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Complete newb tie rod question


Ttumachy

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I’m in the process of upgrading front brakes to discs. Problem is the car was started by someone else, and I’m the one putting it back together with conversion kit. 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook 2 door.

 

Tie rod ends - do they install the same way passenger to driver side? Or are they upside down relative to each other? Passenger side came from bottom up into the steering knuckle arm. Driver side looks to come down into it. Does that seem right? Hoping this is an easy one for someone after me spending way too much time on search.

 

If anyone wants to know - I’m more into newer cars so this is a bit of a stretch for me in application, but the car work isn’t. Scarebird kit for the front that lets me retain stock rims. Replacing brake lines and master cylinder (likely to dual reservoir). Most front end suspension components were taken off, sandblasted and powder coated. Kanter rebuild kit for the front. New shocks. Not sure about the back yet. We have new shocks for there as well. Need to replace the leaf springs. Man, companies are proud of those! And I haven’t gotten into why the back brakes won’t bleed, but I’ll replace lines and redo back as well.

 

The real kicker is it’s my wife’s car and she’s had it 14 years, longer then me. We’ve kept it and work on a bit here and there. All original outside this. Literally, stock brakes, shocks, springs when I parked it after loosing brakes 6 years back. The brake job let me find out everything else was stock and needed a bit of updating!

031AD94E-1BD7-434D-ADD9-01F94E962717.jpeg

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I went out and looked under my 51 Cambridge, should be the same.  On the driver's side the tierods point down, on the passenger's side they point up (both inners and outers).  This is a stock setup.  You kit may, or may not, require the outers to point in a different direction than stock.  But the inners point as you think they should.

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Thanks so much for the help Sniper! The rebuild kit was wear and tear parts only so it goes back together the same. All stock parts that we could are being reused.

 

I agree with ToolJunkie - it was odd and not what I see on the other cars I have worked on. But I couldn’t see how I could have messed it up - not really any other way to install it. 

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You know, I was thinking some disc brake kits required steering arms to be swapped but that is actually the Fatman dropped spindle kit.  Never mind on that. old age is scrambling my memory banks, lol.

 

You will find a lot of odd things on your 51 compared to what is done today.  Progress and all.

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Whether this was an Oz only thing I'm not sure but I know that here on Oz Mopars with the stock "dogbone" style pitman arm that uses a short and long tie rod , short to the drivers side, long to the passenger side................. the tierod ends fit up/down to each other at the " dogbone" yet both insert from the bottom at the wheel or steering arm end of the tierod......and it doesn't matter really whether they insert from the top or bottom as far as the steering geometry is concerned so far as you insert the tierod into the taper the correct way to suit the taper........the steering arm taper will centre the tierod and negate any potential  bumpsteer............andyd

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6 hours ago, greg g said:

Don't toss those drum brake parts, post them up in the classified section.  They still have value to folks who haven't upgraded.  Good serviceable drums are getting hard to find.

I have much of the stock set up still, so I can do that once I finish up. Of course, my wife has to give me the ok and I’ll wait till it’s on the ground running!

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The height of the tierod in relation to the LCA pivot points will affect bumpsteer.  As will the lengths of the tierod assemblies themselves.  For no bumpsteer you want the tie rod pivot centers in the same plane as the LCA pivot points and you want the tie rod assemblies pivot points the same distance apart as the LCA pivot points, with minor adjustments in that length to generate ackermann steering. 

 

This is why later model steering went to a centerlink setup. 

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Ttumachy,

 

This pic. is from 1950 mopar parts book but is most likely same as your 51.

 

If it helps so be it. Jus trying.

 

Top part is for Plymouths and Dodges.

 

DJ

1950 Mopar steer linkages.jpg

Edited by DJ194950
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3 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

Ttumachy,

 

This pic. is from 1950 mopar parts book but is most likely same as your 51.

 

If it helps so be it. Jus trying.

 

Top part is for Plymouths and Dodges.

 

DJ

1950 Mopar steer linkages.jpg

That top picture is exactly what I’m seeing. It made me nervous to see the two tie rod ends facing different directions. My service manual doesn’t go into that much detail. Thanks for the visual!

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