track rod ends - which ones

[Wittsend]

If you haven't got the "feel" or experience then these tables will help you....

[DickB]

Thanks for all the input. I have a torque wrench  - dug it out and adjusted all so at least the nuts are all evenly torqued. The clamps had to wound quite tight in order to grip the rods and to stop them turning.

What are the possible scenarios if everything is over tight (as in the TRE nuts)? Obvious if not tight enough, I guess!!

[cswagon]

I thought the TREs were 30 lb/ft.

[Wittsend]

Yes - that's for the nut on the end, nyloc or castellated with split pin.

We are discussing here the track rod end clamps at 10 lbs ft.

 

[cswagon]

Sorry, someone back there mentioned the TRE nuts and I got confused.
Easily done when you're in a hurry and don't read the posts fully.

[Sunny Jim]

I fitted a replacement early type track rod to mine at the last rebuild, and it came fully threaded, so needed the later type ends. I you buy an NOS track rod, you need to check which type it is.

I have now fitted Lemforder ends to the track rod, as the ones I fitted (Bearmach) first didn't last long, and their replacements (Delphi I think) were not much better! The shouldered ones on the other two rods have been fine since 2007 - I just packed them with grease before fitting!

Sunny Jim

[Clifford Pope]

Installing the fully threaded TRE's into the part threaded rods is a bad thing to do as the number of threads engaged is reduced and they can pull out the end of the tubes.

Craig.

That surely depends on the actual total length of the rod in each case? If the length is the same, but earlier ones are only partly threaded, then the number of threads engaged is bound to be less than with the later fully-threaded type. That perhaps was a reason for the changeover?
The point surely is that the clamp on a partly-threaded tube will not clamp properly on the threads of a fully-threaded TRE, because it is intended for the slightly larger diameter of the shouldered TRE?