OK finally got back out to see what's going on. It looks like I ran the nut to the end of the threads. I figured that due to where the cotter pin hole was in relation to where the nut was. Both the tie rod and lower ball joint are new. Is it ok to put a small spacer on the nut side to tighten it to spec? I hate doing this. I guess I could try a different tie rod end. Ideas? Thanks