LG45 alternative track rod ends

David Bracey

8 February 2016 at 21:23 #51733

One very helpful member has suggested to me that Land Rover Defender track rod ends might be a suitable upgrade for the LG45.

I’ve got the part numbers for the left and right threaded track rod ends but haven’t bought them yet. Has anyone else considered this and been through the process of converting?

Thanks,

David

Colin M34

8 February 2016 at 23:04 #51734

Hi David,

They work well. For further advice, have a word with the ever helpful member B99 at the Northern Lagonda Factory.

Colin

bill

9 February 2016 at 10:09 #51735

David, perhaps you could post the part number for other members as I cant seem to find my note at present. As long as the thread is the correct one for the Lagonda track rod then that will be the correct one. You will however also need the very thin walled taper “shim” to alter the Lagonda taper to the L/Rover one. Member B99 used to have these “in stock” !

h14

9 February 2016 at 10:44 #51736

John Batt told me Land Rover TREs were a straight substitute for those on the LG6 (therefore also V12), at last year’s AGM meeting. Didn’t go into detail, and there is also the problem that some of these are “high angle”, necessitated by the the IFS system.

Laurence

David Bracey

9 February 2016 at 12:34 #51737

The part numbers I have (not confirmed yet) are RTC5870 (LH thread) and RTC5869 (RH thread).

It seems as if genuine Land Rover parts are sealed for life whereas some cheaper ones have grease nipples. I quite like the idea of grease nipple ones to squeeze out any moisture but I guess Land Rover ones are probably used to being subjected to worse conditions than I will manage in my LG45.

Any other pearls of wisdom or shared experiences would be very welcome.

I’ll get in touch with B99 to enquiry about tapered sleeves.

9 February 2016 at 16:36 #51738

I did this “mod” while I was having my original track rod ends refurbished. I might even have a LR set on the shelf. While this is entirely subjective I didn’t enjoy the saloon handling, never brilliant, with the LR track rod ends, it may be entirely different in another vehicle and driver of course, it was more point and reflect rather than steer but there are so many factors to consider.

David Bracey

9 February 2016 at 19:14 #51739

I’ve spoken with B99 who confirms that he did experiment with this modification but in his opinion it wasn’t really perfected. The LR rod ends have a smaller diameter thread and so need a threaded bush to be made that inserts into the track rod first. Then the taper on the LR end is a different taper to the Lagonda which also needs a thin adaptor.

I’m going to strip things apart and see what’s what. Stephen, I presume you’ve been through this?

I’m probably going to adapt things to suit the V12 track rod ends I’ve been given but will report back when it’s done.

10 February 2016 at 16:56 #51740

David, In principle there is no reason why the LR track rod ends should not be entirely satisfactory but the I didn’t like the shimming up the taper and I was also concerned about the pre-load that the original track rod ends exert onto the ball. The steering is so crucial to the enjoyment of our cars, while you could never describe our cars as light, you should expect the steering to be precise and not have to have too great an input in terms of arm muscle once the car is rolling. John Ryder has refurbished all my Lagonda track rod ends and I would never think about using Land Rover ones now, except in an emergency – but I do stress different cars and drivers may have a completely different outcome. I also think it is worth saying every M45/LG45 I have driven handles in a very different way; I spent so much time setting-up the steering on my LG45 Team car replica with the huge help of Bishopgray, I would say time well spent.

bill

10 February 2016 at 18:14 #51741

David, I was a bit surprised by B99 confirming that a threaded insert was required. I certainly didnt need to use one on my car. I have checked my car today and the track rod threaded end went straight into the Lagonda track rod. Maybe there is another L/Rover TREnd that has the correct thread ?
The only mod I needed was the thin walled cone to alter the Lagonda taper. When assembled it was necessary to take care that the TREnd did not “bottom” on the thin wall cone – common sense really.
Steering on my car is lovely and light – except of course during parking when muscles are required !

David Bracey

10 February 2016 at 18:34 #51742

Thanks Bill. B99 did sound a bit vague about it. He wwas also suggesting possibly cutting and welding LR track rod tubes onto the Lagonda ones. I’m not doing that!

Colin M34

11 February 2016 at 09:03 #51744

I had the same satisfactory experience as Bill, but this was around 16 years ago.

Following advice from B99, the LR track rod ends went in straight away and like Bill I just needed to adapt the taper -though I cannot remember how we did it now. The steering on this LG was lovely. I can only conclude that perhaps early LR track rod ends are different from later ones and this is what is required. They were not called “Defenders” then.

Colin

bill

11 February 2016 at 10:04 #51745

Just as a slight “aside” if you dont mind replacing the original Lagonda track rod and want to use a modern TRE. It really isnt difficult to make a new track rod if necessary (to replace the Lagonda one) which can then be threaded internally for the correct TREnd thread end. Make sure you only use a reasonably thick walled hydraulic seamless steel tube. This is very good quality tube and I am sure just as good, if not better, than the steel used originally by Lagonda.