Tie Rods Upgrade. 1984 -New tool for boots?

[rvidal]

Hi,
Yesterday I started what I read is a very hard job, basically due to the boots installation. Absolutely wright. What a nightmare trying to put the inner end of the new boot with the old spring retainer. Spent like two hours or more, in the left boot (after 30 min of installing the new turbo rods upgrade...), definitely the hardest task of the project...
I ended upset and very tired, without success.
At night I saw a thread showing a ¨cloth hanger tool¨, which seems to work very well, so I decided to try that today. Before sneaking out of the office early, I visited Sodimac (local Home Depot store) and looking for something I could use, I saw an oil wrench tool that made me think I only need to make the opposite in terms of opening, in stead of closing.
Anyway, I made this tool that maybe somebody has done it before. If not known, names are welcome for future reference :-).

I cut the oil wrench metal and by try and error, ended with this tool that works as a very hard spring pushing out the outer circle when releasing it. I am glad I had the second boot (right side) uninstalled for testing.



This little notch is important to ¨load¨the spring. It will work as a trigger.



Tool loaded with the fingers upto the notch.



Boot inner diameter matches outer tool diameter.



Released the trigger and the spring effect opens the boot



Cheers, René

[rvidal]

Now this is what I did on the left tie rod...yes, yesterday´s nightmare. The whole process of putting the boot took me about 10 minutes...another 10 minutes for the spring retainer back on. A little bit hard to load the tool with the fingers. Also took me a few minutes to take the tool out as the fins to load it were a bit large (mine have a bout 20 mm...12 or 15 is desired for easy removal.



Tool in place



Loaded. Two fingers needed.



A bit of lubricant and the tool is on place



Trigger released and the boot end is expanded, near same diameter as required in the steering rack



A bit help to open more the tool to pass over the rack end



Tool released carefully to keep the boot in place



Tool fully removed. Spring retainer back on. Now both sides are made (right side was very difficult to release old tie rod...)

[DRACO A5OG]

Nice :-)

[universeman]

Great work, nice tool. What does the other end (wheel end) of your boot look like? Mine is strangely open to dust/etc - I don't like how it sits and I wonder if something isn't installed incorrectly.

[rvidal]

Hi Jason, thanks.
I will send pictures of my car tonight when I come back home, however I took a picture from our host that shows how mine look. Right: old one, Left: new upgrade.
Send picture of your rods.