C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

[Rob C.]

I have found that in the tec. info. manual and Judging guide book says that thetie rod sleeves & clamps are natural finish. Now on my 72 they are painted. I looked up in the history of my car to see if some one changed it at some point and found nothing. I know that dose not mean any thing but I just recived a set that Supposedly theses are origanals and painted. So which is it. Do I keep them painted or remove the paint?

[Robert C.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

all sleeves and clamps are natural. Do you have the clamps with two reinforcing ridges(original)or one(serv. repl.)? The clamp bolts are black oxide and the nuts are cad on both. The clamps are installed at right angles to each other.

[Rob C.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

Bob
The clamps have the two ridges on them. The bolts are natural color.
I should strip the paint?

[Chuck S.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

If it were me, I would leave the paint alone, even if it means a minor deduct. Those clamps are correct with the two ridges; they were zinc plated and were not painted when used for service replacement parts. If you can find no evidence that the car has been tampered with, and its original in other respects, do not change it to meet the TIM&JG...JMHO.

[John H.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

C2 and C3 steering linkage is all identical, and was manufactured at Chevrolet-Buffalo; C2 linkage was painted chassis black as a complete assembly at Buffalo. Do we know for sure when the painting stopped at Buffalo and the linkage was shipped "natural"?

[Chuck S.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

John, I was judging with a more senior judge at a meet once, when we came across black tie rod assemblies on a car (it could have been a 72). I was all poised to mark the deduct when my partner said "no deduct". In response, I said, "Eh?", to which he explained that there were occasional black tie rod assemblies. My 70s were natural; black would be easier to restore...just bead blast'em and paint'em.

In this case where the owner has a fairly well documented history, and can find nothing about any steering linkage changes, I figure it may well be original...particularly if all the linkage components are painted black (as an assembly). The black paint may have come and gone periodically like the upper control arm shafts...some are natural, and some are black without apparent reason.

[John H.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

Chuck -

Buffalo used that cheap, sticky "chassis black" paint on steering linkage (same stuff St. Louis used for chassis blackout before Body Drop) that never dried, but it tended to wash off eventually when the cars were driven in the rain; I think two cars built at the same time with Buffalo-painted linkage but exposed to different usages over the years might appear to have been either painted or "natural".

[Patrick H.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

I pulled up my pictures of my 72 Bowtie car, and while it appears natural (i.e. rusted), there is less rust than on anything else around the tie rod sleeves/steering rod. I can't get at it right now to get a good hands-on look, but close picture inspection shows it may have been crappy thin paint that has worn off as John suggests.

Patrick

[Rob C.]

Re: C3 (72)Tie rod sleeves and clamps

Thank you Patrick
I have decedied to keep them natural. I striped off the paint.
THank you All.