i know this is possible but i need some help. im trying to install a rack and pinion setup into my 1984 regal with a chevy 355. im thinking about useing a rack out of a 4th gen f body since they are a similar width and the f bodys have many simularitys with g bodys as far as interchange and locations of parts. im just starting this and the biggest part that in having trouble with is how to actually mount the rack. where on the frame? what kind of bracket? heres a better question, does anybody out there have a pre-fab kit? i have a good mig welder so welding is no issue but i would rather bolt to the frame cause i plan on building up a new frame to have powder coated and built to be perfect. any help here would be great. thanks, joshua
Joshua, I plan on running a rack as well. So I've been Searching for info on the subject and ran across this thread off of Maliburacing.com website. to answer your question. trzmotorsports.com. is the one that is trying to make this rack setup just a weld in mod for the g body cars. He estimates it to be around 650 bucks. I think the pics give the general idea of where you to weld the mounts. He also adds that it knocks off about 28 pounds off the manual steering. setups most are running now. Right where you want it to be. Here's the thread. http://www.maliburacing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32807
Correction on the weight statement he said that was off the stock set up. Here's another way you might to skin the same cat. http://www.maliburacing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28698&highlight=weight+reduction
hey guys thanks so much for the help! it gives me hope! i still have alot of questions. the kit they were talking about was thought to be in the 650 dollar range. i am gonna try to fab my own since i can get a rack for well under 200 bucks and im willing to try to do it on my own. my biggest question still is how far foward or back from where the tie rod meets the spindles should i mount the rack? the pictures from the do it your self guys showed it in several spots, one which was really pushed foward and one looked like it was centered on that line. i was reading on a street rodders page and they said to go 1 inch back to correct wrong angles when you are turning, which would be as bad as the factory setup, so im confused on that. is it gonna hurt the strength of my frame to cut holes in it the run the shaft through? the shaft looks like the easy part which is a releif! im getting closer! im excited to try this! im so glad to see other people out there doing g body cars, im from omaha and more and more of them dissapear every day and the ones we do have are mostly piles of ****. we do have some nice lowrider style ones, which i can appreciate, but none of them are too highly done up. thanks for the help guys, anyone else with info please leave it. thanks, joshua
Regalman, You might look in the salvage yard in the 80 model chevetts or ford pinto with the manual racks. I was looky enough to find a brand new 240 volvo manual one with the shafts for 40 bucks at a swap meet still in the water soaked box it came in. I told the guy what I was trying to do he laughed and said good luck.
not sure yet but i think i wanna keep power steering. i already have billet brackets and pulleys and all that. what do you guys think? i have never driven a car without power steering, i guess im not teribly opposed to it, maybe ill like it better?? any ideas about the bump stops? live with what i get to fit? kinda hard to figure that part out with out a lot of trial and error huh? keep up with input! i have some good ideas, i will keep everyone posted on the "budget g body rack and pinion" thanks guys
well i found the rack out of the 50 chevy that we didnt use and also studied the set up on there at it seems like it would take very little to make this one work. unfortanatly i spent the better half of the weekend working on the eldorado and my buddys eclipse so i had very little time to work on it. next think to tackle is ideas on linkage and running it past the headers and through the frame rail. :beer
If you get this to work, please post pics for everyone. I bet there are a lot of people that would be interested in this. It does seem like it would take another 10 lbs. off of those with manual steering like I now have on my Regal. Man, it sure is easy to do stuff like this with the engine/trans out!
i thought about doing this with the engine and tranny out but the problem with that is that when you go to make your steering shaft line up with your headers, you have no may to see where the headers will hit it. i have a bigger problem, i have painted headers right now and im gonna switch them to ceramic coated in the near future and they are totally different so its gonna change everything. plus i have to change my exhaust to make the new ones work so i dont want to do them untill later on, so i guess pray that the new ones clear later on. just so every one knows, TRZ is gonna be producing a rack kit for a g body for 650 dollars and thats a complete WELD in kit and includes a narrowed rack and the brackets and steering shaft. still too steep for me when i can go out and get a brand new rack for cheap and use some existing metal scraps i have laying around and order the steering knuckels for the shaft for half of that cost, who cares if i spend more time on it, thats what u do when you build a car! plus when everybody looks under your hood and sees a rack and pinion instead of the expected steering box, that you fabed and installed, they are gonna be very impressed!
