Hi
everyone
I am new here!
Please help if you have any advice
I have a 1969 mustang coupe with a 302v8 power steering automatic c4 Trans project.
I’m dealing with a lot of bump steering and would love to change out my steering gearbox and components to a power rack and pinion system. I see a lot on the market.
Below is a link that discusses some of them from monthly magazine.
Ford Mustang Rack And Pinion - Mustang Steering - Mustang Monthly
Has anyone installed one before? What brand? And how did you like it compared to standard gearbox and valve components? Will I loose turn radius and how does that work?
I have original steering column and wheel with horn ring that I don’t want to loose.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks
JasonK
One option that was *not* covered in that article, and one which IMHO is a far better choice is the AJE conversion:
64-70 Mustang
Not only do you get a power rack kit (which uses a standard Fox-body rack), you also get a tubular K-member, which provides additional space (the motor mounts are welded to the K-member, instead of being attached to the shock tower), and the K-member allows you to convert to struts so you can cut back the shock towers to gain more space.
Addiitionally, you now have the ability to also add larger 13" Cobra brakes on the front, because the kit utilizes SN95 spindles.
The best part is you don't have to use the struts that come in their kit, which gets the price of the K-member/rack kit down to quite a reasonable level.
For example--I purchased the K-member, the tubular
lower control arms and the rack kit, and it cost me a total of $1315 shipped to my door!
I will be using a set of '94 struts with hubs I found in a salvage yard listed on car-parts.com for $90 shipped.
I have a set of take-off front struts I bought several years ago as part of a struts & springs package for $75
I'll be using a set of Fox-body Caster/
Camber plates that I'll be modifying similarly to what MightyMouse has done with his strut conversion (search for "Tacoma Struts" to find the thread), and those will cost me around $125
I'll also be using a set of coilovers for the struts which will cost me around $150
I found a set of new Cobra front calipers on E-Bay for $100 shipped
E-Bay also has a set of 13" Cobra rotors listed for $75 + shipping.
Grand total to convert to tubular K-member with power rack kit, SN95 spindles and struts, 13" Cobra front brakes and coilover
suspension: Less than $2000
Only a couple of minor drawbacks:
* They tell you that there is a six week timeframe before the kit will be received, because they custom build each one
* You will have to use a rear sump (Fox body) oil pan, and figure out a way to add a dipstick if you're not using a roller block.
Some additional benefits:
* You can specify motor mounts for
ANY engine (including blasphemous non-Ford engines, if you're so inclined)
* Because the attachment points for the K-member are what supports the engine, and not the shock towers, you have the potential to lower the center of gravity for the engine just a bit, and that could be beneficial for handling
* You can specify placement of the motor mounts, so if you want it futher forward or back or side-to-side, or even lower or higher, you can specify that
Compare all the benefits listed above for the price for everything to convert with the price of JUST the rack kit of any of the other vendors, and I think you'll be able to see how good a value this really is . . .