I have a set of Magnum hairpins on my '27 RPU. I was doing my routine of checking all suspension fasteners this morning and noticed the hairpin to frame nut wasn't tight. Is there a trick to tightening these? The nut is a nylock and the bolt spins in the housing rather than tightens. None of the bolt is exposed. Does the stainless cap pop off to expose the end of the bolt?
I don't have this on any of my cars but logic tells me it should be free enough to pivot as to not bind. HRP
I would think a castle nut and a cotter pin would tighten down without spinning the tie rod. Is your tie rod drilled for a cotter pin?
No bolt in there. That is a tie-rod-end. If you popped off the cap, you would find a ball and socket joint, and the joint would then be ruined. Take a block of wood, and a mallet, and tap the joint into the taper a little more, and see if you can then tighten the nut. If that does not work, find a non-nylock nut, of the same thread diameter and pitch, and tighten that on, seating the taper. Once the taper is seated, it should no longer spin. You can then swap that nut out for the nylock nut.
Is the end a tie rod end with a taper? Is the bracket on the frame tapered? A tapered end is not going to tighten in a straight hole the size of the inside end of the taper.
If you're talking about the stud that goes through the bracket welded to the frame, that's a Ford-style tie rod end, and it's not designed to come apart. The stud portion should have a taper on it, which wedges itself in a corresponding taper in the hole, and that action should keep the stud from turning as you tighten the nut. You might try using an impact wrench to tighten the nut, but go easy on the torque. As soon as the stud seems like it's seated and not turning anymore, finish tightening the nut ( a Nylock is good, or a castle nut with a cotter pin if the stud is drilled, as it should be) by hand to around 75-80 foot pounds.
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