My grandfather-in-law started a tractor business in the early 70's and has been working on engines ever since. I asked him about the engine that had been run with no intake. He said the valves and stem seals would likely be excessively worn from all the debris. Not really a big deal but definitely a lot more work than I want to volunteer for.
Someone said thanks for the detailed pictures - I had quit posting progress pics but here are some from last night -
There was some slop in the control arms. The rod they rotate on is longer than the control arm and I had some concern about dirt/sand/grit making its way into this gap. I thought there was a lot more gap than there actually was..
The OD of the rod is between 5/8 and 3/4 so I reamed out some 5/8 arbor shims to slip over the rod. I stacked two to make up most of the difference in length.
I have only done one control arm but it helped a lot. There is still some movement but it is due to worn bushings or worn rod.
The stock tie rod end on the spiderbox has a M10x1.25 thread pattern that passes through the spindle. You can get wheel spacers off ebay (qty 8) for less than $20 with that same thread. Threads right onto the ball joint and has male thread to go through the spindle. Uses the original nut.
When I installed the risers my tie rods were too long.
I liked the way my temporary ones turned out so I started on new, permanent ones last night. 3/4" BOM (bent over mandrel) tubing with .058" wall thickness slips over the stock tie rod perfectly. The fit is so tight that with just 3/4" inserted I feel confident that it is near perfectly straight.
More pics and details later.
Another note - It is possible when you are tightening your high-misalignment-spacers on your rod ends to bend them. If you are sitting at an extreme angle the spacers can ride on the stationary portion of the joint and get bent.
