tie rod end... crossthreaded? stripped?

[75Chevy90Kawi]

in the middle of my drop (ok, ok, the very beginning) i was trying to get the tie rod ends out of my spindle. before realizing (which i now do) that i REALLY need air to do it all easily and right, i tried to use some wood and a big ol hammer to get the end out of the spindle. since i dont have air the other day i put my dust cover back on, and tried to get the castle nut back on the tie rod end and it seemed like it was either crossthreading or stripped. if it's not bad would i be better off buying a die to try and clean the threads, or what all would i have to replace if they were really messed up?

btw, i'm trying to get the front wheels back on so i can drive it to my friends house and use his air.