Rack and Pinion

did you see this thread?

http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/...971061656#3971061656

I think I will do this one over the winter

Thanks for the advice !

It seems to me, the rack 351 Killveland mentions, has a different part number than the one tajon is talking about (80-70009 R vs. 80-70007 AN).

I have just finished running the Silver State Classic Challenge using the following steering rack:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-...em43ab80dd1e&vxp=mtr

Asa J. Laughton also used the same rack with satisfactory results. We both opened up the locating slot to match the Pantera mounting blocks.

Worked perfectly at 160+ mph.


Mark
5481

I just now put the Ferrari Dino steering rack from eBay into my car and wow, what a difference. This is the best $120 I have spent in a long time. After widening the groove for the clamp, it bolted in like it was made for my 1971 Pantera. I had made a genuine effort to rebuild my original rack but it still felt somewhat sloppy after all that effort. Now the steering feels like I was hoping for all along.

quote:

Originally posted by SteveBuchanan:... best $120 I have spent...

Good to hear that as I have one of those racks waiting for a car to put it on

WOW!!!...With Ferrari Dinos selling in the $400,000.00 plus range, very SURPRISED a "Ferrari" steering rack can be purchased for $120.00.

Was it a "genuine" Ferrari part?!

No, it is definitely not a genuine Ferrari part and is probably not appropriate for a $400,000 car. But it does seem to be of good quality.

quote:

Originally posted by SteveBuchanan:
No, it is definitely not a genuine Ferrari part and is probably not appropriate for a $400,000 car. But it does seem to be of good quality.

As an owner of a 1991 Ferrari Testarossa I can with Great Experience tell you how MUCH the parts are when they come in the yellow Ferrari box with the black horsey ( cavallino rampante)

LOTS of interchange/crossover parts for various Ferraris...as an example ...the Fuel injectors on my Testarossa are also the SAME as on a Volkswagen Rabbit!!!...

I believe you can imagine how MUCH MORE that exact SAME fuel injector is when coming in the yellow box with the cavallino rampante!!!

quote:

Good to hear that as I have one of those racks waiting for a car to put it on

Me too so good to hear!

I just grabbed one for the shelf...

Just ordered one based on the information above. One question and excuse the ignorance but Steve you said " I opened up the locating slot to match the Pantera mounting blocks". is this something difficult or does it just slide? I was hoping this would just be a drop and play exercise. Thanks for the advise and this seems to be a great recommendation.

I thought I had a drawing with dimensions for making this rack fit.
From what I remember the width between the locating bosses (circled in red) is narrower on the replacement.
Others stated they widen the slot so the orignial strap #33 would fit. I was thinking making a new replacement strap.
I can't recall if the diameters were same, just something I'll mesaure when installing.

The locating slot is approx. 0.060" narrower than the mounting blocks. The diameter is the same as the Pantera rack. You could open the slot by filing, using a large lathe, or use a milling machine. The material is aluminum.

Mark

There are many folks on this website that are capable machinists and thus I should probably not admit this. I was able to widen the slot with a file. I carefully clamped the rack in a vise and with gravity in my favor went around the ridge in question and eventually got the clamp to fit nicely.

That's what I did, used a flat coarse file/rasp. Took maybe 2 couple of minutes.

Price has been reduced, if anybody has interest...Mark

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290640157982

quote:

Originally posted by JFB #05177:
I thought I had a drawing with dimensions for making this rack fit.
From what I remember the width between the locating bosses (circled in red) is narrower on the replacement.
Others stated they widen the slot so the orignial strap #33 would fit. I was thinking making a new replacement strap.
I can't recall if the diameters were same, just something I'll mesaure when installing.

I worked on a problem on a car with play on the front caused by the whole rack moving. It was a new rack and the factory bracket on the early pushbutton car was narrower than the saddle. I had a spare set of the later brackets which are wider but tapered towards the center so I used those. The tapered bracket slid right on the saddle and locked in when bolted to the frame so there is no movement. I did have to use longer bolts though.

A 'capable' machinest could fabricate 2 pairs of split-clamps from 6061-aluminum in a few hours, and while doing this, incorporate the 5/16" thick shims that partially corrects bump-steer in most Panteras. When done, the pair of aluminum clamps will be 4 lbs lighter and look nicer, according to my notes from 2003 when I did this. If the replacement rack was cut too small in OD, that's also easily correctible when you make new clamps. This eliminates all the fussy bits you added, that you need to manipulate when R & R-ing the rack in the future.