ja, if my local metal shop can't do it then I'll open up the cans again and knock up the spacers you guys suggest! Now for the length of them....

Russell,
good plan, as I reckon that original tie rods have rolled threads, same as original axle bolts...

"Thread rolling deforms the blank material as it is forced along the contour of the die. The worked material is strain hardened, resulting in a harder and stronger product with a defined grain structure.
Cut threads encourage fatigue related failure."

Someone ( who shall remain nameless) whose race car I used to work on decided to have new tie rods made with cut threads. When one stripped out during a race and the car was recovered by towing, not with a suspended lift, that's the fastest I've ever known a set of axle bolt heads to disappear.
It takes months of abuse on speed bumps on a lowered car to produce the same comedy effect.

ken

Theyre bloody hard, I know that much. I can't understand why a mig weld almost always fails when the friction welded joins are generally quite resilient to breakages. I guess it's the heat that weakens it? I tried To cut through it and polish it up to do an etch test but it was so hard I lost interest trying to file it down.

I'm just throwing this out there, but I cut and welded my tie rods when I shortened them. I used the used the 2" piece that I cut out to re-enforce the joint 'splint style'. When welding them I deliberately got more penetration near the middle of the weld and less at either end where they're most likely to snap. They've not broken in three years.

there's tables of original spring lengths on here or Graham could just measure the ones that came out the differance will give you a start.

Sean

Do people generally cut and weld the thinner more malleable bit, or the thicker harder bit- the thicker bit will embrittle if its a special alloy. The thin it will just be a stress raiser.

The friction weld must be something to do with the grain of the steel that makes it so strong, often used for things like train axles prop shafts and diff carriers on big commercial vehicles so must be good.

anyway food for thought if you think that just making new tie rods was so simple-generally Citroen knew what they were doing.

Sean

Just changed out the shock absorbers (dampers) on the D*lly and in the process had to remove the left front guard (wing) to access the top bolt on the shock bracket. Found that there is contact occurring 'twixt suspension arm and the inner part of the guard as per attachments.
Question is - what is there to limit the movement in bounce (upward travel) of the suspension arm? I can see quite clearly there is a rebound stop, but can't fathom how the opposite direction is limited. Maybe some sort of adjustment is required?

Maybe your suspension needs adjusting. It could be low at the front. It's done at the eye on the end of the rod.

Needs careful setting up as adjusting the front will alter the back. Not done it myself, but someone on here (Ken or Sean ) will have chapter and verse.

It is common for wings to touch the swing arm, particular raid cars. just bend the inner wing.

That's much easier. The 'outback' solution.