C2 Tie rod assembly paint

[Stephen L.]

This has probably been discussed a 1000 times....but.......
What should the finish on the Tie rod ends, adjustable linkage and clamps, center draglink, idler arm and pitman arm and the spring loaded assy at the pitman arm connection be?
I have read conflicting statements from various sources.
1. NCRS judging manual 1967 3rd edition: "steering linkage is painted semi-gloss black as an assembly. Pitman arm is painted on manual steering cars"
Idler arm is natural finish. If the steering linkage "assembly" is semi gloss black how can the idler and pitman arms not be painted? Maybe I should ask "how much of this stuff is "the assembly""?
2. Joe Tripoli's 53-72 Chassis Restoration Guide says "tie rod sleeves and clamps, drag link, idler arm, pitman arm, tie rod support arms, are all "natural unpainted"
3. M F Dobbins VETTE VUES FACT BOOK says "tie rod clamps" are unpainted. He didn't address anything else in this area......

My own observation on my car is that there is paint under the rubber boots of the tie rod end tapered mating holes on the draglink so the boot and tie rod end could not have been assembled before painting......

[Craig S.]

Re: C2 Tie rod assembly paint

There was a discussion on this a ways back, should be in the archives but I don't remember exactly when. I belive this was a mitted paint operation at the assembly plant, and I am guessing the idler arm and pitman arm are not part of the assembly, which is borne out in your description of paint under the boots. I believe this was a very rough operation, and may have had many poorly covered parts.....I don't know why Tripoli's book would state differently....Craig

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 Tie rod assembly paint

Thanks. I'll scan the archives

[John H.]

Re: C2 Tie rod assembly paint

On manual steering cars, the pitman arm and idler arm were part of the steering relay and tie rod assembly (along with the relay rod and tie rods). On power steering cars, the pitman arm was installed to the control valve at St. Louis in an off-line subassembly. There was no "mitting" of steering linkage at St. Louis - this is an "urban legend"; the linkage assembly was painted at Chevrolet-Buffalo with a glossy, sticky black paint that drove the chassis assemblers and the toe-in pit operator at St. Louis crazy, as it never dried (and then washed off in a year or two on the road).

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 Tie rod assembly paint

John, I can only go by what I found on my car as I dismantled the steering assy. I carefully cleaned things with soap and water to get the grime off.
Things cleaned up with little or no rust. Everything came apart without "coaxing". I believe everything to be original. This is what I found:
1. Idler arm; natural finish. #3779185 GM 1C 14 144 in the casting.
2. Pitman arm; natural finish #3829451 B GMT 3 in the casting. It also had a bright blue paint ring about 1" wide around the arm.
3. Tie rod ends: natural finish, left thread #291 on cast part with "S" stamped near grease zerk. Right thread #293 on cast part "S" stamped near grease zerk. (The tie rods unscrewed by hand after loosening the clamps)
4. Threaded tubes; significant patches of black paint on entire tube except the area under the clamps where there was not paint (tubes were NOT rusty)
5. Tube clamps; significant amounts of black paint ( not rusty)
6. Tube clamp bolts; natural "black" with special zinc(?) nut with raised dots that tend to "lock" the nut onto the bolt. (I found this type of nut, in varying sizes, throughout the front end assy where the loosening of bolts could be a steering disaster/potential wreck)
6. Center tie rod with ball assy; Black paint including the sheet metal cover over the spring/ball assy. I must note that the paint was UNDER the area where the tie rod bolted up making it impossible to paint with the tie rod end assembled to it
7. Left hand thread tie rod ends mounted closest to wheel.
I intend to restore it to that format except I'll probably do a better job of painting the appropriate parts (over restore???). I've owned this car since '82 and this is the first restoration of the frame assy.
Thanks for reading my "2 cents"......
Steve