Drag Link Replacement Question

[mgambuzza]

OK - so in the process of improving driving stability, parts of my drag link and the drag link itself have seen better days. Good news the parts arrived today and I will be reassembling tonight(drag link, rebuild kit, and cotter pins). Now the $1M question - I see in Les' book it says to screw in for 25% compression. In my rebuild kit I did not see a compression gauge nor a specification for "torque" if I used a wrench to ball park the value. I know it'll be somewhere between tight as Jack Benny, and loosey goosey, but I'm looking to see if there's some way to evaluate the optimum compression.

[Ed in Maine]

I did this job just a week ago. I had the same question. Many different answers but this is what I did and the job seemed to go OK.
1. Grease all the parts.
2. Assemble and turn the cap in until it makes contact with the internal parts. Then turn in further 1 1/2 turns, plus a bit to line up the groove for the cotter pin. The cap will be flush or in very slightly.
3. After assembly and grab the drag link and try to turn it. It should move very little if at all.
Use the same procedure for the tie rod and be sure to adjust the toe in after you are finished. Toe in is 1/16 in. plus a 1/32 in. tolerance.
Good luck, Ed

[Model A Ron]

Originally Posted by Ed in Maine

I did this job just a week ago. I had the same question. Many different answers but this is what I did and the job seemed to go OK.
1. Grease all the parts.
2. Assemble and turn the cap in until it makes contact with the internal parts. Then turn in further 1 1/2 turns, plus a bit to line up the groove for the cotter pin. The cap will be flush or in very slightly.
3. After assembly and grab the drag link and try to turn it. It should move very little if at all.
Use the same procedure for the tie rod and be sure to adjust the toe in after you are finished. Toe in is 1/16 in. plus a 1/32 in. tolerance.
Good luck, Ed

This is exactly the procedure I used and mine turned out just fine. The cotter pins in the tie rod ends can be a bugger so use your fingers to feel for the hole......you will know what I mean when you do it.

Ron

[mgambuzza]

Of course the one item I didn't expect - custom tools. I should've known it was too good to be true when I could just use a screwdriver to remove the drag link from the pitman - came off like butter even though the socket was cracked and the spring was crud crusted. I guess tomorrow is another day. Off to NAPA and Lowes for the Drag Link socket and impact wrench to make sure things don't get more "stripped" than they previously were (when last work on it looks like they used the old and didn't replace all the parts so it shows sign where it was starting to strip).

[Bob Bidonde]

This is the way to adjust the end plugs:

[alexiskai]

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Great diagram, Bob

[mgambuzza]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

This is the way to adjust the end plugs:

Agreed - yes, thank you!

[GRutter]

Assuming the spring was 1" long, then it would need to be compressed 1/4" (25% of its length).
At 24 Threads per Inch, each complete rotation of the plug would move it by 0.0416".
It would require 6 full rotations to compress the spring 1/4"

[mgambuzza]

So far so good. New tools allowed me to get the other end of the drag link off. Installation of new were a snap. Next challenge was the greasing. While using my new gun at 10pm(of course), the nozzle fell apart stopping further work. This morning I purchased a replacement nipple, now while pumping visually saw grease come out of the ball and opening - mission accomplished. Attempted steering while in the air and significant improvement. Lowered the vehicle and steering wheel play now after all adjustments - no more 4" of play. I'm going to try to adjust the toe in, and can't wait to take it for a ride.

[redmodelt]

Did you put the boots and steel cap on?

[mgambuzza]

Originally Posted by redmodelt

Did you put the boots and steel cap on?

yes - as well as the cotter pins.

[mgambuzza]

Lastly - purchased and used the Toe Measuring Gauge from the Paul Shinn video. Toe In measured at 3/4". I had thoroughly applied PB Blaster to all points that I would be using a wrench which sat for a couple of days before doing work. Another item I discovered - both castle bolts were slightly loose, and did not have cotter pins in them. Followed procedure, and was able to get it down to 1/16" which I thought was good enough and far better than before. Tightened, cotter pin, greased, and finally took out for a drive. HUGE improvement over previous - a significant improvement and much more enjoyable to drive. Thank you to all the people on this forum for the coaching, inspiration, and giving me the confidence to do these tasks as I would not have done so in my past vehicles.

[mgambuzza]

BTW - I did use chocks on the front and back motion to limit the movement. When I did the tie rod adjustments, the wheels were secured.