I am working on my 66 122s and found ther is quite a bit of play in one of the tie rod ends. the centre tie rod is adjustable, and the left and fight sections are a one piece unit. it is one of the fixed ones that is the problem.
it turns out this is a one piece replaceable unit.

i would like to buy all six rod ends locally. my plan is to make two new threaded rods so that threaded type of rod ends can be used instead of the one piece unit.
that way I can assemble the two rod ends on the shaft, and adjust to match the orrigional. The only hangup I see is that the two fixed tie rods have a slight bend near one end. I think I can heat the rod
and bend it to match the orrigional. maybe weld that end fixed to the threads.

I can make the rods themselves on my lathe. that way , if i can use a more generic rod end I should be able to shop around and get them fairly cheaply from a local supplier.

I would like to know if the taper is common to most other cars. do these really need to be bought from a volvo parts supplier or are they generic parts that i might obtain from my local auto parts store? anyone know what make/model car might use the same tie rod ends?

thanks very much , Phil

yea, I think you guys are right about the left and right links. I know I could make the rod, and I could make one as strong as the factory one ,even use stainless, but it isn't worth the effort, because they seem to be obtainable for about 50 bucks per side.

but about the tie rod ends themselves. I am sure thes must be common to other cars and hence cheaply available. I called a couple of local parts dealers and they just say their catalogues don't go back that far. it isn't worth their time to start opening boxes, but if i knew the same ones were used in a certain model/year chev or ford I might have better luck.

same goes for bearings/seals/ujoints etc. I seem to be able to get much cheaper prices for the same parts if i get them from a bearing retailer than a place specializing in volvo parts.

Phil

I agree with Chakra. You have all the adjustment you need with regular tie
rods. And since they are equal age and equally stressed, when you replace
a rod you aren't throwing much away when you replace the whole thing.

The rods come up on ebay at reasonable prices pretty often.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US

This seems like a lot of work and risk with little benefit. Tie rod ends last quite a while and aren't that hard to replace. Why not do it right with original equipment? I would be worried about putting parts on the steering of the car that are not designed for that purpose. I would also worry that heating and welding might soften the metal and lead to failure. I have never had a tie rod break on me at 60 mph, but that is certainly one experience I prefer not to have!