RPR Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Those of you with Volvo C303 portals who used the Volvo steering links will by now have realized the unfortunate design of the tie rod ends having the ball joints integral such that when the ball joints wear out, you need new tie rod ends. These have now become on par with hen's teeth for avaiability and even most sources in Sweden have dried up. On top of which, the steering links themselves were not on par with the axles in terms of strength. So, off to Matt Browne at Overland Engineering Overland Engineering for a solution. Not entirely straightforward because of the curvature in the tie rod at each end, the Tonka now sports 1" diameter, 1/4" wall OM tubing and greasable 1 ton rod ends. Beefy enough that the whole vehicle can be jacked up on the tie rod! Anyway, that's a relief. Despite the portals, I had managed to bend the Volvo tie rod and had gone through rod ends at rather more of a clip than I would have liked. These are Ford 1 tone rod ends, readily available and comparatively cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Attryde Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Looks like a nice tiidy solution. Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Nice! Did you machine the taper in the portal box out or do Ford TRE's just happen to have the same strange taper as the Volvos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPR Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 Nice! Did you machine the taper in the portal box out or do Ford TRE's just happen to have the same strange taper as the Volvos? Matt re-tapered the knuckles to take the Ford rod ends. Nothing suitable was found that would fit the existing thread. Have you guys made any headway on a solution ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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