fettling trackrod ends... advice please

[Colin Wilks]

Hi Jon

This only works if you have access to a lathe, but re your point "2. I have some washers to shim from one of the suppliers. They are all the same thickness. What does one do when you cant get a second one in, but there is still up/down play?"

When I was doing my king pins I had the same problem. I made a work holder out of an old pin and bush and soldered the new thrust washer to the bush after facing the latter on the lathe. I could then turn the washer down to a precise and consistent thickness so as to fit the gap. I don't have a belt sander, which would probably do the job just as well.

I should add, Nick Turley offered a different solution in another thread ("Trackrod gap"), which was to braze up both components and file back.

[Parazine]

The last trackrod end kit I fitted (last year sometime) had bronze bushes, which ore OK I think but unhardened steel pins. I'm waiting to see how well they wear.

[JonE]

I am not understanding you question about cotter bolted through and bending the ends, a picture might help clarify what you are asking???

Sorry- havent got one.. but i think its the "jaws" of the end which hold the cotter. Imagine some numpty on a farm not having a new cotter, and putting a bolt down through of the same diameter, and tightening it a bit too much without having any shims in place? So its bent in two places...

I seemed to manage it all, anyway! [The above problem is another spare track control end] The older steel bush doesnt seem to want to take any grease so I'm assuming its a good fit and it will free up with a bit of use. 

Re. the shimming gap, in the end I used a thin shim meant for the kingpin - not perfect but stops up down movement. Why oh why NOT have thin shims for track rod ends though? - we will never get "non-specialist" youngsters into the interest group if things are this difficult after 60 years of people fettling them...? 

Thanks for all the other replies. Made it go easier than it could have been....

[Ian Williams]

Ok so you are saying that someone put a 3/8 bolt through where the pin would normally go and has distorted the clevis so the pin bores are no longer in line. Yes you could probably straighten it out BUT it could be hard to make perfect depending on the damage done and they are not exactly scarce so I would just replace it.

[JonE]

Ok. good advice, thankyou.


By the way, Colin - the suppliers DO make shimming washers for kingpins! so worth getting some on your next order...

[David Cochrane]

Re. the shimming gap, in the end I used a thin shim meant for the kingpin - not perfect but stops up down movement. Why oh why NOT have thin shims for track rod ends though? - we will never get "non-specialist" youngsters into the interest group if things are this difficult after 60 years of people fettling them...?

But I do have thin shims for track rod ends (BM904) ...

[Steve Hainsworth]

I have many Track rods here both assembled and disassembled.  All of them that are undisturbed have hardened steel pins and bushes in the track rod arms and were like that from new.. The pins are retained by small bicycle type cotters with nuts located in machined in the pins.
Austin engineers knew what they were doing
Most of those which have had replacements in Bronze show  bell mouthing and wear.
It is common practice for hardened steel to be used on pins and bushes subjected to radial loads.
A good example is in press tool engineering where pins and bushes locate the punches and dies accurately.
Hardened steel is very resistant to plastic deformation, which bronze is not, this especially so with the very small bearing area encountered on the track rod arm bushes.
I reiterate that to get a lasting repair the king pins and the track rod end assemblies must be in a parallel and vertical alignment to each other, to get smooth and lasting service.
90% of the axles I have worked on I have found the kingpins both skewed looking across the car and toed in or out from the front.
Sometimes only one is the culprit.
This needs checking accurately on a surface table using 12 inch long close fitting pins in the radius rod holes.
This will show if the axle is twisted if they don't lie flat on the table .
If they are OK sit the axle on these pins and insert dummy kingpins in their holes. Sighting the kingpins with a precision square  off the table will show how much your axle is bent and where. They should be vertical in both planes if you are extremely lucky.
Straightening needs careful use of a hydraulic press and heating to 600C if the damage is severe to relieve stresses.
Repairs to the Axle eyes should be done by experienced welders with  metallurgy knowledge for safeties sake
Attention to detail here will transform the steering and tyre wear will be improved.
I hope this helps

[Bob Culver]

Most axle ends have been repeatedly heated over the decades. Any heating or welding is a wof fail here but luckily most inspectors are lost when it comes to older cars. Any welding can hardly make more frail but neverthelss prudent to diguise all welding.
It must have been difficult to get a consistent fit with hardened bushes, esp with the holes now often distorted.

[JonE]

Re. the shimming gap, in the end I used a thin shim meant for the kingpin - not perfect but stops up down movement. Why oh why NOT have thin shims for track rod ends though? - we will never get "non-specialist" youngsters into the interest group if things are this difficult after 60 years of people fettling them...?

But I do have thin shims for track rod ends (BM904) ...

My apologies. Something for my next order! Note, everyone reading this thread. Thery ARE available. Sorry.

Picking up Steve's and others point, does anyone do hardened steel bushes? I can see its more work. Indeed, with the reamable brass bushes, could one actually ream a hardened bush with a hand reamer.. or would they (need to be) supplied matched?

[David Stepney]

I have a bronze bush in the near side of my track rod end and an original steel bush and pin in the other. Both seem to be fine provided they are well greased.