How tight do the drag link nuts need to be. Do you tighten enough to put in cotter pins or are you supposed to tighten as much as possible even if the cotter pin is not in a slot of the castle nut? I couldn’t find any info about torque values in the SM
Tighten the end plug until the spring is compressed fully, then back off just enough to insert the cotter pin through the slot. You'll need a "drag link socket" that resembles a big screwdriver blade with a square drive hole for a ratchet. We would sometimes drill a second cotter pin hole 90 degrees from the first one so the plug wouldn't have to be backed off as far, like having two cotter pin holes at right angles for the castle nut in some spindles.
If you're talking about the nut that attaches the Pitman arm to the steering gear, always keep tightening the nut until a cotter pin slot lines up in the castle nut- - - -never back off. That big nut takes a very high torque- - - -150-200 ft/lbs or so. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Make sure that all of the holes are clear. The first one I did was caked up with POR-15, preventing me from recognizing how many holes were available to put the cotter pin in. I was less than impressed with what I ended up with prior to discovering that I had a ton more holes to choose from after I cleaned it up.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Looks like I'm too lazy to see what year truck you were working on. Never mind. I'd say that you tighten it until you can get the cotter pin in. You don't want that nut to fall off if it should back off.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
