TR6 Dealing with Rack Boot

[steveg]

After struggling with the greasy boot for a while, I made this expander out of aluminum flashing. It's possible to insert it into the end of the driver side boot and expand it, hooking the notches. This keeps it enlarged enough to easily insert over the rack flange. The 9mm-width Norma clamp holds it in place. Leave the flashing inside and clamp the whole thing up tightly with the clamp. This is a 40 - 60mm clamp, but a 32 - 50mm would be a little neater.

Edit: the 32 - 50mm clamp too short to fit. The 9mm-wide Norma clamp fits perfectly between the ridges on the rack housing.

For the tie rod, I made 3 dots with a center punch and measured from the inner dot to the locknut with a dial caliper. 0.565" in this case. Easy to return to the same tie rod length after removal of the rod end for boot insertion.

 

[steveg]

For the right side, a "funnel" from aluminum flashing made the install easy. The aluminum slides over the tie rod end, expanding the boot as it passes over the larger diameter. Reusable.

 

[glemon]

Soon good tips, beats tearing it up with a couple screwdrivers.

 

[Geo Hahn]

A similar techique is to use a plastic cap from a spray can. Insert the cap open end first into the boot:

Then trim to leave just a ring of plastic holding the boot end wide open:

The ring is cut and pulled out once the boot is in position.

[note: pics are not of a TR6 boot]