MTFCA Forum

As I was underneath the 1918 TT greasing the joints, I noticed my steering gear connecting rod is rubbing against the radius rod. Are these supposed to be bent or straight? It appears to be 31inches long. Thanks

That drag link or steering gear rod should be straight as an arrow!

Guess it got bumped or else a former owner thought that bending it down...
...so it would ride on the wishbone , thereby stiffen the steering with added drag or resistance

Which kind of spindle arms does your truck have? Before 1919, they were straight (slight angle inward). After 1918, they were offset up (still slight angle inward) to clear the wishbone that had been moved from above to below the axle. During the transition, and for many years after manufacture people mixed the early and late wishbones and spindle arms. Tie rod and drag link should both be basically straight. But with a mix of year's parts the sometimes hit and/or rub.
Pictures?

Here are some more pictures

Ok, so if I can't get this drag link bent back straight, any recommendations where I might find a replacement? Anybody with spares lying around they might sell? Thanks

Clamp it in your bench vise and coax it straight. I have been there.

I'll give it a try in the vice. Hopefully I don't break it!

It wont break. It bent the 1st time.

Wonder how it got bent that way. When you straighten it you may need to jack up the front end and move the wheels back and forth to see if there is any movement in the spindle bushings and tie rod bushings.
Still trying to get in my mind how it got bent the way it is. Since it’s above the wishbone it seems like the wishbone would have had to have a lick on it or ??

Those look like the offset up type, but maybe not quite as much as usual? Maybe an earlier straight set that someone bent up not quite enough?
The drag link at its best barely clears the wishbone under most usual conditions. MOST drag links (Ford back in the day referred to it as a "connecting" rod, but these days people are confused by that) and under-axle wishbones have some minor wear where the two hit each other occasionally. A lot of drag links have been given minor bends to improve their clearance.
Yours has way too much bend. It should be nearly absolutely straight! Ford used very good metal. Bending it back to straight should be no trouble at all. If it presses onto the wishbone after being straightened? You may yet need to change those spindle arms.

If possible it would be best to bring it up slowly with heat striking it on the anvil or the heal of a vise with a one pound hammer until straight. Bending forged steel cold even a low grade as those parts were originally produced will only weaken it later or cause a failure years down the road.., so to speak. You just need to get it red in small sections at a time (about 4"), working that section straight, rotating the piece around as you go and not all at once. Forging steel by striking it makes the grains of steel, coke, silica, and other alloys lay flat like wood grain increasing its strength.

Hope this Helps you in your decisions,

Hank

After you are completely done (cold), it should have a ring tone to it holding from the top striking at the bottom, not a thud sound.

Hey Grady, that drag link should be perfectly straight and it's Ford vanadium steel. Bend it cold, no heat. Been doing it for over 60 years and just had to straighten one worse looking than yours. Cold with a vice take your time and shouldn't need a hammer.

Ed aka #4

Thanks for the tips. Took a torch to it and got it straightened out (mostly). Couldn't get it to budge cold in the vice. It now clears the radius rod. Everything else under there looks ok, I don't see any other parts with obvious damage or looseness. Maybe it was something the previous owner "improved"!

Good Job! Congrat!