96 Sport Frozen Toe adjustment help needed

apedosmil · 07-17-2009, 10:13 PM

Just had new tires put on. They tell me they couldn't correct the alignment due to left front frozen toe adjustment. What does this mean exactly? How can this be fixed?
The vehicle has no steering or suspension mods..........all OEM.

Please help.

jtgh · 07-19-2009, 02:16 PM

rust, what more needs be said.

do you need part nums,

finding parts not rusted used is hard where you live ,right?

dbacon · 07-19-2009, 08:30 PM

If you can get the part off and into a tank of water, you can remove ALL rust quickly with a battery and battery charger (should be smooth DC) and baking soda in the water.
Put negative on the part, positive on a metal plate (anode) in the water.

I put the plate on the bottom, some 1" plastic spacers, then the part on that, and turn it on. Believe it or not you can get a slight shock, so if you are sensitive to this, flip it off before reaching in.

I got all the corrosion out of a lock cylinder this way, but it took a couple days, and lots of solution changes.

Antique restorers use this rather than abrasive methods, and it comes out like it was fresh from the foundry!

Ole-Boy · 07-19-2009, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbacon

If you can get the part off and into a tank of water, you can remove ALL rust quickly with a battery and battery charger (should be smooth DC) and baking soda in the water.
Put negative on the part, positive on a metal plate (anode) in the water.

I put the plate on the bottom, some 1" plastic spacers, then the part on that, and turn it on. Believe it or not you can get a slight shock, so if you are sensitive to this, flip it off before reaching in.

I got all the corrosion out of a lock cylinder this way, but it took a couple days, and lots of solution changes.

Antique restorers use this rather than abrasive methods, and it comes out like it was fresh from the foundry!

NICE INFO!!!! I've never heard of this method before.

You mention smooth DC. Do you mean trickle (lower amps)?

When you say anode, do you mean zinc?

dbacon · 07-20-2009, 04:19 AM

By "smooth" I mean that we want better than just the high ripple output of s battery charger by itself, which would be pulses of rectified AC.

As far as the current this will draw 5 to 20 amps, and the water gets hot, so be sure you have a bowl that can take near-boiling temperature, but is non-conductive. An old Pyrex baking dish is perfect.

The current draw depends on three things, the separation of the two submerged metal pieces, the surface area of them, and how much baking soda is used. None of this is critical, but you may adjust these things for an acceptable speed/current tradeoff. I use a couple tablespoons of baking soda in a gallon of water, and add more if the current is low.

Also do this where there is good ventilation, you are making raw hydrogen and oxygen, very flammable, don't even play around with a match near it!!! Also I have read that the fumes will be poisionous if stainless steel is involved, but that is what I use and I am stlll alive.

With a process like this "Anode" refers to the plate that is positive, and receives the electrons (and an enormous amount of black and green crud) and the cathode is the negative plate that the electrons leave from. The word "anode" doesn't imply the type of material, only the polarity, although if you were plating something with zinc, you would use a zinc "cathode".

Here is a good writeup with pictures, but it is not for the squeamish, don't look if you are a girly-man, only manly-mans should see this.
Rust removal by electrolysis
This article says use washing soda, which I thought was borax powder, but I find baking soda works slightly better. This article says that washing soda is different from both of these, so I will try that next time. But I get great results from either of the two I tried.

(apologies to Dana Carvey for the plagerism.)

Ole-Boy · 07-20-2009, 08:23 AM

Well I'll be damned. I've never heard of this process of elimination. The end results are amazing.

I will be trying this on a few antiques I've got laying around.

Very Good Info Dbacon

Thank-You

dbacon · 07-20-2009, 09:13 AM

You are very welcome, but the real thanks goes to my friend, Tim Granger, who showed me this on one of his Model T parts. Here is the kind of work he does:

ecoast · 07-20-2009, 09:55 AM

Very nice, dbacon.

Looks like I'm half way to my little DIY anodising now.

dbacon · 07-20-2009, 10:45 AM

That can be done too, I have successfully chrome plated at home, many years ago. I was heating a ceramic crock on the stove while electroplating a steering box cover and it cracked, ending my plating career by popular demand. But it turned out pretty good!

I read somewhere about anodizing, which is for aluminum, and I am sure you can find that too. We will have some classy rides soon...

Nor'Easter · 07-20-2009, 03:52 PM

Now if I could only find a Pyrex dish big enough to dunk my whole vehicle in, I'd be GOLDEN!!

Checklist:
400# Baking Soda
50amp battery charger/booster,
1,000 gallons of water
Sheet of plate steel (anode)
2 gauge wire

Where oh where can I find the Pyrex dish?!?!

DBacon,
Thanks for that. Will put it in my notes for a future date.

Apedosmil,
I would take the pieces off the vehicle, put it in a vise and use a torch (on heat, not cutting) to heat up the nut, possibly need to heat the turnbuckle as well. I have the same problem on my drivers side at the moment. The turnbuckle will not let go of the tie-rod end. Hopefully get to it this weekend.

Put a wet rag on the tie-rod end at the knuckle, one, to keep the heat away from the grease and ball socket, and 2, to help the tie-rod threads to stay cooler (smaller dia) than the nut and buckle to help break it free from them. Keep it wet the entire time a few inches away from the nut.