Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

[Bob S.]

Hello -

I just received a "rebuilt" relay rod from one of the popular Corvette specialty houses. The photo below shows the hole for the right side inboard tie rod end attachment (sorry the focus isn't good, but it's good enough to give you the idea.)

So my question is obvoius; is it usable? ......Or better yet, would YOU use it on YOUR car??

Bob

[Joe L.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

Hello -

I just received a "rebuilt" relay rod from one of the popular Corvette specialty houses. The photo below shows the hole for the right side inboard tie rod end attachment (sorry the focus isn't good, but it's good enough to give you the idea.)

So my question is obvoius; is it usable? ......Or better yet, would YOU use it on YOUR car??

Bob

Bob------


Does the boss on the rod appear to have been welded-up and re-machined? Does a tie rod end fit TIGHTLY into the tapered hole such that there is NO wobble when the stud is fully seated?

[Tracy C.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

Hello -

I just received a "rebuilt" relay rod from one of the popular Corvette specialty houses. ......Or better yet, would YOU use it on YOUR car??

Bob

You probably paid out the ying-yang for that. Even if the answer to Joe's weld up and remachine question comes back negative, I would see about an exchange or return. It will probably function just fine, but it looks very non typical to me. I suspect it may be a repop.

There isn't really anything to these relay rods. Pull the cotter pin on the buisness end, disassemble, clean and put it all back together with a new seal and grease. Can't imagine ever wearing the ball and socket parts out to the point of needing to replace even after a kagillion miles of normal street use.

tc

[Bob S.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

Joe - I'll let you know for sure tomorrow after I return home, but I didn't see any obvoius signs of it being welded and redrilled. Haven't tried fitting a rod end yet. The off-center hole just seems alarming from a structural standpoint.

Tracy - I agree 100% with what you say. The core I removed from the car was bent so the tie rod adjustments were quite different from side to side and the right side couldn't be shortened enough to get the right tire 'straight' with everything from the steering wheel on down properly centered. So I thought that rather than try "straightening" that rod I'd by a replacement.

Bob

[Gary R.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

Hi Bob
I don't know if this will help or not but here are some pictures of my original 69's center link.
Gary

[Bob S.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

Thanks for the photos Gary. That one looks just how I'd expect a relay rod to look with the holes drilled pretty close to center.

Joe - I could see no evidence of the bosses having been welded and redrilled. Another flaw I didn't mention yesterday was that both damper attachment holes were drilled noticably off-center in their bosses too. (I wasn't as concerned about losing the damper than a tie rod while driving). Never checked the fit of rod ends in the holes.......it's on the way back for replacement.

Bob

[Joe L.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

Thanks for the photos Gary. That one looks just how I'd expect a relay rod to look with the holes drilled pretty close to center.

Joe - I could see no evidence of the bosses having been welded and redrilled. Another flaw I didn't mention yesterday was that both damper attachment holes were drilled noticably off-center in their bosses too. (I wasn't as concerned about losing the damper than a tie rod while driving). Never checked the fit of rod ends in the holes.......it's on the way back for replacement.

Bob

Bob------


The curious thing is that I'm not aware that any reproductions of the manual steering relay rod, either the 63-68 or 69-76, were ever manufactured. These would not be easy pieces to reproduce since forging dies would have to be created.

I believe the power steering relay rods are reproduced, though. There's a much bigger market for those due to conversions.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

...The core I removed from the car was bent so the tie rod adjustments were quite different from side to side and the right side couldn't be shortened enough to get the right tire 'straight' with everything from the steering wheel on down properly centered. So I thought that rather than try "straightening" that rod I'd by a replacement...

Unless this was a dimensionally atypical forging from Day 1, I suspect it has been welded up and rebored off-center as you said. If this is true, the tie rod adjustments will STILL be quite different from one side to the other.

I would pursue excellence...request refund or exchange.

[Wayne M.]

Re: Rebuilt Relay Rod - Use or not??

...I just received a "rebuilt" relay rod from one of the popular Corvette specialty houses. The photo below shows the hole for the right side inboard tie rod end attachment ...

Bob -- are you sure the hole you show is not for the bracket that attaches to the inboard end of the steering shock absorber [if so-equipped] ? If so, less critical than if the inboard tie-rod end (a slightly bigger hole), or the RH idler arm stud mount (an even larger hole) were off-center.

Here's the '66 original off a L72 that a friend converted to power steering; I bought it to install on my '65, which [since 1970] has had the larger diameter relay rod, without mounting holes ['69-up style] for the steering damper. In the pics, the two unused damper bracket holes are on the left; picture is of the passenger end of the rod.