1995 gmc jimmy 4wd slt 4.3 l

Went to install new set of Moog tie rod ends.
The thread diameter is smaller than my original.
If I somehow close - clamp tighter - bend - outer sleeve diameter to make fit . . .
This will make a smaller diameter outer thread size than the inner sleeve side.
It appears I would need new clamps, since original will not (contour) close the outer thread sleeve diameter enough ?

A new atermarket Sleeve ( at looking in the store ) is same as mine. Slight too large outer thread diameter for new tie rod end threads.

Is this Safe ?
Is this a normal procedure ?

suggestions . . .

 

No adjustments like you describe should be needed. Its not safe to bend the sleeve to fit. Are you 100% sure the part you got was correct? could there have been a difference in years or an upgrade option for your truck? I'm not beatin up parts guys but sometimes they can look up a part wrong or grab the wrong one, they might not always know everything about every vehicle they sell parts for. I would double check the options online and then make sure the part is right. If you haven't owned the vehicle from new, a previous owner could have decided to upgrade parts from a different vehicle himself and with no knowledge of it, you could be chasing yer tail trying to figure it out. So many things could be changed, hard to say without seeing it first hand but steering is nothing to play with, do it right or you could hurt yourself or someone else when it fails. Tie rod ends should screw in loosely but not so loose that there is excess movement. Not to mention, if you squeeze the sleeve to fit, the threads most likely won't match up right and will slip or strip. I don't own a small blazer but I have done hundreds of alignments and changed many steering components on lots of different vehicles....the part should fit correctly or its just plain wrong.

Hope this helps....

 

It's entirely possible that you have gotten the tie-rod ends for a K5 full-size Blazer. That has happened to me before. I was rebuilding the front end of my '94 S-10 Blazer and went to the parts store for tie-rod ends. The clerk somehow gave me one tie-rod end for an S-10 Blazer and one for a K5 Blazer. That has caused quite a bit of confusion at the parts stores, especially the ones where clerks don't actually know anything about cars.

Double check to make sure that you have the correct tie-rod ends before making any modifications to the sleeves.

 

no alterations should be required , you likely have the wrong parts
Perhaps 2WD vs 4WD

You could go to RockAuto Parts Catalog and look your application up yourself to confirm part numbers