Manual Rack Swap?

[ricer-roni]

Well i am tired of the sloppy feel of the stock power steering, and was wondering if a manual steering rack would be worth it on a daily driver. I hardly ever get to the track, but use my car to get everywhere. If i would get a manual rack i would get the 15:1 quick ratio, which is the 3.3 turns lock to lock. I know its going to be a little more effort steering it, but will it make it more percise without the stock slop.

Or does anyone know of a power steering rack for a 87-93 mustang that isn't as sloppy and has a tighter turning radius??

 

[HISSIN50]

are you sure your rag joint(s) and tie rods are in good shape? the stock steering can be vague (too much assist, IMHO) but it should NOT be sloppy.

one can convert an early fox rack with some adapters or use an aftermarket unit (i.e. FR).

good luck.

 

[jadedinpa]

i agree with hissin.

i had a manual rack on my old capri and regreted it on the street. i could tell when the tire pressure was a little low on one of the tires in the front.... the steering was unbearable!

 

[HISSIN50]

i agree with hissin.

i had a manual rack on my old capri and regreted it on the street. i could tell when the tire pressure was a little low on one of the tires in the front.... the steering was unbearable!

but you eventually figured out why people were calling you Popeye.

 

[ImportEater98]

i decided to go manual rack in my project because it will shed weight off the front. It won't be any different driving than my 92 VW with no power steering

 

[HISSIN50]

i decided to go manual rack in my project because it will shed weight off the front. It won't be any different driving than my 92 VW with no power steering

ive had a few non PS cars. the difference i see in your example is that i bet the VeeWie has a bit less weight up front. it makes a difference. (i say this to elicit your thoughts). good luck with it.

 

[hllon4whls]

You have several options. You could and probably should upgrade your steering shaft system and replace your rag joint with some mil spec u joints for steering.

If that is not the problem, or does not do it for you, you can rig up a bypass to allow you to tune your power assist. This is a simple valve that mounts between the pump side and the return side of the system. Then you can adjust how much fluid goes to the rack and how much just returns to the pump.

The best way to do the return is highpressure to return side of the cooler to make sure that the fluid does not get too warm.

 

[jadedinpa]

but you eventually figured out why people were calling you Popeye.

i don't eats me spinach

 

[90mustangGT]

The powersteering system itself is not the problem. The rack could be worn out, along with other things, but first I would look other places first. First I would get the front up on at least jack stands and wiggle the wheels around to check for play. Loose berrings or worn out tie rods should be first to be considered. The stock rag joint steering shaft can have play in it if it's worn out. Don't forget the rack bushings, if they were worn out that would easily explain it.

 

[93-2.3]

if you do decide to go with a manual rack it s a simple install i put one in my 83 in about an hour on my back. the car isnt running so i cant tell you if it has slop yet. i also eplaced the steering shaft with one that has u joints and i replaced my tie rod ends.... the steering feels tighter in my garage i think my tie rod ends were just bad lol. but what i do have is a pinto with a 351 windsor in it that has a manual rack i love it not to hard to steer except at a dead stop but still easy enough unless your a wimp. also i got my rack from wild rides it was a unisteer kit and same with the steering shaft the plus to the kit is you do not need to set up the u joints on the steering shaft unlike flaming river, which makes install a breeze

 

[Michael Yount]

Two big factors on steering effort with a manual rack are 1) the footprint your front tire puts down -- a 245 tire is gonna be harder to turn at low speed than a 205 tire will be, and 2) the diameter of your steering wheel. The larger the steering wheel diameter, the more leverage you have. One of the reasons all the old cars up through the 50's had HUGE steering wheels.

 

[ricer-roni]

The plus's of a manual rack do overweight the negitives of it, but it would be nice to have power steering being its an everyday driver. I am almost positive i am going with a manual rack, but does anyone know of a company that makes a better power rack? My turn radius sucks on my car, and one of these days those "assisted" turns are going to get me and trouble.

 

[90mustangGT]

I used to drive around with my P/S pump bypassed. Wasn't that bad. I am deleting the P/S system. I took the lines off and drained all the fluid, it is much easier to turn the wheel when you don't have to push the fluid through the system. I will eventually run a Flaming River setup, but for a while, it's just going to be a hacked P/S system.

With the P/S bypassed, I did notice a difference, but that was a while ago.

 

[HISSIN50]

but does anyone know of a company that makes a better power rack? My turn radius sucks on my car, and one of these days those "assisted" turns are going to get me and trouble.

ok im confused. with power steering, the turn radius sucks, and putting in a manual rack is going to make this better???????????????????

there are several companies that make new racks - dont know enough about them to make any recommendations (not on my own experiences, but word of mouth).

i like the idea of using the QR rack and Hllon's idea with the bypass set up ( idea).

i will add (since i dont understand your last sentence) that one's steering method should not change much from a manual to power steering set up. i might reference some techniques used in autoX, etc if you are interested in brushing up on your steering technique.

good luck.

 

[crazypete]

Dude, for a street driven car this would be a major mistake. You will FEEL every bump on the road and the shock will go up into your arms. For laughs, before you do this, do the following:

1. Disconnect the fitting on the front-mid of the power rack and go turn to turn until you have no PS fluid at all in the system. It will start to suck here.

Reconnect the fitting unless you wanna leave a trail of oil around your block.

Go for a drive. See how much it sucks in all kinds of different ways. You will need to HANG onto the wheel as each bump will try to twist the steering wheel in your hand. You'll feel every bump and ridge in the road. You arms will be sore after 30 minutes of driving around like this. Then go for that 90 degree turn onto a side street. Wow, didnt that suck? You need to groan to straighten it out before you hit the telephone pole on the side of the road.

Dont do it unless this is a dedicated drag car.

Now imagine that the flaming river manual rack only sucks 60% as much and you will hands down hug your ps pump and be so happy that you still have it

BTW, the ps system doesnt weight much, the leaks can all be plugged and the sloppiness corrected by some polyurethane bushings/new bearings and tie rods (which you should fix either way). Keep the ps dude. It's more than power assist, it's also a shock apbsorber between the road and you.

I went through this a year back

 

[Michael Yount]

I hope everyone here realizes that a manual rack is quite different from a PS rack with the belt off and the fluid removed. If you're trying to lose the pump, put a manual rack in it; don't use the power rack unpowered. It was never designed to operate that way. And taking any kind of risk with the steering system is right up there with taking a risk on brakes. The good news for the rest of us is taking those kind of risks is likely to take you out of the gene pool.

 

[crazypete]

Isnt the 79 manual 4 banger rack the same thing with a few more teeth to make it easier to turn (and tougher internals) ? Isnt the quick ratio roughly the same gearing as the power rack (15:1?). How much easier is it to turn? Cant be that much easier unless you have a big captains wheel from a ship or something like that and then you would still feel all the bumps in the road.

My friend had a 90's metro without PS and his face turned colors taking 90 degree turns and he would be across the yellow line and make wide turns like a truck. This was a metro!

 

[Michael Yount]

Pete - you must be young; I grew up driving a 55 Chevy with manual steering. Yeah, you have to crank the wheel, but as with anything else, you get used to it after a bit. My SCCA racer Toyota Corolla also had manual steering -- much preferred on the track because of the better road feel. That's the biggest advantage I've seen -- most power systems mask road feel. One of the nice things about most of the European manufacturers is that they've found a way to maintain feel at speed while providing assist at low speeds.

My understanding was that the power rack had a 19:1 ratio; Flaming River offers a quicker ratio 15:1 ratio -- but I could be all wet on that.

 

[04sleeper]

I have had a manual rack on my car now for 3 1/2 years and it has worked just fine. It is harder than power steering but MUCH MUCH easier than P/S bypassed with a short belt. It is a factory rebuild for a 79-81 Mustang.

 

[ImportEater98]

ive had a few non PS cars. the difference i see in your example is that i bet the VeeWie has a bit less weight up front. it makes a difference. (i say this to elicit your thoughts). good luck with it.

LOL...Yeah the mighty 1.8 doesn't pack much of punch in the weight department, thats for sure. Its really not all that bad. I think the worst steering set up is a power steering rack with a bad pump....its sloppy AND hard to turn!