Another Build Thread - My '32

[J. Robinson]

Saturday I finally installed the pretty new tie rod and drag link. I've had them forever, but didn't want to install them until I took care of the protruding bolt heads on the shackles. Since I did that (see previous posting) I had no excuse to wait any longer... except...

In the previous posting I commented that, sometimes, old do-it-yourself fabricators do things that cause problems later. The shackle bolts were one problem with tie rod interference, the other problem was the new tie rod also had interference from the bottom arms of the radius rods! Fortunately, it was only a minor clearance issue and the fix was pretty simple. I took the steering arms off and, with a tapered reamer, deepened the holes for the tie rod ends.

With everything back together and the tie rods in place (first pic) I set the toe. The last three pics show my toe boards made from 3/4-inch furniture grade plywood (they could also be made of aluminum or steel plate or heavy plastic). This is an old system I learned in my stock-car racing days. In case anybody is interested, the boards are 22 inches long and 10.5 inches tall. The cut-out is there in case you are adjusting a car that has protruding hubcaps or trim rings. The little holes at the bottom corners are done with a 1.5-inch hole saw. Set the boards on the floor against the tire sidewall. I use masking tape to hold them in place. Now pull two measuring tapes through the holes on one side and hook them through the holes on the other side. By pulling the tapes snug simultaneously, the difference is the amount of toe-in or toe-out.