Riverdawg
Well-Known Member
Wow that looks fantastic 1970RT.
Haven't had a lot of time to work on the car. Still trying to get the dust cover over the Hotchkis bar. YY1 suggested working it over some progressive sized sockets to try to stretch the rubber, it helped some but still not enough. Called Hotchkis Friday afternoon, they suggested trying to warm it up. mmissile suggested, use a bit of grease on the inside. Still no luck. Going to pull the LCA back off to give me a little more room and try really heating it up with a heat gun and stretching over sockets and then try to work it on the bar. I'm also thinking about pulling the bar all the way through and putting the clip in to hold the bar in, then I'll have both hand to try to get the cover on.
I was also trying pull my original steering knuckle off outer tie rod and couldn't get that off. The LCA I got had the knuckle already attached. I finally pulled off the outer tie rod and put the knuckle in a vice and use a pickle fork to get it apart. Well then i discovered that I hit the race in a spot on the tie rod and it won't move freely now. uuuuuggh. That was Saturday afternoon and no parts stores stock the tie rod. I wanted to order them from a local parts store that's been around Lansing for decades but they wouldn't match the amazon price. Sorry but $26 isn't pocket change for me. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to try the dust cover again and hopefully get the tie rod end in the mail.
Haven't had a lot of time to work on the car. Still trying to get the dust cover over the Hotchkis bar. YY1 suggested working it over some progressive sized sockets to try to stretch the rubber, it helped some but still not enough. Called Hotchkis Friday afternoon, they suggested trying to warm it up. mmissile suggested, use a bit of grease on the inside. Still no luck. Going to pull the LCA back off to give me a little more room and try really heating it up with a heat gun and stretching over sockets and then try to work it on the bar. I'm also thinking about pulling the bar all the way through and putting the clip in to hold the bar in, then I'll have both hand to try to get the cover on.
I was also trying pull my original steering knuckle off outer tie rod and couldn't get that off. The LCA I got had the knuckle already attached. I finally pulled off the outer tie rod and put the knuckle in a vice and use a pickle fork to get it apart. Well then i discovered that I hit the race in a spot on the tie rod and it won't move freely now. uuuuuggh. That was Saturday afternoon and no parts stores stock the tie rod. I wanted to order them from a local parts store that's been around Lansing for decades but they wouldn't match the amazon price. Sorry but $26 isn't pocket change for me. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to try the dust cover again and hopefully get the tie rod end in the mail.
Looks like there is a bunch of corrosion and crap in the sleeve, ordered a set from PST tonight. Hopefully it won't take long to get them. I did get the LCA and strut rod loosely back on. Started to put the UCA on but I knew the wife had a bad day and was sleeping so I didn't want to make a bunch of noise banging on it. Tomorrow.
I asked my neighbor if he had any taps so I could clean the sleeve threads. He had some but not the size I needed. in passing he said something about the threads being the right way. Well I just looked and they are opposite on the rods ordered. Now I'm wondering, is it possible that someone flip the whole inner, sleeve, outer tie rod assembly around? 
