Changing Tie Rod Ends on my 84

[SourTooth307]

Hey guys, I'm planning to change the tie rod ends on my 84 K/10 which I've never done before. Any tips on how to install them and make adjustments as best as one can without an alignment machine?

[Ski-me]

Just try and get the length of the new piece as close as you can to the old piece. Once you get it in, all you are really doing is adjusting the toe.

Take a piece of tape and put it on the middle of the tire treads, and then mark a vertical line on the tape. (looking at your driver's tire, it would be located at the 9 o'clock position). Measure this width between the tires.

Then roll the truck backwards so the tape marks are now at the 180 degree mark from the original position. Measure this width. You want the front measurement to be about 1/8" to 1/4" narrower than the rear measurement. Basically to keep the alignment, slightly "toe in" for stability.

[SourTooth307]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

Just try and get the length of the new piece as close as you can to the old piece. Once you get it in, all you are really doing is adjusting the toe.

Take a piece of tape and put it on the middle of the tire treads, and then mark a vertical line on the tape. (looking at your driver's tire, it would be located at the 9 o'clock position). Measure this width between the tires.

Then roll the truck backwards so the tape marks are now at the 180 degree mark from the original position. Measure this width. You want the front measurement to be about 1/8" to 1/4" narrower than the rear measurement. Basically to keep the alignment, slightly "toe in" for stability.

Awesome advice, thanks a lot. My steering wheel is off by about 45 degrees, any chance I can straighten this out myself?

[dfrank]

Originally Posted by SourTooth307

Awesome advice, thanks a lot. My steering wheel is off by about 45 degrees, any chance I can straighten this out myself?

Yup, very easy. Just set the wheels straight and lossen the adjusting sleeve on the drag link and tighten it or lossen it until the wheel lines up. Takes about 5 minutes. It's easier with a helper but if you don't have one then just turn it a full turn one way and check to see if the wheel is turning in the right direction. If it is keep going until it lines up if it isn't than go the other way.

[SourTooth307]

Originally Posted by dfrank

Yup, very easy. Just set the wheels straight and lossen the adjusting sleeve on the drag link and tighten it or lossen it until the wheel lines up. Takes about 5 minutes. It's easier with a helper but if you don't have one then just turn it a full turn one way and check to see if the wheel is turning in the right direction. If it is keep going until it lines up if it isn't than go the other way.

Awesome! Thanks it sounds simple enough. Is there a correspondence to tightening and loosening and the steering wheel being turned left or right? Or is it something one just has to figure out?

[SourTooth307]

Oh, also the drag link is that long bar up front that runs parallel to the front axle?

[Sh75]

I think he means the two ends that come off of the steering box

[Ski-me]

Yes, from steering arm to pitman arm on steering box. It's the bar that is pretty much horizontal in the driver's side wheel well. Drive the truck in a straight line so the truck is as straight as possible. Loosen the adjusting knuckle and turn it one way or another (depending on what you need). Have a second person in driver's seat to tell you if you are going the right way or not. Once it's centered tighten everything back up. You may have to drive it and fine tune if you want it spot on. Pretty easy and if you take it to an alignment shop, that's about all they can do too.

[dfrank]

Originally Posted by SourTooth307

Awesome! Thanks it sounds simple enough. Is there a correspondence to tightening and loosening and the steering wheel being turned left or right? Or is it something one just has to figure out?

Originally Posted by SourTooth307

Oh, also the drag link is that long bar up front that runs parallel to the front axle?

SKI-ME pretty much summed it up.

[Ski-me]

This bar. loosen the two nuts and then you can put a flathead screwdriver in the open crease and turn it.....

[dfrank]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

This bar. loosen the two nuts and then you can put a flathead screwdriver in the open crease and turn it.....

I always just turned it by hand.

[Ski-me]

Originally Posted by dfrank

I always just turned it by hand.

It's probably dependent on if it's ever been turned recently or not (or rusted).

[dfrank]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

It's probably dependent on if it's ever been turned recently or not (or rusted).

Thats true. I hate rusty adjusting sleeves! Lol

[silverbear]

Another trick you can use for setting the "toe" on your K10. Wrap a string around all 4 of your tires so it makes a box around the truck. With the string running across the face of the tires, if the string touches the front and back of the front tires and only the back of the rear tires then you will need to adjust the tie rod out. If it touches only the front of the front tire and front and back of the rear tire then you need to adjust the tie rod in.

This also works much better if you have a helper to hold the steering wheel still and straight while making adjustments to the tie rods.

This process will not get the alignment perfect but depending on much you fuss with it you can get it pretty close.

[SourTooth307]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

This bar. loosen the two nuts and then you can put a flathead screwdriver in the open crease and turn it.....

This is what I got the parts to replace. These aren't tie rod ends and the adjusting sleeve?

[dfrank]

Originally Posted by SourTooth307

This is what I got the parts to replace. These aren't tie rod ends and the adjusting sleeve?

The tie rod is the bar the runs between the 2 front tires in front of the axle. The drag link also has an adjusting sleeve and two ends although they are different. You apparently have a new drag link and not tie rod ends and adjusting sleeve.

This is what the tie rod looks like.

[SourTooth307]

Originally Posted by dfrank

The tie rod is the bar the runs between the 2 front tires in front of the axle. The drag link also has an adjusting sleeve and two ends although they are different. You apparently have a new drag link and not tie rod ends and adjusting sleeve.

This is what the tie rod looks like.

Ahh, I see. I'll have to post pics of the parts I have.