mustargento

Also, i´m trying to convert to rack and pinion my 1970 mustang. as i told here in argentina all is try and error, so what do you think if i try to put a ford ranger rack and pinion system? is it going to work propely? any recomendation?
(keep in mind that i´m working with a race car mechanic to do so...)
specs: 302 4v v8 with 215 60 16 at front and 255 6015 at rear wheels.

thanks a lot.

Daze

The only OEM R&Ps that I have seen work really well in a Mustang are the center steer ones like on a GM J-car

because the original GM steering linkage mounts to the center of the rac the unit is short and will easily fit, and more importantly you can fabricate a bracket that bolts to the center section and then allows you to locate the the inner tie rod mounts in the correct location to recreate the correct original Ford steering geometry. I will be building a rac like this for my 62 Galaxie.

Daze

here is a picture of a unit designed by a friend of mine in Sweden. It worked so well he sold the rights to it to a company over there.

DanJ

Do it right the first time. Check out unisteer .com they have rack and pinions made for your application. I have one in my 69 Mach 1 and it works great. You'll need a hoist to make the job easier but the steering improvement is great. I see the racks are for sale on E-bay for about 800.00.

109jb

Try this:

http://web.archive.org/web/200401011...P/R&P.html

Daze

The Unisteer option is a good one, I have it in my 64.5 however it has its own issues and is not a perfect solution. I am happy with mine, but I know more people that have had trouble than those that have been happy.

That comment almost offends me... almost If you have the skills set, tools and want to build a unit the way I suggested, it will result in a r&P design that IS as good as any aftermarket unit. In fact that is how many of them such as Randles Rac and TCP designed theirs based on a GM J-car rac. Warning Monolog following

I think the aftermarket is a wonderful thing, but I also think it has stifled the DIY spirit. There was a time when if you wanted to install something "better" on your car you had to build from scratch or barrow from another make or model and then adapt it to your application. That is what hot rod building was all about and even car building in general as long as "original" was not the desired end product. In todays market one can spend as much $$$$$ as they have and order a whole new car. Frankly there is nothing wrong with that especially sense in many cases some of the "mods" that were made were not done correctly and were unsafe, but for people like me there is satisfaction in doing it my self. I love DIY that is why I am designing my own coil over set up for my car, that is why I built a megasquirt EFI computer for my car, that is why nI am retrofitting a Jaguar IRS unit in to my car. I can do it so why not.

109jb

Hey in that link I posted earlier, I forgot to mention that if the pictures don't show up you can right click them and save them to your computer. If you want you can PM me your e-mail address and I will send you some stuff.

John B

Daze

Is that your personal page or one you found?? cool stuff!! I am planning on using a similar concept on my 62 Galaxie.

109jb

It's a website that I found. Actually the link I gave is an archived copy of the site. The original site doesn't exist aymore. I guess that's why the pictures don't work real well.

I knew I wanted to convert to rack and pinion, but wasn't sure which rack to use. The site convinced me that the J-car was probably the best one to use. I had been contemplating the Taurus rack, but my investigation revealed that the taurus rack will limit the turn radius. It also shows that it isn't that tough as long as you have basic fabricating skills.

John B

Daze

so did you build one??? I decided to go GM j-car because the steering on my Galaxie is center steer from the factory so adapting it to my car will be a cake walk.