I'm also sorry for reviving a dead thread. Tonight I went to do the inner tie rods on my girlfriend's Aveo and had the exact same issue on the passenger side.

The first few threads on the rack itself are pretty full of crud, so I am hoping that a tap will fix the problem.

My advice is to beware when you pull these inners out and they start to get hard to remove. This is what will happen.

How did your rack threads look? Since it has been awhile did they hold up, or would it be risky and should I consider replacing the rack itself?