Wobble Fixed!!!

[braol]

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The moral of this thread is that there are no magic bullets to Model A repairs...just methodical checking of all components as has been done for 80 years:


So I had a wobble from Day 1 of owning my (new-to-me) '31 Tudor. It would come and go and get worse at certain speeds, etc... So, as I usually do when I first get a new classic car, I started going through the car system-by-system to get it up to my level of satisfactory running condition (all my cars are drivers, not show cars). Steering was Priority #2, after fluid levels, basic tune, leak investigation, and brakes.


Fast-forward to last week/yesterday: If you had seen my post from a week ago https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249909 you would have seen my asking about the thread size of a tie-rod end. I could NOT get the end plug out of the tie-rod. I tried a torch, Powerblaster, Dry Ice, WD-40, lacquer thinner, etc... I finally resorted to drilling and cutting the plug out...about 3 hours worth of work. I finally got it out...and had a beer!


I had to cut into the tie-rod end about 1/2 inch so that I could cut into the plug itself to relieve pressure on the tie-rod end threads and get lube in there. With the lateral cuts I had to make into the plug, the plug ended up acting like a tap so now the threads are magically good now and I do NOT have to spring for a $50 tap. (I had seen comments about the quality of new tie-rod ends being only fair so I really wanted to do what I could to keep the original.) I will be keeping my mangled plug as a "tap" for the future. Maybe make a display of difficult nuts and bolts I have had a hard time with over the years...who knows??? The tie rod end is now stop-drilled and I put a bead of weld on it to shore things up.


I extracted the grease fitting also and made sure it is clean and clear and installed new rubber dust guard and metal shield.


Tool Report: I broke one Bratton's tie-rod adapter, 8 Dremel cutting discs, and one nice Snap-On screwdriver. Oddly enough, the breaking of the screwdriver made the tool thicker on it's end and made it work BETTER for the extraction. So I guess I now have an official "Snap-On Model A Tie-rod End Plug Extraction Tool."


Component report: I do not know how long a NOS tie-rod end spring is. What I do know is that the replacement spring is about, maybe, a 1/4 inch longer than the one that came out. The end cap and dished side of the plug are also worn to a greater diameter than the replacement components. I might need a new ball in the future as well, but it is serviceable for now. I chose the original metal items as opposed to the Teflon items. Call me old fashioned...


Result: Wobble GONE. I am also going to bring my front wheels/tires in for balancing. They are ever so slightly heavier on one side.


Next Steps: Loose headlight connection, Generator diode/voltage regulator install, Clutch replacement (late fall when it's cooler).