Just did the mini truck disc brake conversion on my 72 fj40 this weekend. I reused the cruiser tie rod so I wouldn't have to shorten the drag link. I put shims in the TREs and so far it works great but I'm worried that the shims will work loose. Now for the question: Are there any TREs made that will fit the cruiser tie rod and the mini truck steering arms? I need the one on the passenger side with the hole for the drag link and just the regular type for the driver's side. <IMG SRC="smilies/question.gif" border="0"> TIA

Dan <IMG SRC="smilies/smokin.gif" border="0">

IMO, replace the ends with minitruck and get a new tie rod. Your 72 tie rod is 30 years old and I'll bet the insides are weakened 50% or more from rust. Spend another $80 on a good quality DOM die rod so you don't have to worry about it.

IIRC, 80 series rod ends are another option....perhaps someone else is up on that one...

Thanks, Woody. The cruiser tie rod still seems pretty sound and is quite a bit larger than the 81 mini truck rod that I have. Are the later model mini tie rods any larger? If I decide to go with a custom rod, who does a good job at a fair price? I'm a cheep bastard and I'm already way over budget on this project.

Dan <IMG SRC="smilies/smokin.gif" border="0">