build diary

February 13, 2005: Yesterday was spent in the shop, working on the front end.
I've been concerned about my tie rods for some time. Specifically about the angle reached by the rod ends at full droop. Close examination proved my worries were well founded. The rod ends were acting as a limiter on the suspension travel. This isn't good - eventually the rod end tires of this game and breaks. Much excitement ensues.

A few weeks ago, I tracked down some 1999 Miata steering knuckles. They had a slightly higher steering arm to help this problem. I also decided at the same time to change over to ball joints instead of rod ends. They're not as adjustable as the rod ends, but they are more durable and were designed for this specific use. This meant new tie rods. No problem, I had a few of those.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Mazda apparently used two different sized threads on their tie rod inner joints. I figure the most recent set I'd picked up were from a 1999 or later car. I discovered this after I'd cut one in half, of course. One of my "new" tie rods had the larger thread I needed but I was forced to cut up one of my rod end versions for the other. I wasn't planning on using it again but it would have been nice to have the option!

It took a bit of time, but I'm much happier about the steering setup. It seems to be just as sharp as before and there is absolutely no slack or clunk if I wiggle the wheel at a standstill. On the road I feel as if I'm getting more kickback but that must be my imagination.

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