Jim,

I just discovered you tonight along with the wealth of information you have posted on the web about C3’s and GM steering systems.  I am also an engineer and find the historical GM engineering info you have written about very fascinating.  I have a ’76 Corvette; I study my AIM for it quite frequently with interest!  Thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge and GM experience with us. 

I am currently rebuilding the front suspension on my car so it is very timely that I discovered some of the articles you have posted.  The one I am writing to you about is this one:

http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?p=1021

I am curious about this statement:

“By convention, when the tie rod assemblies are assembled to the relay rod, the inner tie rod ends should have the RH threads, outer tie rod ends should have LH threads.”

When I was buying parts, I came to a different conclusion about this.  Refer to Zip’s standard rebuild kit 

http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductDetails/Kits/KitDetails.aspx?KitItemID={50929ff5-6313-433c-9c46-36f65d4fb2f1}&gid={6f0fa18b-c6ce-45f4-b5c3-e9058249e0a0}&GroupName=Front+Suspension+Rebuild+Kit&pname=63-82+Front+Suspension+Standard+Rebuild+Kit+(Rubber)&Referer=&Alias=&ptct=SGR-SR&CTitle=&

With this kit, Zip intends that only the outer ends will be replaced, yet they provide one LH end and RH end.  Is this incorrect?  With this kit put together as intended, one adjuster tube would have the LH threads outboard, with the other having them inboard, not both outboard as you state they should be.  I studied the AIM sheet you refer to very closely before putting everything together and I could not determine a correct orientation.  I’m assuming your statement comes from your GM experience rather than what can be gleaned from the AIM?  Are there any consequences for having the setup installed as I do with one LH thread out and the other in? 

And here's his answer:

Dave,

Thank you for your question as to RH and LH threads on the tie rod ends. 

The linkage assembly came into the assembly plant with the tie rod ends already screwed into the adjuster tubes.

So the St.Louis and/or Bowling Green assembly plants were not involved with orienting the RH or LH threads.  As you know the C2/C3 tie rod ends are identical except for the thread.  So the AIM does not address RH or LH threads because it was covered in the linkage assembly blueprint as supplied by a vendor.   

From a functional standpoint it really makes no difference what threads are inboard or what threads are outboard.  However, it is common knowledge that if you are centering your steering wheel, you can rotate your driver side and passenger side adjuster tubes THE SAME DIRECTION to change the steering wheel centering without changing your toe setting.  From Figure 1 in my paper you can see that you must have both outboard tie rod ends with the same direction thread in order for this to be true.  This would also mean that the adjuster tubes on both sides would have the groove on the outboard end (from the Bair's ad).

At the car assembly plant the workers performing the toe set operation needed the linkage parts to be consistent in order for them to perform their jobs.  They had to rely on the fact that turning the adjuster tubes a certain direction would change the front wheel toe by + or by - inches.  It would drive them crazy if different jobs each required them to turn the adjuster tubes only certain directions.

I might ask, if your front end parts were original, did the adjuster tubes have the grooves grooves outboard that indicated LH threads?

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I corresponded with him a few times more, answering his question that yes, my adjuster sleeves have the groove he is referring to and indeed one has the groove out and the other one is in.  He wrote back to me that there are no serious consequences with it set up this way -- just the fact that the tubes will have to be turned in opposite directions to adjust toe-in.  I will probably want to mention this fact to the alignment shop when I bring it in next spring.  (hopefully).  Sorry for the long post!