Center link castle nut too short

[Skip Fix]

Finished the 81 TAs front end and final torquing. My Pro Forged centerlink the castle nut is too short to engage a cotter pin-below the hole. Find a taller nut -add washers?

[David Pozzi]

Add a washer works.

[Skip Fix]

Thanks David.
I really like your old Lola vintage racer! I had an old Lola slot car, dad being an engineer was into SCCA Rally and road racing. He was the slide rule man for the rally-before calculators and computers!

[Skip Fix]

Well ProForged says for an 81 all V8s take the same link(MOOG does also) but Chevy V8s as well as Pontiac v8s were in them and because of the Pontiac fuel pump they used a 6" dropped pitman vs a 7" straight on the Camaros and Chevy motors. So one does not fit them all. Their 78 Firebird only shows the correct Pontiac one I have, and I have their idler for their 78 centerlink(that is the correct one for a Pontiac) so that may be my fit issue because the "book" says all 81 V8s take the same?? If I bolted both on my 78 TA the stud will still be too long!

Do the stud is too long where the hole is drilled or the nut is too short. The taper must be right as the stud feels tight in the idler and the pitman.

I went to the autoparts store once to get a tranny cable for my 78 with a TH350-"book" said they did not offer that? They made over 100,000! But they showed one for a '77! Sometimes the "book" is wrong.

[Skip Fix]

Looked at the factory centerlink and it did not use a cotter pin type stud only a crimp type nut-same on the factory tie rod ends.

[Skip Fix]

Two washers under the nut on the idler, one on the pitman. Man it was tough to snake a torque wrench between the PS and fuel lines at the pitman!

[Rod]

Two washers under the nut on the idler, one on the pitman. Man it was tough to snake a torque wrench between the PS and fuel lines at the pitman!

well done

[Skip Fix]

Found some taller castle nuts but didn't get me there -only about 1/2 a washer thickness.

So then I got to "string" the front end. The rear wheel spoilers were a little pain to do that and the driver's side kept going back and forth with just one flat turn. Now to do the toe in and caster/camber.