68dustin

pro's and cons? installtion problems?? what size of front tires u running? bump steering problems? im thinking about picking one up, but want some personal experiences. thanks

OCHOHILL

I have one. The install was easy except for the incorrect outer tie rods. It took them a couple of tries to get me the right ones. One thing to note. I hope Unisteer reads this. In the old system, the steering column is connected at the dash and at the solid mounted steering box. IN the new system, the column is connected at the dash and to a floating D shaft. If you have a clutch, you lose the bracing the column provided the dash. In essance, the dash moves somewhat when you push in the clutch.

001mustang

I installed unisteer in my 67 convertible.
The rack cradle is very strong 5/16" steel plate; this is important since it is a support member.
It looks stronger than other (more expensive) kit I was considering.
My kit came with 65-66 6 cyl and 8 cyl tie rod ends (I need 67-69).
Unisteer is sending me the 67-69 tie rod ends (have tracking number).
Unisteer cleared my Z-bar nicely.
Unisteer cleared my JBA 351W headers.
Unisteer cleared my full sized starter; watch out for starter band machine bolt.
U-joints and pinion rotates pretty smoothly.
You can clock phase unisteer u-joints unlike some others.
I fabricated a firewall to steering column support out of heavy sheet metal;
It looks like unisteer and TCP firewall supports are not designed for 67.
Must be sure U-joint is securely attached to pinion; I pre-crimped u joint a tad.

Remove the Ford long shaft steering box by disassembling box; no need to cut shaft or jack engine.

shelbymustangdan

What did you have before the installation? Manual steering? Sloppy manual steering? Power steering?

At some point I will be considering a rack and pinion. Right now, I have a very sloppy manual long shaft box. I want to go with a power rack.

Does your rack and pinion still "feel" like manual steering? Or is it somewhere between the old manual steering and power steering? Just curious how it steers now....

001mustang

My ford box has some pitting on one of the races; this prevents me from properly adjusting bearing preloads and removing play.

I am waiting on tie rod ends before I can test drive.
With any luck I will have the proper tie rod ends on Wednesday.

67mustang302

I replaced my factory box with a new manual Flaming River quick ratio box. Steers just like a modern manual rack car. Actually, it steers a bit better than a rack when going straight, the old type boxes are designed to be tight when on center, to assist with straight line stability in steering. Racks don't do that. Racks are easier to access and work on though, and have fewer parts.

mr_velocity

I'm going to do the steering on my 66 as well but not sure about manual. I've had 4 bangers with manual steering but never a car with a v8 and wide tires. How well does manual work in a parking lot with that combination?

67mustang302

It takes some effort, but I can turn my small steering wheel while stationary with my small arms.

001mustang

Finished install of unisteer manual rack pinion in 351W 67 mustang.

First test drive:
I am blown away how easy it is to maneuver in parking lot.
I would rank steering ease around 1/2 way between 65 mustang power steering and 67 351W manual box steering.
Manual rack does not volunteer to turn sitting still, but going ever so slowly, the manual rack is quite easy to turn.
I am surprised at the difference. Since unisteer is only 4.5 turns lock to lock I thought it would have reduced mechanical advantage than ford box.

I could not detect any dash or firewall flex when engaging clutch pedal.

cprstreetmachines

Awesome. good to hear. I love rack and pinions. Absolutely changes the way the car feels.