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Ihave a 72 Pantera, #2863, a pre L. I bought the car a number of years ago and have had one of those un-locateable noises. When the car was in a hard turn, right or left and one of the wheels hit a small pot hole or erregularity in the surface,like on the race track, I would hear a small/loud click. I just found that the right side of the steering rack had been damaged enough to let the knuckle move up and down in the end of the tube. Anyway it's time for a new rack.
I know that the steering wheel and some of the other parts are from a Capri. I've got a rack from a 72 Capri and while most of the dimensions are the same, the angle of the input shaft is canted to the left while the one on the car is pretty much perpendicular to the rack. The question is...........from where did De Tomaso get the steering rack? Earlier Capri? Other Ford product? Dave Adler? Gary Hall? Any ideas Mr DeRyke? Thanks for your help. Love those Panteras.
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What has likely failed is a plastic bushing that is on the right side of the rack. All you need to do is add (not replace) a bushing. It is not a tough job. For links
to all sorts of information on how to do the job, go to my ad for Steering Rack Spacers on this board. There you will find the link to Mike Drew's article on how to repair, among other info on the rack.
Chuck
Thanks Chuck. I solved the problem after I dismantled the rack and found that both the main shaft and the housing had a bend in them. Apparently damage that I didn't find before. Anyway, I straightened the shaft on the press and the housing by chucking it up in a lathe. Both are now straight and I made a new bushing out of oilite bronze. The steering is nice and smooth and no more noise.
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