MTFCA Forum

Hello from the UK,

I am new to Model Ts and am 6 weeks into owning a 1924 Tourer. Although should I say Touring, since it was imported from the US? It was 're-built' 20 odd years ago (no real history...) to 12V alternator, starter, indicators etc to make it an every day car rather than a show car. Perfect for me.

Anyway, I am working around it and whilst it is not original in lots of ways, I'd like important bits to 'be right'. Looking at the tie-rod yokes, the internal dimension is 1 1/16" and the spindle arm is 7/8". On the driver side, there is a spacer to accommodate the difference but not on the left, so the yoke can slide up and down on the bush.

Does my car have the correct tie-rod? Should there be a spacer? If I find a suitable spacer for the other end, would that be considered an acceptable solution?

Any comments on this would be appreciated.

No spacer. Doesnt sound right. Post a picture if possible.

Welcome to the Model T world!
Personally, I would not worry about a 3/16 inch gap but if you are, could add an 1/8-inch steel or brass thrust washer. Most have worn some over the years but that little amount of wear should not hurt anything. What is more important is the condition of the pins and bushings.

Mark Gregush wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 12, 2025 12:29 pm

Welcome to the Model T world!
Personally, I would not worry about a 3/16 inch gap but if you are, could add an 1/8-inch steel or brass thrust washer. Most have worn some over the years but that little amount of wear should not hurt anything. What is more important is the condition of the pins and bushings.

Thats a lot of wear. Or was a different (non T) part substituted?

Thanks for the comments.

It doesn't look like wear to me... so it sounds like it is the incorrect tie-rod. On the plus side, the pins and bushes are nice and tight, the tracking seems pretty much OK and it drives well.

So maybe I find a suitable spacer as a short-term thing and put finding a correct tie-rod on the longer term?

Photos hopefully here:

It's somewhat normal for spindle arm wear in that area if the lubrication was neglected as was the case in most Model Ts ! I'll go out & measure a new bushing for length, but I suspect it's just wear on the arm - not the tie-rod.

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:33 pm

It's somewhat normal for spindle arm wear in that area if the lubrication was neglected as was the case in most Model Ts ! I'll go out & measure a new bushing for length, but I suspect it's just wear on the arm - not the tie-rod.

Ah - thank you.

It shows how you can get your mind fixed on something - I hadn't spent much time considering that it might be wear on the arm!

NOS spindle arm bushing is .985 in length.

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 12, 2025 3:33 pm

NOS spindle arm bushing is .985 in length.

Thank you so much - I appreciate your going out to measure that up.

That pretty well nails it as wear.

As I've been mulling this over, perhaps the best short-term thing is a hard nylon washer top and bottom to prevent more wear. I'd quite like to drive it a bit more before embarking on anything likely to lead from one thing to another!

The spindle arms are worn & not sure if they are the same. The left one looks straight and the right (speedo gear) looks to have the curve but its upwards instead on downwards.

A nylon washer will wear fast, use steel or bronze, and replace that nylon lock nut with correct castle nut and cotter pin. Steering has to be safe.


Factory style repro spindle connecting rod bolt, with flip top oiler, inside the arm is a repro spindle arm steel bushing, and correct castle nut with cotter for fastening.

P, you have a Tourer. Touring is part of the description of a touring car.
It is normal for the tie rod ends and the top of the spindle arms to wear. The weight of the tie rod rests on the top of the spindle arm. If the bushes are worn, the yoke rides on the eye in the spindle arm. I have found a neat fix for the problem. Start with a king pin bush and bore it out to fit the tie rod bolts. It can even be a worn used bush. The outside diameter is the same as the tie rod bush. Clean up the yoke surfaces and square up the top of the spindle eye. Measure the gap in the spindle yoke and machine down the head of the old king pin bush so the bush will fit hetweem the yoke arms. The modified bus is fitted to the arm with the flange on top. This takes out any vertical movement and provides a fixed bronze wear face on which yoke runs. You may like to reduce the flange OD a little if it helps with the fitting.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.
P.S. When fitting new tie rod bushes and pins, loosen off the spindle arms so they are free to rotate in the axle. Then they will self align as the new pins are connected. Don"t for get to tighten them again and fit the split pins.

It really appears as if your spindle arm ends have been shortened in their width, either by wear or ??? Hard to tell from your photo, but it also seems that your left side spindle arm is a bit mangled. It does not appear to have the same graceful "S" curve that the right side has.

Thank you for all the comments - I have a bit to think about then.

@TRDxB2 & @Jerry VanOoteghem Thank you - the left arm does have an S curve to it but it doesn't seem to be as exaggerated as the right one. And both curve up, so the tie-rod end is higher than the spindle end. It doesn't look mangled or bent in the flesh - I think what TRD has boxed in his photo is an illusion and is just where paint has flaked off. But I think I ought to look a bit further at the difference in curve.

@DanTreace Thanks for that photo, that makes the wear on the arm look very clear. Thanks for advice re any washer if I go that way and for changing to the correct nut & pin.

@Allan Thank you for that description and for the tip re putting it back together. I'll have a look when I get it all apart and see if that's a suitable course of action.

All much appreciated.