I just finished installing the modern tie rod and tie rod end upgrade on my '56 3200 series half ton. The Tech Tips section made it simple (note that I did not say easy!!!). Removing those old ball ends was serious work, but thankfully I found an old school machinist nearby who pressed them out for me. The rest of the install went easily, but I have one concern that I need to address before I risk going for a drive. There is not a lot of info on the torque settings for the tie rod ends, where they go into the steering arms. I tightened them down, and with a small wrench I was able to easily bring them to the point where any more tightening will leave the hole for the cotter pin outside of the castellations of the castle nut (I hope "castellations" is a real word, I am referring to the bumpy top of the castle nut that the cotter pin uses to prevent the nut from spinning). If I tighten any more (which is easy) the cotter pin will be beyond those bumps and the castle nut could spin, until it reached the cotter pin. This strikes me as too gentle a torque setting for a steering part. If I had a recommended torque setting, I could put a washer or two under the castle nut to allow me to tighten things down a little more. Some words of wisdom would be appreciated, as I won't drive that thing until I know its safe.
