The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline tie rod ends/pitman arm joints- Rebuild or buy new?

I'm just finishing up on changing out the king pins on my '51 3100, and since i have it torn down, I'm going to do the tie rod ends and pitman arm joints. I've found the parts to either rebuild the joints, but classic parts also has full replacements for the tie rod ends, although they aren't the original design. My truck is pretty much in it's original form except for a few things that were changed before I bought it, so I'd like to keep it that way.
I'd like to hear about anyone else's experience with replacing your tie rod ends. I think I'd rather just buy the rebuild kit and use what I have and keep it original, especially since going the 'new' route would mean taking the truck farther away from original in that sense. Anything I need to know before starting on this about rebuilding these things? Any surprise problems or tips and tricks for this job? And any suggestions for other things that i might be overlooking while i'm in this area of the truck? Thanks for any and all comments or ideas.

Rare Parts RP25129 Tie Rod End might be a correct fit/replacement?

https://www.mechanicsurplus.com/products/133755050. I think there is a left-side-part and a right-side-part

These are a very high quality (adjustable) tie-rod ends (matching the original appearance/style/performance). They are not inexpensive.

Rare Parts company website = https://rareparts.com/classic

https://shop.rareparts.com/search?year=1951&make=CHEVROLET&model=TRUCK

My experience has been the modern style of tie rod ends are better. The replacement balls you get today are not as hard as the originals were and will go "egg-shaped" faster. That's what causes problems with them, after all. The new ones have less play to begin with and are a completely different design. As for the pitman arm, I made an adjustable one and have had no trouble with it. I used modern parts for that also. But if you want your truck to be just like it was, then use the replacement balls and parts and rebuild what you have. It depends on how much you drive it and in what manner, I think. I get the feeling most people around here just don't drive their trucks too often. Good luck!

I have had both types on my '37, the originals that I rebuilt with new parts, and the new drop in replacement sealed ones ( modern type ). The newer ones made steering much better in my opinion even though the others were rebuilt. You can buy straight shank sealed ends that replace the peened in balls, and the screw right on to the original cross bar. I too made an adjustable draglink using the same type of ends with a short bar between them. Makes centering the steering box a breeze.

Well, I agree that rare parts "are not inexpensive"! Not to mention out of stock on a lot of parts. I could buy a whole set of shocks for the price of one of theirs. Even their tie rod rebuild kit is exorbitant. Do they make their parts by hand? Made in America, I hope. They're up there with Chev's of the 40's price range. I appreciate the referral, but I think i'll pass and stick with Classic parts. I figure if I keep it greased, I can at least try to rebuild the ends. If all else fails, I'll try the complete tie rod end part, but I don't know if I even really need them. I don't expect this truck to drive like today's trucks, because it isn't one. It had been my daily driver until last year when the timing gear went out about the same time I bought my '05 Silverado 3500 for pulling loads and rental equipment, but until I fix the king pins, et al, I decided it needs to be right before I start driving it regularly again. The front tires are completely bald on the outer edges and starting to develop cracks. But when I get it up and running again, it will be my daily driver again (when I'm not working on the 40 acres in the woods or hauling heavy equipment or a trailer with supplies.)
Can anybody give me any tips on the rebuilding of these tie rod ends? I've read they need heated and peened, Aside from that, it looks pretty straight forward. Pull the cotter key, pull the plug, pull the guts, replace them, and put it back together. Is that right, or is there some dirty secret that I haven't heard about on these?

In the tech tips is a how to on replacing the ball ends. When I did mine, the cups didn't match the ball radius so before installing I chucked the balls in the drill press and lapped the cups to them. I was surprised how far off they were. You should also take the edge off the cups so the don't dig into the ball shanks when the whole assembly moves around.

Another sneaky trick is to drill an extra cotter pin hole in the rod end where the threaded plug screws in. That gives you a 90 degree option to back off rather than 180 when adjusting the preload on the spring.
Jerry