Alright people, I need some advise for my disc brake conversion. I recently got a set up from a 1976 Maverick with factory discs and I'm going to be installing em on my 71. I've read on passed threads that the outer tie rod needs to be replaced. I would like to know if just the outer gets replaced or do I need to also replace the sleeve and the inner? I was researching the sizes and it is getting confusing. I think what I found is it looks like the threaded shafts of the outer tie rods are the same size for both years but the sleeves are listed as having different sizes for the two different years. How is that possible? The 71 sleeve is listed as 5/8-18 and the 76 is listed as 11/16-18. Both tie rods however are listed as .688"-18. I'd like to hear back from the people who have actually done this swap and get any pointers that you have to share. Thanks ... Bob
I did the same swap, except on a '72 Maverick. I just put '76 outer tie rods on. Didn't touch the sleeves or inner rods.
I used 77 Granada brakes with a 72 Comet manual center link. Didn't have to change tie rods or anything.
I think this is what I have read: The 72 tie rod end has a smaller size taper to it. It will bolt onto the disk brake spindle but is not a perfect fit. The later tie rod end has a taper that matches up correctly with the spindle. If that is wrong, someone will correct me, but I'm pretty sure that is what is different.
This is exactly what I found with my 71 (late mav discs). The old outer ends would bolt on but they would pull into the spindle too far because of the larger taper on the new spindles. I was worried that either the rubber boot would get pinched, the taper in the spindle would get damaged or the tie rod end would hit the spindle because it was closer than it was designed to be. EDIT: I don't remember where I saw them but someone makes inserts for the disc spindles that allow you to use the old tie rod ends... but tie rod ends are cheap and my old ones didn't have grease fittings so it was worth it to just buy the new tie rod ends.
was it on your 74? probably cause disc brakes were optional that year, and they probably got the same tie rods as the disc cars.... I know for 73 you have to use the later tie rod ends, because i used the 73 PS system on my 75 and i had to use the disc tie rods.
Yes it was on my 74, but I used 77 Granada disc with a 72 Comet manual centerlink. Mine didn't pull up like dtb147 said his did, they pulled up and looked proper. Now who's to say that the ones on the Comet centerlink are original, I don't know. It's possible that they have been changed at some point it time. They were in good shape, bolted up tight, so I used them.....
