[[email protected]]

Well today was another day in the shop. I pulled the wishbone ball out of it's socket after finding there was a little play in it. I put a .015" shim in it and it took care of some of the death rattle. I thought I had it fixed until I drove it quite a ways and all of a sudden the shake was back. So I drove it home and swore and cussed and kicked the neighbors dog. Then I got under and pulled it apart again. All the time I was pulling it apart all I could hear was that damn dog wimpering so I yelled at it to shutup and then I kicked it again. That kind of worked because the neighbor saw me kick it and came out and got it and put it in the house. So I took the cap into the shop and realized the hole faced surface of it was washed out. So I put it on the belt grinder and flattened it out then cleaned it up with a file. Then I took another larger piece of .015" shimstock and folded it over to get .030". I hammered that into a cupped piece and tightened it into the ball socket after greasing it up real gude. Then I went for another drive. It performed flawlessly. I was so happy. And then I got home and went to pull into the driveway and sure as hell, when I hit the bump at the end of the driveway it started to wobble again. But it only did it at a really slow speed and only a couple times and it settled right down. It strikes me as a bit odd that the thing only goes into the death rattle at slow speeds. So after parking it I got out and checked the wishbones and the socket was still solid as a rock. So I started looking at other things. I grabbed a frontwheel and started to yank it back and forth. I could feel a clunk in it and kept watching as I was doing it. Finally I noticed that the slop was in the tie-rod ends. It's almost imperceptible but it's definitely there. So now it's time for me to ask a question. What's more likely worn, the tie-rod end or the spindle socket? Is it possible to shim the tie-rod or should it be replaced (replacement seems most likely to me to be the right answer). I really hate putting any more work or money into this car than I have to until next winter. But I also want to drive this thing this winter and I want it to be safe. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

On a happier note I put the horn back on today and it works really good with the original stock horn button. So I took it for a run past my neighbors place who has a couple really nice T's and laid on the horn as I went by. I know he appreciated that. So, unless there's something I can do to correct those tie-rods by tomorrow afternoon, I'm only going to worry about getting things cleaned up tomorrow for Saturdays tour. I'm really 'cited for the tour. What kind of cookies and chips and salsa am I going to buy at the grocery store tomorrow for the potluck on Saturday? Hmmmm. But for now it's time for a couple pieces of toast and a glass of milk and go to bed. G'night y'all.