Achipmunk,
So I have a 52, chevy 3100. And I basically just did the same thing you are doing. New tie rod ends, pressed out the old balls etc....and I had zero problems. To the best of my knowledge, the tie rod ends go UP through the holes in the steering arms. My new tie rod ends fit my original tie rod with no problems.
Who did you buy your parts from? I think you purchased tie rod ends for the "upgraded" tie rod, which would explain the size difference.
