[19trax95]

Well assuming nothing else is amiss besides the tie rods, to do a quick and dirty alignment, drive straight ahead with the wheel straight, then measure the distance apart on the front side of the wheels, and the back side. Adjust both equally as needed to get the measurements the same.

That will put you at zero toe. It may not drive perfect, but you won't be scrubbing your tires real bad.

Or you could measure your old toe rods if you still have them in one piece, and make the new ones the same length. This doesn't always work though since not all tie rods are dimensionally the same.

 

[19trax95]

Counting threads only really works if it's the exact replacement.

Often times different manufacturers have different lengths that are actually threaded.

 

[19trax95]

The harbor freight ball joint press kit is actually pretty decent.

I bought one several years back fully expecting it to be junk and last maybe until I was done with the one job, but it still works fine and I hammer on it with an impact all the time at work.

The cups are kind of a pain since they aren't retained like the higher end presses, but for the price it works great.