87CigCafe,

Speaking strictly mechanically, the further from your pivot point, the more leverage. If I were designing a machine with similar geometries and vectored forces, I'd keep the rearmost tie bar. Others may have relevant experience saying otherwise.

FWIW, again, speaking strictly mechanically, I can't think of a good reason to have two, even if they were both the same length. And again, others may have relevant experience that says otherwise.

If I had to guess, I'd say a previous owner didn't like how the foremost tie bar was acting, so they added the rearmost one, trying to correct whatever, and didn't remove the foremost one, and every owner since has done exactly what you did.

Thanks. Brad.

Do you still have the inner tie bar attached in bilge?

makes sense! I appreciate the insight!

no sir

Then if it was me I would probably leave both on for redundancy in case one breaks. That's probably the rock crawler in me talking though, I used to break heim joints on my jeep often.

I have the same steering setup. Originally had the lower tie bar too. Removed the lower and kept the upper only. I personally would remove the lower, especially with those heim joints. If you get your drives out of sync too far for whatever reason, that lower bar will bind before the top one.

I added the second (lower) tie bar on my 35 Nordic to use as a boarding ladder. It worked great and there was no binding. Unless you have a ladder, i would leave it alone.

87CigCafe,


This is all that "more relevant experience" I was referring to. I tend to see everything from a machine builder's perspective. I also have a single, so I don't have these 1st world problems. At the end of the day, if the second tiebar isn't causing any problems, there likely isn't any reason to remove it. The old, "If it ain't broke" resolution....

Thanks. Brad.

Snapmorgan,

Yeah... But I was raked in another thread for having the audacity to suggest something so "dumbassed" (citation redacted).

Thanks. Brad.

FINALLY got around to installing one of the very last pieces to this never ending puzzle it seems! The engine hatch is on! Was a pretty happy moment for me! LOL