Tie rod Difference???

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mopowers

mopowers

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What's the difference between tie rod end from a 62-69 A-body and a 70-76 A-body??? I'm looking at getting some tie rods for my 68 then noticed they are $35 APIECE! Whereas 70-up tie rod ends are only $10 apiece. What gives???
 
Most of the stuff you buy is now made in China, hence $10 cheapies. But I also found out that China crap also comes in a couple different price ranges. You can get the really crappy cheapies or you can get the not so crappy cheapies. Not sure who is making the good stuff if there are any or even made in the USA ends. I dread the day my factory originals give out. Lucky they are still nice and tight and should outlast me with the limited driving that the car sees now.
 
The only difference that I can think of is the adjuster sleeve. The early cars it is about 1" longer, but the hole and taper is the same on the center link and steering arm.
 
416stroker said:
Most of the stuff you buy is now made in China, hence $10 cheapies. But I also found out that China crap also comes in a couple different price ranges. You can get the really crappy cheapies or you can get the not so crappy cheapies. Not sure who is making the good stuff if there are any or even made in the USA ends. I dread the day my factory originals give out. Lucky they are still nice and tight and should outlast me with the limited driving that the car sees now.
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The comparison I did was both Moog joints. Apparently, 62-69 have a different part number than 70-up. And the price difference is HUGE. I just wondered what the difference was between them.
 
Badart said:
The only difference that I can think of is the adjuster sleeve. The early cars it is about 1" longer, but the hole and taper is the same on the center link and steering arm.
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Rockauto lists the same adjuster sleeves for 68 and 71, yet the 68 tie rod ends are 3x as expensive. The tie rod ends the bigblockdart link suggest you to get are the more expensive ones and the link says they work for nearly every A body other than the early Valiants.

I think you're safe going with the cheaper ones as far as them fitting correctly. The quality of them is a toss up though.
 
So long as you are buying Moog you're good to go. And there are better sleeves available, from a Diplomat or 5th Avenue. They are bigger in the middle and narrower at the ends where they are threaded for the tie rods. The thicker sleeves deflect less while cornering. I think the 73 style tie rods should work fine. I do not believe they changed the taper where they connect either to the drag link or the lower ball joint from 68 to like 73 or so.
 
So why does Moog have different part numbers for pre-69 tie rod ends and 70-up tie rod ends? There's gotta be a difference, right???
 
As I understand it they just look different. They are functionally the same. I went through this with a B-body I did the front end on...
 
Good to know Jim. Thanks sir. When it comes time to upgrade, looks like I'll be giving the later model ones a try.
 
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