REPAIRING TIE RODS ON A BUDGET

[clodhopper]

My Tie rods are shot. New ones are $65 a piece, so heres what I did.... This is a picture of the rod ball end. It was welded up at some point previous, but never filed back to the right size.

So using a reciprocating saw and metal blade, I sawed the ends off.

Then I purchased a bag of 3/4 plain steel balls from Mcmaster Carr for about $10 dollars (they must be plain steel, not chrome hardened so they cxan be welded)

and ground a flat spot on the ball with the bench grinder. I then tacked the ball in place, and took the ball to a welding shop to have it welded up. The welder is charging $20. So for about $31 and a little bit of my time, I will have new tie rods...

The leftovers are great slingshot ammo!!

Last edited by clodhopper on Mon Nov 26, 2012 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[lazyuniondriver]

Nice. Nice savings too.

[clodhopper]

Also, I cut a .033 shim out of 24 gauge sheet metal, as all I have is a .060 shim. The shims are $6. Mine was basically free (scrap)

[Barnyard]

Very good. I copied this into the How To forum also and locked it there. If you need to edit it in the How To forum at anytime, let me know

[Donegal Cub]

Hi Clodhopper,
Great post and great innovation. They say necessity is the the mother of invention, I believe poverty is the father.!!!
Good work,
Donegal Cub.

[clodhopper]

Very good. I copied this into the How To forum also and locked it there. If you need to edit it in the How To forum at anytime, let me know

Thank you sir!

[clodhopper]

Hi Clodhopper,
Great post and great innovation. They say necessity is the the mother of invention, I believe poverty is the father.!!!
Good work,
Donegal Cub.

They say I got my "thriftyness" from my grandpa. He was a well known tightwad!

[Super A]

Then I purchased a bag of 3/4 plain steel balls

Why is it I keep thinking about Jerry Clower?

That is a great fix. Does McMaster Carr carry them in 1" size? That would be a good fix for Super A tie rods too!


Al

[Barnyard]

Can you give us McMaster-Carr's part number for the balls? That would be a big help for anybody ordering these.

[ricky racer]

I love it when I see members here identify a problem, come up with a solution and execute it while documenting the process. It's a big help for all of us.

Very well done Clodhopper!!!

[clodhopper]

Can you give us McMaster-Carr's part number for the balls? That would be a big help for anybody ordering these.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-steel-balls/=kc68ah

Here is the link to the page that has all the sizes and numbers

[clodhopper]

Then I purchased a bag of 3/4 plain steel balls

Why is it I keep thinking about Jerry Clower?

That is a great fix. Does McMaster Carr carry them in 1" size? That would be a good fix for Super A tie rods too!


Al

Yes they do have 1inch

[Barnyard]

My guess is these are the ones you used:
Size 3/4"
25 to a pack
Part # 96455K59
Price per pack $14.86

I couldn't find a pack of them for around $10.00

[clodhopper]

My guess is these are the ones you used:
Size 3/4"
25 to a pack
Part # 96455K59
Price per pack $14.86

I couldn't find a pack of them for around $10.00

Mine were only 7.67. Must have been on sale.

[Barnyard]

I don't know if what I found on that page are the rtight ones. I just thought it would be good to share the number with others who may want to do this in the future.