I had bought a complete front end kit from Kanter, King pins, tie rod ends both inner and outer, I replaced my center steering bushing / bolt and serviced the drag link. I put new spring pads on the top and bottom of the original springs, new upper shock rubber bushings and bolts and new alignment bushings. A ton of work but now the car drives so great. But, when I first dropped the car on the ground the tie rods rubbed hard on the bottom of the slots, like yours. I could not figure it out, swapped several things around and consulted with a front end guy, my cure was that I heated the steering arms up by the spindle and raised them about 1/2". I believe that the new tie rods are taller than the originals but I looked at a couple of other brands and they all measured the same. I'll be interested to follow this.