M37 Tie Rod End Replacement

I decided to replace the tie rod ends one Saturday morning since the original ones had just a bit too much slop in them for me to continue to feel comfortable driving down the roads at high speeds... I purchased a set of new ends from ABLinn for $40 or so for the pair.   Removal aided by the use of a pickle fork (ball joint separator).   The whole assembly just fell on the ground once I pulled the cotter pins, removed the bolts, and slid the fork between the tie rod and the axle mount and hit it hard with a large hammer a few times. After removing the unit from the truck, I marked the limits of the rod on the garage floor so that I could get the new ends in the same position on the tie rod (keeping the effective length the same). I marked the ends of the rod, center line of the joints, and the orientation. I then used a vice to hold the tie rod and a pair of pipe wrenches to turn the ends and to hold lever against/hold the tie rod. Had to use the hammer on the pipe wrench on the driver's side end to get it to break free. I then screwed the new ends onto the tie rod, checked everything against my markings and bolted it back on the truck. Used a lot of anti-seize on all the threads...

On reasembly, I had to use a jack under the passenger side end to put enough pressure on the assembly to allow me to tighten the mounting nut as the stud wanted to rotate. I left the truck sitting on the ground at all times as I figured it would help to preserve the front alignment since the tires don't wiggle much when the truck is just sitting on the ground if you stay away from the steering wheel, and there is plenty of room underneath to work...

I didn't notice a whole lot of change in the steering, but I had a really tight box and did the drag link ends a year ago...

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