Ok, so the rack&pinions suck... What are we gonna do about it?

[TheWolf]

I had been looking at the Mustang II setup for awhile, not because I wanted extra clearance in the bay or r&p for that matter. I have a 6 cylinder and I want disc brakes, so I figure why not go ahead and go the extra step. I read through most of this thread and no one mentioned this: www.fatmanfab.com

Its a strut suspension, not MII http://www.fatmanfab.com/page20.htm

claims no bump steer, no cutting the frame like for a Mustang II, comes with a tilt colum. Seems like the biggest pitfall here is the price because you will also have to aquire 94-92 Mustang sturt, spindle, and brake assy. and a r&p unit from an 81-86 Escort/Tempo.

 

[RONM]

TCP FG

I went to a TCP rack for my 68 GT 500 and yes there is decreased turning radius and it is expensive.However those are the only negative things
about this bolt on conversion.Steering feel and response much improved,
no problem with bump steer and finally no leaks.

 

[1320stang]

I had been looking at the Mustang II setup for awhile, not because I wanted extra clearance in the bay or r&p for that matter. I have a 6 cylinder and I want disc brakes, so I figure why not go ahead and go the extra step. I read through most of this thread and no one mentioned this: www.fatmanfab.com

Its a strut suspension, not MII http://www.fatmanfab.com/page20.htm

claims no bump steer, no cutting the frame like for a Mustang II, comes with a tilt colum. Seems like the biggest pitfall here is the price because you will also have to aquire 94-92 Mustang sturt, spindle, and brake assy. and a r&p unit from an 81-86 Escort/Tempo.

I too initially liked the Fatman setup, but after what I saw what you got and for the price, it looked a little spindley. There's a place out of Australia (RRS) that makes a strut setup that comes complete with brakes and is supposed to be a bolt in setup. I just got an email that says they have some special pricing going on right now as well. They also make a R&P that can be used alone or with their struts. It looks sorta like Hakan's setup if memory serves.

 

[one2gamble]

the RRS kit looks nice but seems expensive. I guess its not but I dont think i need to be spending 25grand to finish a coupe

 

[63_Fairlane]

The Fatman setup just doesn't do it for me. They sell you a few scraps for BIG bucks, and they expect you to finish the kit with junkyard pieces out of two or three different cars.

It should, at the bare minimum, incorporate all of the pieces from a single donor car. At least then I could have a warm fuzzy about all of the parts playing well together.

The RRS stuff seems to be a complete kit at least, but the cost seems a bit high.

The TCP rack was the best on the market... but with new management and legal wrangling still in the works, I think it will be a while before those are available again.

Are there any other power steering boxes that could fit?

 

[GypsyR]

Err, apologies for completely overlooking the prior mention of the Sigma box before I posted. Sorry guys. And I can't believe nobody poked me with a stick for doing so.
Anyway, has anybody dealt with these guys?Maval
Judging by the order forms, if you knew what to ask for it would be possible to order a rack with no inherent bumpsteer or turning radius problems. The only thing I see not to like is that there is no mention of pricing.
Currently exactly what I will do about steering my own 67 is up in the air. I do keep finding my eye drawn to Hakan's work though. I have no plans to use a Benz box, it just caught my eye as a possibility for people who might be interested in a "comfy" steering car rather than that of a Pony car on steroids. (I've heard rumors there exist such people). Since my car is getting a 351W and a pair of turbos, I think my steering setup should be a bit less pedestrian than a steering box. I'm trying to keep an open mind though.

 

[fess40]

there ya go. Didn't want you to feel neglected.

 

[GypsyR]

Thanks, thought I might have wandered into the wrong forum for a minute. OOOoooHH yess, poke me, poke me, Oh yes--hey! I AM in the wrong forum! Forget you saw that.

 

[DarkBuddha]

Err, apologies for completely overlooking the prior mention of the Sigma box before I posted. Sorry guys. And I can't believe nobody poked me with a stick for doing so.
Anyway, has anybody dealt with these guys?Maval

I wasn't comin' down on ya, just sharing... but if it makes you feel better, take this: , and one of these: , and finally a .

BTW, I've never seen the Maval Gear place before. Looks promising, but if it really was, I would've thought someone (TCP, Mustangs Plus, NPD, etc.) would be selling Maval setups for our cars. Maybe it's just too pricey to make a profit on??? Might be an option though.

 

[one2gamble]

someone needs to give them a call or a spec sheet

 

[71vert-pga]

I talked to some guys at Maval last month about a Mustang conversion. The only rear-steer center takeoff rack they have is the j-car which is what SpeedDirect and Randall are using. Center takeoff looks like the only way to avoid the bumpsteer problems. Total travel on the j-car rack is 6 1/8 inches compared to the original 6 1/2 inches. Should be very little increase in turning radius.

 

[bnickel]

i don't think it would it would be too hard for any of us to build a j-car setup, but for the trouble to do it i think i will still probably end up going with a randall's rack. randall's setup is inexpensive enough that i would rather pay him for a well tought out setup that has already been proved to work well, there are at least 2 people on the VMF that are using it and love and haven't noticed an appreciable increase in turning radius or bumpsteer either. if there is an alternative power steering gear gearbox that might work i would intersted in seeing it and also help finding it, but so far i think randall's rack looks like the best setup so far.

 

[71vert-pga]

Maval continued...

We also discussed designing an end takeoff rack specifically for classic Mustangs. They said it would be physically impossible to produce a rack with 6 1/2 inches of travel with a length of 16 inches (or 16 1/2 for 71-73) from ball center to ball center. You just can't get the mechanism required for that much travel into a rack that short.

 

[wildstang]

I hate to but into a thread this long because I am to lazy and don't have the time to read each post but what about a steering box from a Granada? Are they any better designed? I don't have one to compare but maybe it would be a bolt in. What about a steering box from a race car, has anyone ever looked into this option. They must work good because that is what nascar uses.
Sorry if this is a redundant thought.

 

[Psydwaze]

The TCP rack was the best on the market... but with new management and legal wrangling still in the works, I think it will be a while before those are available again.

We started assembling and testing rack and pinions last week. I have to make a few minor changes to the installation instructions this morning and then we are ready to start sending them out the door. There are quite a few back orders from all the down time but we expect to have racks in regular stock for next day shipping in about 6-8 weeks.

Lino
TCP

 

[one2gamble]

psyd....price?

 

[Psydwaze]

psyd....price?

Manual $1,299
Power $2,000

Falcon Racks are $100 additional.

 

[68RCodeConv]

Here's what I did:

Here's what I did on my 67 GT350: I replaced the control valve and slave cylinder with BRAND NEW units (not NOS, not remanufactured) that several of the Mustang vendors are selling. I put on new hoses (Ford NOS for the valve-to-cylinder, aftermarket for pump-to-valve). I have a stock pump BUT it has the extra-large pulley that came on the HiPo-equipped Mustangs. It has the best feedback of any 67-70 Mustang I have every driven that has power steering. I attribute part of this to the low miles on the steering box (60K), part of it to the new components, and part of it to the lower pressure generated by the larger pulley. Another positive from using the new components is that they do not leak.

 

[bnickel]

great news guys, i found a place that is developing a power gear box fro the early stangs, yes!!!!!!!!!! they are still in development phase and are not sure how long it will take but they are working on it

here is their website:

http://www.conceptonepulleys.com/

and here is the email i sent them asking about it:

hi, i saw your power gear box setups and i was wondering if you guys have considered a similar setup for early fords, especially mustangs, cougars, falcons, fairlanes, torinos, etc.? i beleive ther is a good market for a power steering gearbox setup for these cars as there aren't a lot of options for us guys right now, other than the really expensive rack and pinion kits and the leaky and dead feeling add-on bendix style system which is far from ideal for these cars and there is no performance ratio options for the gearboxes either, we get 16:1 for the power sterring cars and some of the high performance manual systems like the boss and shelby cars and the manual boxes are 19:1. anyway, i was just wondering what you guys thoughts are on this and how hard it would be to do. thanks very much

Bryan


and here is their reply to that email:

Hi Bryan,

Yes, we are going to look into building a gear to fit those cars. I don't
know how long it will be, because if we are able to mount the gear we will have
to have pitman arms made. But we are looking into it.

Thank You
Kevin Redd
Concept One
1-877-PULLEYS
1-877-785-5397

 

[66P51GT]

So... these are hydraulic assisted steering boxes? Sounds interesting but I'd be worried about additional header clearance. We'll have to wait and see.