Dave -

I just took a look at the boot and compared with both the Beetle and
Vanagon (German Lemforder) tie rod end and boot and I really see no
difference.  The center hole starts small on the boot but should
expand with the tapered end as it is shoved down, rubber is pretty
pliable.
-- 
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
75 914 1.8 "Nancy"
Full Timing Since March 1999
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
***********************************
On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 10:15 AM, Old Volks Home <oldvolkshome@gmail.com> wrote:
> Cracked boots will contribute to wearing the tie rod ends sooner.
> Unfortunately, after checking both the fiche and ETKA, it appears VW
> never offered the boots as a separately replaceable item - interesting
> note though, it shows the wire ring that retains the boot to the tie
> rods end and that is available (111 415 837). �Since that is a Beetle
> number, you might be able to use the corresponding boot (Beetle Late
> 68-79, Bus to 79):
>
> http://www.airheadparts.com/vintage-vw-parts/tie-rod-ends/boot-tie-rod-end-113415835
>
> This is a great quality repro from VWG, much better than the thin
> material of the original. �Might be worth checking out.
>
> Only speculating, dunno if they would work, I'll have to compare the
> boot to the assembly Airhead keeps in stock.
> --
> Jim Thompson
> 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
> 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
> 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
> 75 914 1.8 "Nancy"
> Full Timing Since March 1999
> oldvolkshome@gmail.com
> http://www.oldvolkshome.com
> ***********************************
> On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
>> are cracked. �Mechanic said replace them when tie rod ends are bad and need replaced.
>>
>> So, (1) how do I know when the tie rod ends are bad, and (2) won't cracked boots contribute to them going bad sooner? �Can I replace the boots only? �There seems to be no problem with steering or suspension. �I had the thing aligned last time I bought tires (20K miles ago), and the tech did not mention any difficulty with the alignment.
>>
>> I looked for tie rod end boots from a couple of vendors, but one had nothing relating to tie rods, and one had only a kit including the rest of the parts.