quote:Originally posted by Bosswrench:
Observation: I've fixed a number of stock steering racks including a couple that were BENT from severe frontal impact. And while Cam Gears catches a lot of crap for their design, there are basically only 2.0 wear points. The first is the stock three-layer bushing, fixed by using bronze. The second is wear on the rack teeth due to lack of lube, often fixed by using the correct no-leak boots. Occasionally, the pinion seal leaks but that's a common auto parts store item.
Jack, there is a 3rd wear point you may have forgotten about: the "The elusive pinion ball bearing" When I was restoring Zonkey (around 2000) I disassembled the rack and found a considerable amount of water had got in and pitted the rack and pinion gears but also significantly damaged the pinion ball bearings which, although they were labeled SKF, were a custom bearing no longer in production. I was working at TRW (US) at the time and called Cam Gears (at the time a subsidiary of TRW) and talked to a very sympathetic guy who was unable to help in finding the bearing.
At the time I posted this: http://home.earthlink.net/~rlbpantera/rack/ Fortunately (then) Larry Stock (PPC) had some in stock and I was able to rebuild my rack. I have no idea what has happened since. As I said there it's possible an SAE bearing size might fit.