Thanks for the tips. When I bought the truck, I found that it was "born under a wandering star"as they say. I adjusted the steering at the steering box and put some lube into it. That made the steering work so easily that I could steer with one finger when the tires were fully inflated and with minimal backlash. I greased all of the steering linkage and found that I could not get grease into one of the king pins. Thanks to the board, I was able to do the difficult king pin replacement job myself. The only complaint I had about the steering was the occasional clunk under certain conditions. I was hoping to eliminate the clunk when I opened up the tie rod ends. The tie rod ends showed much wear, but did not seem to cause any difficulty in steering. I should get my parts next week and start chipping away at it. I have it all apart and straightened a small bend in the tie rod and will replace the bolts, the cups, the springs, the cotter pins and the zerks. Then I will see how it works before I do anything else. Question: Why are the new "non beer bottle type" tie rod ends safer? Is it because they are in good condition or because they provide better steering due to a better mechanical design? Or?
Thanks - Scott
