"Yar, I agree with your suggestion to look in the Moog catalog and find a suitable interchange for a modern tie rod end, and to make or find the threaded rod or tube to suit."
Hi Grigg.
When I restored my '36 PU I was very pleasantly surprised to find out how many parts there are that fit other applications than what they were designed for. On my '36 a couple of quick examples are the Moog tie rod ends and Porche 356 passenger and driver's side door window rubber seals that were both a perfect fit. Back in the early 1970s the local Porsche dealer had the window seals in stock.
I owe this type of search to a neighbor I had as a teenager. He had an engine shop and in addition to modern engines of the day he also took in antique car engines. I used to visit his shop just to see what was going on. On one occasion he was rebuilding a Ford Model A engine. He very enthusiastically showed me that he had found a then current Oldsmobile piston that was perfect for Model A use. Because of that kind of creativity he was able to turn out antique vehicle engines at a fraction of what the antique engine specialists were charging for the same thing using expensive aftermarket antique parts.
Another example is from my off road motorcycle racing days. I had a 250cc 1977 Suzuki that was wearing out pistons very fast and that was getting expensive. It turned out that 250cc Maico race bikes had much higher quality Mahle forged pistons that were a direct interchange. Even the pins that locate the ring end gaps to keep the rings from catching in the ports were correctly located. Again, it's amazing what's out there. All we have to do is a little catalog reading or online research.
As to the durability of spherical rod ends I have a 1952 Ford 8N tractor. Its 3-point hitch mounts both my 5 foot mower and an 8 foot wide angle blade using spherical rod ends and they are holding up very well. The quality of the rod ends probably affects longevity.
