Well, after two days of hit-n-miss I finally got the offset tie rod to clear the motor mount... some welding will ensue. I have a better, longer, replacement drag link coming tomorrow (!) but did try the one I have and found it to be hitting the T bone on the passenger side (after being forced onto the ball) and the snout on the oil pan. The steering arm looks close as is, but Ill hafta mount the bracket on the frame to be sure.
That bracket is gonna get mounted on the TOP frame rail with an additional piece of angle iron mounted there for the side bolt. Raising the front almost 3 inches and pivoting the column at the fire wall will essentially lower the wheel, hopefully a few inches anyway. This is what you encounter when modifitificating a tried and true system.
Got company showing up tomorrow around noon for T-talk and a mammal meat lunch, so Ill hafta clean up the shop in the morning.
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offset tie rod compared to OEM unit.
First attempt put the bar in the way of the drag link.
second attempt put it where it needs to go. It just touches the mount with the wheels hard over