Left Inner Tie Rod for 240z no longer available

[evian]

Does anyone know where you can get the left inner tie rod. I bought two from an auto parts store and found out that I have two right sides. They list them as one universal part but there is usually a left and right side. Other manufactures that made them only have right side available and the left is now obsolete. This is a big problem for current and future Z owners, courtesy no longer has them as well as anyone one else I can think of in the U.S. After changing out my ball joints and outer tie rod ends, I found out my inners were bad when I tried to get an alignment. Any insight would be great....thanks

evian

[WingZr0]

Try Les Schwab Tires. They do complete Poly Bushings for these cars and other parts as well. I know i got a set out of the last 2 right and 1 left front brake calibers they had in the entire chain, so i'm pretty sure they can get your tie rods too.

Edited November 25, 2009 by WingZr0

[JohnnyO]

I am dealing with the outers right now. I know that the outers are L or R but the inners should be identical. Ron (Geezer) would definately know. Maybe he'll chime in.

Rockauto.com has 2 vendors listed and they both list universal inners.

John

[EricB]

Hi all

Sorry to dredge up an old post but I now also face the same problem..

driver (left) side is NLA...

I've checked the ones I am pulling off the car and left and right do have different threads on the ends where the outers screw on...

I was sold two rights but they don't work for me

what are people doing to remedy the situation?

retrofit different nissan model car inner & outers?

thanks,

-e

[Arne]

I seem to recall hearing at some point that the outers that are made to match the universal inners are threaded to match, not threaded L and R like the originals. I recall someone saying that you need to buy the inners and outers as matching sets from the same manufacturer. But I don't know from personal experience if that is or was ever true.

[zKars]

Isn't the trick then to use two right side inners and two right side outers? Are there differences in the outers left to right other than the internal threads?

I know the inners have the same right hand thread to attach to the rack, but the threads that attach to the outer are different. I always wondered if they did that so the alignment guy wouldn't get confused about which way to swing the wrench ....

I have a few spare racks that I may be coerced into scavenging some inner's TRE's from for the right incentive....

jim

[panchovisa]

I switched to r-h inners and outers on my rack years ago. All you have to do is find another stearing rack and scavenge the right-hand side parts for transplant to your cars steering rack on the left side.

Read the repair manual regarding removeal of the "ball" joint that retains the inner. It may require spanner or pin wrenches (I cant recall exactly now). Practice the removal at home before going to junk yard, easy after the first one is done.

[EricB]

Of course switching to RH on both sides makes sense... I just wonder how long until even these are NLA and then we will really have to find an alternative...

The other bummer is that some of the aftermarket vendors who make heim-joint tie rods for example are still doing so with both lhd and rhd threads in the sets they sell.

I did talk to Dave @ Arizona z car the other day and he said that a fix was on his to do list of things to create in the coming months...

Will be interesting to see what he can come up with.

In the meantime I'll work on a way to adapt some of the newer Nissan tie rods to our Z cars...