I did a search and didn't find anything that answered my question, so here goes: I recently bought a 29 Model A roadster pickup. Built in the 80's, it's in need of some updating. It has a rack and pinion steering set-up on a dropped I beam axle, and the rack & pinion needs to go. I want to convert to a cross steer Vega box set up, but the Ford steering arms have been drilled out to 5/8" diameter so heim ends could be used with the rack & pinion instead of regular tie rod ends. I want to go back to Ford tie rod ends...does anyone make a bushing or adapter that would go in the over-size hole and restore it back to 1/2"- 7 degree taper size? Seems like this would be a common situation, but short of having a pair of custom adapter bushings machined, I haven't been able to come up with anything.
i would think it would be easy enough to make if you have the 7 degree reamer,,,,and you can open up the 5/8 to have a bushing with a little meat on it or start looking for spindles
Goferit Offroad sells some for 4x4 Jeeps to flip the tie rods from the bottom of the spindle to the top. Not sure if it is the taper degree that you need though.
I found a guy that made them on a mustang forum where I was putting disc brakes on my 62 falcon. He was in Texas and they were bungs that you welded in.
Why not tig them up / closed and re drill them? Iv done it lots of times .... you dont want to end up with any slop and get the death wobbles
I think I'll end up going with the suggestions to make up my own bushings, and I might TIG weld them in place. I'd rather not disassemble the whole spindle assembly to properly TIG the entire hole shut and then re-drill and ream it off the vehicle, and that'd be a bit of a pain in the ass to do with the spindles still mounted; however, if I make bushings and then weld them so they can't move, that should take care of it. I figured this would've come up often enough that by now, someone would be producing bushings in a few likely O.D. sizes.
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