Failed state inspection today because both front tie rod ends are bad. Mechanic said that my truck has only 2 tie rod ends located on the front axle. He also said that the drivers side tie rod end is small and estimated it would be a cheap part to replace, but that the passenger side tie rod end is long and could be a pricey replacement. Is all this true?

I'm looking on the Atlantic British website under steering components for the D2 and Im at loss as to which parts I should be ordering. Could someone advise me on the parts I actually need to get the job done? More than likely Ill have DAP Enterprise perform the labor but Ill order the parts online since they are more than likely going to be cheaper.

Thanks in advance

 

That takes *****, going to DAP to get work done and buying the parts from a competitor.

 

And to go DAP to get anything done anyways, have you been there recently? It's for sale for good reason and it shows.

 

I have not had any issues with DAP so I dont understand what the fuss is about. Grant some of their parts are expensive but their still good people who love what they do. Im surprised they managed to stay open as long as they have considering the economy and the small LR community in this area. I actually had a conversation with them today about how they are doing business wise and they did say it was slowing down for awhile but that business has slowly been going back up with restoration work being their primary work. I go there because they are the only known independent Rover shop in the area (45 minutes away) and I trust their expertise over any other typical mechanic garage any day. I would not trust my Disco in the hands of a typical domestic car mechanic. They dont know the ins and outs of our rovers.

Ill make some calls tomorrow (Atlantic British, Rovers North DAP) and see where the best deal is on parts and try to figure out what parts I will need. If DAP has a good deal then I will buy there parts. But for now I just need to know exactly which parts I need. Do I need to replace the entire rod that connects to both ends of the vehicle? is there any hardware (nuts/bolts/clamps) I need to replace? etc

 

There's no fuss, and I don't have any issues with DAP. I just know it's for sale, and that they don't have many parts in stock. I know they do have 1 or 2 mechanics there though which is cool. How rusty is your hardware? If it's pretty well rusted you might want to replace it in case you strip it or have to torch it coming off.

 

Any shade tree mechanic with a solid axle Ford pickup could change out the TRE's on the Rover. Pull the pin, unscrew the nut, pull it out of the knuckle, and twist it off. The only hitch is the rust that seizes them on. Lather the threads with antisieze to prevent that next time. Don't pay for an alignment following the new ends either. Just center the wheel, set the toe with a measure tape (a 16th of an inch wider between the front of the rims vs the rear of the rims), and go.

 

Im going to send my Disco through the car wash tomorrow in preparation for some better quality pictures, then Ill stop by Jiffylube again and use their pay so I can get underneath again and snap afew pics of the tie rod ends so you can see. Im not sure what the hell im dealing with in this department and I have no experience working on these specific parts. All I know is that I gotta get these new parts soon cause I dont want my tires falling off! Gonna hold off on the brake booster until I get this taken care of.

 

If you work at Jiffy Lube, why dont you just use their facilities to do it yourself? Tie rods are so simple, its almost like paying someone to do an oil change for you, and since you work there, you obviously know how to do that, tie rods arent much harder at all.


Save your money you would pay for labor to get that brake booster. And the hitch mounted toilet seat

 

to answer your question seeing i dont see one, yes you must replace the rod.
one tierod can be replac ed the other is part of the rod

 

I've been dealing with Al since '80, never had any issues.
The slow down has a lot to do with one person who used to work there and was, unfortunately, on several forums. He's been gone a while.
It's for sale because Al is just ready to retire and do some traveling. He's in his 70's now I believe.
I really miss VT and if I had the cash reserves I'd be talking to him.