Spindles to help with R&P, rack and pinion reduced turning radius? CSRP/Granada?

[70vert]

Hey all,
(using both r&p and rack and pinion for easy search) I know this has been discussed before in threads, but I'm not sure if Degins' granada-based swap helps the rack and pinion issue, or if there are other disc brake conversions that have a spindle that has a shorter tie rod hold or a shorter spindle in general. The idea being that with the reduced r&p travel, if you "choke up" on the spindle, it will move farther when the rack moves. Just wondering if this feature is in any spindle, regardless of the other details of the swap. I may soon embark on a coupe-based daily driver and want to get the best possible steering radius if I go r&p. Or may just go borgeson to try out those kits.
So what's the current state of the aftermarket spindle market vis-a-vis rack and pinion steering?

Thanks,
70vert

 

[69gmachine]

I'm not quite ready to peddle my wares, but I designed a bolt on rear steer arm for the new Wilwood drop spindle. I've been test driving it for about a month now. The turn radius is excellent. I've made U-turns on a busy street and actually turned inside the car in front of me (lots of people make u-turns at that particular intersection). I can get into parking spaces in crowded parking lots with no problem. I have about 700 miles on the new suspension/steering. I plan to put it on the track in early June and really put it through it's paces.

I already had my own design upper and lower control arms, but the drop spindles and short arms changed the geometry quite a bit. I had to re-design the centerlink, centerlink adapter, the two brackets that mount the rack in the chassis and the anti-sway bar attaching hardware.

I don't have the funds to go into production right now, and I have two slightly different designs I want to evaluate before I pull the trigger. One has the geometry optimized but is danger close on being able to fit inside a 17x9" wheel. The other design clears the 9" wheel easily but I had to compromise the bump steer geometry to do it. At the moment I'm testing the optimized geometry with a 17x8" wheel. When I switch them out (perhaps around labor day weekend) I will also install 17x9" wheels up front. I've already installed custom outer shock towers that will clear the P275 tires on the 9" rims.

If you are interested in evaluating prototype parts and have the money and patience to have a few custom pieces made, pm me and I will tell you what it would take.

 

[70vert]

I think you're on to a few things with that design . . .

both saleswise and designwise. It solves a problem a lot of us rack and pinion upgraders face - the reduced turning radius - so there is a market out there. If it is a drop spindle, that should be an improvement over the arc the original Mustang front suspension travels through, not that it is bad to begin with, (better than an MII from what I have read) but why not improve it while you're at it. Everything you're saying jives with what I have read on serious tech sites like corner-carvers.com. I'm not a customer right now, but I could be down the road. I need to get my car on the road for the summer, and am researching this as a side project that hopefully won't cost too much or take too long, so I'm short on money and patience for it. It sounds like a good plan, though, and you could :Track: - it would sell to the Pro Touring set as well.

(may have found a solution, though - see next post)

 

[70vert]

May have found a solution in the Pro-Motorsports' bump steer kit.

Talked to the local Mustang shop and Chuck there (you'll know him if you're a Norcal guy) mentioned this. At first I was pretty skeptical of a bolt-on solution, but when you see how it bolts on, it seems like it shouldn't be a problem. It's the Pro-Motorsports bump steer correction kit. I've seen this before, but hadn't made the connection to a reduced turning radius since it is marketed as a bump steer kit. This could be the ticket, especially because I have mild bump steer even with spacers setting the tie rod attachment point lower.

How To Correct Bumpsteer on Modified Vintage Mustangs - Mustang Monthly

Mustang Parts from Mustangs Plus :: Steering :: Bump Steer Corrector Kits :: 1970-73 Bump Steer Corrector Kit

 

[66Runt]

I was under the impression that the stock '70 spindle had a shorter arm, and therefore did not see a reduction in turning radius (in comparison to the '65-'66). Might be worth checking on.

Also, on the P.M. bump steer kit, It lowers the tie rod a set distance. This may or may not be the "correct" distance. This is why standard heim joint kits come with different thickness spacer sets.
I did the measurements with the P.M. kit on a '66 with Randalls rack a few years back, and the car would have had to been lowered 2 full inches, to get the least amount of bump steer. That's too low to maintain good street handling characteristics.
YMMV,