Tie rod wisdom

I'm looking for "conventional wisdom". I'm rebuilding the front end of the old truck - 35 Chevy 1.5 ton. My uncle chored with it for the last 30
years and had it all messed up. One of those "take the play out of the front end by cranking the tie rod adjustment all the way in" deals. You
have never seen so much bailing wire and 16 penny nails used as keepers. What a hot mess.

I've replaced the king pins, drag link, and tie rod ends. Not having a starting point, what is general wisdom as to a starting point for threading tie
rods? Is half way a good place to start from so I don't have to go so far to adjust toe-in? I'm used to doing old VW's, so I'm used to running toe
in at just under 1/4 inch. How's that for something of that age? With bias ply tires and 80 year old springs I'm betting tire wear shouldn't really be
a concern. It will just be nice to not have a full turn of play in the steering. It's been in the machine shed for the last two weeks getting a new
front end and it's time to get it back out there doing chores!

I just line the tires up by eye and measure how long you need the tie rod to be. Then adjust the ends accordingly. As for final toe in. I usually go 1/8-3/16 of an inch. A 1/4 inch is a little too much for me.

Great advice. I jack up a tire and make sure it rotates well. Then I take a wooden block (4X4X16"or so) and put a nail through one edge so the point sticks out. I spin the tire using the nail point to scribe a mark in or near center of the tread. done to both tires, it gives an accurate place to measure toe-in. Jim

JD is right 1/4" is a bit much. Go with 1/8th - 3/16th

Good idea - I've always wasted a perfectly good sharpie.

Make a tram using a 2x4 and some thin flat pieces for uprights that reach half way up the tread. You can mark on the wood where the center of the tread is and compare front and back for accurate toe measurements.

I used to paint the tread face of the tire, then scribe the tire, The paint makes the line show up better.

CenTex, I've done the same thing! Made one out of a 2x6 and a couple of 2x4 uprights.

I jack the wheels up, wrap a piece of masking tape around the tire, then spin the wheel, holding an ink pen against the top of a jack stand to hold it steady, scribe a perfect line around the tire.

Then let the jack down, drive the vehicle straight forward on level concrete, take the measurement with the weight on the suspension.

Also need to make sure the steering gear is centered when the wheels are straight ahead. Not just to get the steering wheel straight, but the steering gear has a "tight" spot in the straight ahead position.

Turn the steering lock to lock, count the turns, then go back 1/2 way. That centers the steering gear. Then pull a string along the side of the vehicle, referencing off the centerline, align the left front wheel to the string, then do the tow in adjustment.

Did you say you replaced the kig pins? I hope to goodness you replaced the bottom bearings! Well I know a 1941 chevy has them. Stears like a dream with new ones and a battle cruiser with old shot ones. Also all of the damn old grease fittins!!!!! Been there. Just put everything hand and finger tight till yoy get everything in the middle. Then start tightening and adjusting. If I am not mistaken the original owners manual has all of 5his in it. Buy a copy on ebay. The guys can tell you too. This old stuff isn't rocket science just lots of common sense.

i have did many wheel alignments years ago. to get accurate toe in setting the front wheels need to be on a turn table. have air pressure checked also. other wise u must wiggle the steering wheel back and forth after each little adjustment before measuring it. to centre the steering wheel u line up the inside of the front tires to the rear tires. when looking from in the pit you should be seeing about 1 inch of inside of rear tire. adjust both sides to that and then its just the final tweak in toe in adjustment to centre the wheel. always did a road test then centre the wheel exactly afterward if it was out a bit. toe-in on those bias tires i set to 1/8", and radials could be closer to zero like 1/16". i used 2 wooden canvas lats and check the front inside 1/3 way up on tire then check the rear of front tire in the same place. when you have 1/8" gap at the rear of front tires its good. and rotated rims to check for bends first.

Definitely scribe a line around the tyre. Any of the ways described will be fine.
Settle the vehicle on the ground afterwards, move the steering side to side and go backwards and forwards enough to let the wheels settle. Without ruining the scribe mark.
But remember! When you measure, the wheels must be straight ahead. Plus make sure you measure at the same height front and rear of the wheel. Otherwise the camber of the wheel can make your measurements wrong.

JD Seller is correct. 1/8" to 3/16". If it is a big vehicle with a bit of wear the toe in can be increased slightly.

All the best with it.
Rex

If you count the turns coming out and go back in the same number, you will be pretty close. Then I'd measure the center to center in the front and center to center in the rear of the front tires.

That's what is printed in the repair manuals, and you hope you get close, but you also need to look at it after you are done to make sure, especially with a questionable country-of-origin on today's parts.
About a week ago, I finished a complete front end rebuild on my kid's RWD Thunderbird. Complete, as in upper and lower control arms w/ball joints, links, tie rods, the whole works. For the tie rods, the left side was 30 turns, the right side was 31, exactly as what I took off. When I was ready to drive to the alignment shop (30 minutes away), I could see it had a really bad toe out and as I drove the gravel road to to the highway, I almost couldn't keep it on the road. By the time I got to the alignment shop, the tires were chirping and I must have taken 5K miles off the tires, although they are needing replacement anyway.
For the OP's old chevy truck, I would at least have them set the toe in/toe out.

(quoted from post at 12:00:04 03/03/17) i have did many wheel alignments years ago. to get accurate toe in setting the front wheels need to be on a turn table. have air pressure checked also. other wise u must wiggle the steering wheel back and forth after each little adjustment before measuring it. to centre the steering wheel u line up the inside of the front tires to the rear tires. when looking from in the pit you should be seeing about 1 inch of inside of rear tire. adjust both sides to that and then its just the final tweak in toe in adjustment to centre the wheel. always did a road test then centre the wheel exactly afterward if it was out a bit. toe-in on those bias tires i set to 1/8", and radials could be closer to zero like 1/16". i used 2 wooden canvas lats and check the front inside 1/3 way up on tire then check the rear of front tire in the same place. when you have 1/8" gap at the rear of front tires its good. and rotated rims to check for bends first.

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I would wager you could eyeball it and be well inside of the ball park. I look on the outside never thought to look at the inside I will give that a try 8) I moved my shop in 1992 never set my alignment machine up in new shop I still use the turn tables and steering wheel lock to get them in the ball park for the drive to the alignment shop. A local alignment shop does not replace parts he may do a tie rod end that's about it. He is so busy he does not have the time nor will tie up his bays for suspension work he sends them to me. I do everything I can to make life easier on him :wink: I make sure everything is broke free and adjustable even take things off so he will have a clean shot at camber/caster adjustments.

Starting from scratch I would run the tie rod ends on haft way and count the turns I would be aware of how many turns I had to turn it out to get the toe set. If I had ran them in 20 turns I would not want to run them more than 10 turns out to get it set up on either side. I would probably re-do the settings to get them back to center it may take 30 turns in. If one side is in all the way in and the other way out someone missed the splines on the steering gear are something is bent. I tell the alignment man were I am at he can determine if I am OK.

All in said and done it should turn from center equal both ways.

similar idea here.I use an iron weight with a tie rod end welded to it. There is a nail welded to the tie rod to scratch a line in the tire as it is spun..

My thoughts with his truck were they were probably original and since that is all he replaced he would basically re-center the stud by counting the turns. When you replace a lot of components as you did with the front end rebuild you change more than toe. Since camber changes toe as well a lot of adjustment was needed.