1997 QX4 inner tie rod/sway bar rubbing

[AndyQX4]

I replaced my ball joint over the weekend because I had some severe clunking noises. The clunking noises went away but now I am having some other issues. I noticed that the inner tie rod and the sway bar touch and my tie rod is even slightly bent. The sway bar had a slight notch and the tie rod even has a flat portion on the one side of it to sit right under that sway bar notch. I can't believe that this is so close. After I installed the new ball joint (the old one was pretty shot) it rubs even worse now. I made sure to have the flat part of the tie rod to face up and it still rubs. Has anyone run into this issue? On the other side of the car the sway bar and the tie rod are very close but not yet touching. I was thinking that maybe if I replaced the sway bar bushings that it would kick it up just enough to clear the tie rod but I still can't believe that it is that close. If anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You - Andy

[KoukiS14]

Easy fix: Drive the 01 M3. It's more fun anyway, right? Honestly though, just want to welcome you to NICO. I'm still a relative noob when it comes to repairs on my QX4, so I'll pass this to the experts.