Big Daddy Kane
Hard-core CEG'er
I know some of you remember this off the old forums...
If not, here's the link: Hit a BIG hole!
Well there was a 1996 Contour in the junkyard that I discovered right before they were about to crush it, so I grabbed any parts I could think of off it.
Got the knuckle off the car the day before they were to crush it, then today I wanted to see if they were the same. Laid them side by side and they looked the same. Couldn't find any part number, just a Ford logo.
So I decided to try it out, you know, what the hey. When I pulled the knuckle off my car, I could see plain as day the bottom of the strut is bent.
Everything went smooth (way easier to put on the strut, maybe Konis are a bit smaller or pre98 struts are bigger around?) until I went to put the ABS sensor in, the hole in the 96 seems to have a different thread pitch, so I broke off that bolt in quick order. Not even enough to get some vice grips on, so I was going to worry about drilling it out later.
Go to put the tie rod on, and it only went about 1/2 way in. Did it the way I was taught, and put the nut on and was tightening that to press the tie rod into the knuckle.
Well, that broke off too :blackeye:
So then I was going to see what went wrong, and I can plainly see a ledge in the knuckle that I created.
I should have read this thread, which says the 95/96 outer tie rod ends are different than the 97+. Maybe it would have made me think twice about doing the whole job and then busting my tie rod end.
So yeah, just to let y'all know, not only are the 95/96 tie rods different, the knuckle (hub) is also different than the 97/98/99/00, which the 98+ is probly the same as the SVT.
Now the car is sitting at the auto hobby shop's parking lot until Tuesday when I can go in and put a new outer tie rod end on.
I'm gonna have to do the ball joint as well, noticed the boot was torn a bit. Sucks.
I even put a For Sale sign in the window, so that maybe some other guys can see it
If not, here's the link: Hit a BIG hole!
Well there was a 1996 Contour in the junkyard that I discovered right before they were about to crush it, so I grabbed any parts I could think of off it.
Got the knuckle off the car the day before they were to crush it, then today I wanted to see if they were the same. Laid them side by side and they looked the same. Couldn't find any part number, just a Ford logo.
So I decided to try it out, you know, what the hey. When I pulled the knuckle off my car, I could see plain as day the bottom of the strut is bent.
Everything went smooth (way easier to put on the strut, maybe Konis are a bit smaller or pre98 struts are bigger around?) until I went to put the ABS sensor in, the hole in the 96 seems to have a different thread pitch, so I broke off that bolt in quick order. Not even enough to get some vice grips on, so I was going to worry about drilling it out later.
Go to put the tie rod on, and it only went about 1/2 way in. Did it the way I was taught, and put the nut on and was tightening that to press the tie rod into the knuckle.
Well, that broke off too :blackeye:
So then I was going to see what went wrong, and I can plainly see a ledge in the knuckle that I created.
I should have read this thread, which says the 95/96 outer tie rod ends are different than the 97+. Maybe it would have made me think twice about doing the whole job and then busting my tie rod end.
So yeah, just to let y'all know, not only are the 95/96 tie rods different, the knuckle (hub) is also different than the 97/98/99/00, which the 98+ is probly the same as the SVT.
Now the car is sitting at the auto hobby shop's parking lot until Tuesday when I can go in and put a new outer tie rod end on.
I'm gonna have to do the ball joint as well, noticed the boot was torn a bit. Sucks.
I even put a For Sale sign in the window, so that maybe some other guys can see it
