Steering Rack Bump Steer Kit

I'd like a kit, are the stainless steel ones available ?

Dave

I'm currently OOS (Out Of Stock) of the Stainless Steel set. It turns out to be more expensive to make than I was selling them for, so I don't know if the supplier will have more, or at what price.
Since they go into an area that is not seen, stainless has little advantage over aluminum.
The aluminum (T6061) is more than strong enough for the task, much lighter than steel, and also won't corrode.
You may be able to make them yourself, if you do remember to use hardened (grade 8) bolts versus stainless bolts. Stainless is more brittle than grade 8. I supply grade 8, allen-head cap screws (that have the correct shank length (non-threaded part)) with these kits.
Contact me at Melton01@msn.com for availability and price.

Chuck

I'd like to order an aluminum kit. I've sent you a direct email, but it bounced back.
Contact me at detomaso007@hotmail.com or reply here.

Rich

Rich,
I sent you a direct reply yesterday. Let me know if you got it.
I'll have a couple more kits ready on Wednesday. I'll already got one order to fill, and I'm holding their check until I ship. I'm told another check is in the mail. I'll send you an update (and I'll post here) in a couple of days, when I know more.
BTW: Send me your year and last 4 digits of the VIN, to insure you don't already have this update. Thanks for your interest.
Chuck

Rich, Dave,
and others,

I've got another Rack Spacer Kit in hand now. If you want one, contact me.
Melton01@msn.com

Chuck

Rich,
I got your email reply, but my confirmation to you bounced back. I guess we can't count on email. After your check is in the mail,
send me a confirmation with the address you want me to ship to. I currently have the bolts you asked about also.
Before you order a spacer for the other car, I strongly suggest you check. I'm willing to bet that it already has one !
Chuck

Chuck,
I'll take the aluminum kit. I talked to a friend about strength, he said the stainless spacer is not required. Where do I send money ? I've sent a email to your address also. Thanks for the other info. I'll let you know about the bolts.

Dave

Rich,

I got your payment, your package will go out tomorrow, I'll send you a tracking number too.

Chuck

Dave,
I received your payment, and your package went out this morning. I'll have the other item you wanted Thursday, and it will go out Friday like I said earlier.
I sent your tracking # to your other address. If you didn't get it, get back to me.
Chuck

It just arrived. It will go on tonight !

Rich

Chuck,
I just wanted you to know that I installed your spacers. Drilling the cross piece was easy, and the job went much faster than expected. An alignment check showed very little change. (previous check was 3+ years old)
On the drive home, I did notice an improvement, so the spacer makes a difference. Thanks !

Rich L.

I've installed my spacers, it was easier than described.
Many Thanks !
D.

Update:
A large run of the Steering Rack Spacer Kits have been finished, and I've now filled all the back orders. If I have received your check, I've emailed you a UPS tracking # for your package.

If you have been waiting to order, I have completed kits in stock.
To see the kit: http://geocities.com/provamo72/Parts4Sale1.html
a LARGE image: http://www.espotmarket.com/pantera/Parts4Sale/RackSpacerKit.jpg

To see an old stock steel one, still stuck to the body of Asa Jay's car: http://www.espotmarket.com/pantera/SteeringRack/RackSpacerc.jpg

To read where it goes and why, installation instructions can be found on my website at: http://geocities.com/provamo72/SteeringRack_1.html
I can mail Mike Drew's article, if you need a copy, or it is also available online at: http://www.panteraplace.com/Page76.htm

Kits include the longer hardened Allen head bolts necessary, and washers.
The limited-time, introductory price is still $40, plus shipping.
The supply of these kits is limited, contact me for availability, before sending any money.
I don't know if I'll have any more made after this batch.

If you also want the Stainless Steel hinge bolt set(s);
Door Hinge (12), Hood Hinge (10), Rear Deck Hinge (6)
or the Stainless Steel A-Pillar bolts (12) see my website for images: http://geocities.com/provamo72/Parts4Sale1.html
I have only a few sets left.

Chuck

Please note that my email address has changed from Melton01@msn.com to
Melton01@earthlink.net

I've got only 4 Rack Spacer kits left in stock. If you have been waiting to order a kit, contact me ASAP, Melton01@earthlink.net
My stock of Stainless bolts is almost gone also.
Thanks for all the interest !
Chuck

I'm currently out-of-stock of the Rack Spacer Kits, but I should have 10-20 more next week.
Contact me at Melton01@earthlink.net

Chuck

Spacer Kits back in stock. Introductory price still only $40, but for a limited time.

chuck I am thankful for the info you have on your web site. If I were to make these spaceres what would be the size of the holes and space in between the holes and thickness of the plate. also how long are the bolts. thanks for all your help. If you want you can email me at dpoates@msn.com

Paul,

Asking Chuck to give this information away for free isn't fair. He's done all the hard work for you. The kit is well worth the cost and if you try make one yourself you will probably wish you just bought one of his.

just my $.02

quote:

---

Originally posted by PANTERA1731:
the only reason i ask chuck was because of his reply in his first message to dave d he sugest that he make one himself. It seems like chuck Is very busy keeping up with the orders that he has to do.If he does not want to give out the info that is up to him!!!!!

Asking Chuck to give this information away for free isn't fair. He's done all the hard work for you. The kit is well worth the cost and if you try make one yourself you will probably wish you just bought one of his.

just my $.02

---

[This message has been edited by paul oates (edited 01-15-2002).]

Paul, you are right, it is up to Chuck!

Chuck, don't do it!!!!!!!

Hey Pantera Seeker,

I think you are missing something here. Generally, it's just plain cheaper and easier to buy the part when someone like Chuck puts a package together. But it all comes down to how much time you have on your hands. For most Pantera owners, it will cost more to make this unless your time is worth about $1.00 an hour. But there are some guys with lots of time, and they enjoy making little parts, for them it makes more sense to try to get the specs, and make it.

Your argument works the other way too, you could just as well say to buy from a vendor instead of Chuck, to keep the vendors in business. For some people, with even more money and less time, that probably makes sense too.

There's no way I can make these things for $40, even if I was given the specs, so I really appreciate what Chuck is doing, and I hope we see more of this kind of effort.

I guess my preference is to let the information flow freely, but recognize that you are almost always better off to buy the part then to try to make it.

Ken Green

For those of you lucky enough to have the time to build this kit yourself, more power to you, I wish I did. I agree that repair tips and other information like that should flow freely because that is what's great about the Pantera community and forum's like this. But to ask "how do you make it so I won't have to buy it from you" is unfair. It should at least be followed with an offer to pay a little something to cover Chuck's time and effort.

And Paul, Chuck's reply to "Dave D" above only suggested what materials to use if one was ambitious enough to try it on their own and that he had the correct bolts for sale. Sorry if you were offended by my previous post, it's just that Chuck has helped a lot of people including myself and it's nice to see that he is selling the stuff he makes.

just my $.04 worth....

First I'll address the details. I don't have the specs written down, I let the machinist take the necessary measurements (more accurate that way.)
But, you are welcome to make your own.
But first insure you don't ALREADY have this update. Look under the mounts that attach the rack to the body. The spacer is around 10mm thick, so it is easy to spot.
To get the dimensions you need, just measure the rack mount itself. that will give you everything but thickness, and you can use ~10mm as an estimate for that.
The bolts need to be just 10mm longer, to accomodate the spacer. I strongly suggest you pick bolts where the thread is only as long as necessary, in other words a long plain shank. The right bolts are an odd size (thread length and shank length), and thus I had to order a bag of 100 to keep the cost per unit reasonable.
Don't use stainless bolts as they are more "brittle" at the grade 8 'hardness' rating. IF a bolt breaks off, getting to the captured nut welded to the body is nearly impossible, due to being in a nearly in-accessable location.
(I suggest using some thread goop like "Anti-sieze" brand compound.)
IF the worst happens while driving I'd rather have a BENT bolt, than a BROKEN bolt !

If you like to make your own....go for it.
Personally I don't care.

As to the general topic of "keeping" solutions secret, I understand the point others have made, but I think there is room in the limited parts universe for the occasional cheaper (or better) solution than true Factory parts. All vendors have substituted parts here and there where circumstances dictate.
Hey didn't DeTomaso use a FORD engine instead of his own motors...like the other exotics ?
Anyway....it is about driving our cars.
Chuck Melton

A true gentleman.

Chuck I thank you for your kindness and I dont want to cause any trouble. but i am new to this club and thought that you were very busy and could not keep up with your orders and possibly losing money on your parts when you consider all your time. you are a great help to all of us. I am just not sure of what I should do when it comes to upgrades or why I should do them, so I look to people like you. I have not driven a pantera yet but I am trying to redo mine and have been going in several directions at once. sorry If I offend you. I hope to meet you guys sometime in the future. thanks a lot for your help.

There is an excellant article on bump steer in the April 1998 POCA newsletter. It includes dimensions of said shim. From my experience with Panteras it seems there are many upgrades and modifications that are touted. Some are good, some not. My car does have a bump steer problem but my steering rack is off the car being rebuilt now and I will not know whether shims will help the problem until I can measure the elevation relationship of the rack end joint to the tie rod joint. If shimming the rack will help the bump steer, my car must have had really bad bump steer when the spring spacers were installed when the car was new. Just my $.03 worth! By the way, if your not a member of POCA perhaps you should join.

Marlin (and others),
There are (at least) two issues here.
First, yes I agree it is tacky to add an unsupported disparaging comment about a product and then pitch your own.
I site as an example: "YEH ALUMINUM IS FINE IF YOU LOVE CORROSION. AND YES IT WILL WORK, BUT MY WORK IS A PIECE OF ART THAT WILL LAST 1000 YEARS. "

Having said that, I think you should make your parts. Just as I felt there
was a need for an alternative, and I created a package, if you think there is a need for your product, make it.
I suggest the April 1998 article recently mentioned above, for starting dimensions.

Two, Although I sometimes miss the intended meaning, in e-mail or posts, I do sense you feel 'hurt'.
You have just bought your Pantera, and you attended your first meeting (I met you there).
You are an excited and motivated new member to the Pantera community. This group may not be something you have experienced before; the camaraderie, spirit, and the
willingness to help each other is truly amazing. The examples are numerous. I'll buy you a "welcome" beer(s) in the Vegas
hospitality suite and tell you a few stories.
You should not feel it necessary to remove your comments, or posts. I do suggest, since this topic has become WAY off target, that you start a new one.
One suggestion, I put a bunch of links in
my early posts, and some have changed
(http://www.geocities.com/pantera_tech/SteeringRack_1)
and I've taken hate mail because of it, well not really hate .
Anyway, create some links to your product, then KEEP them up to date !

Chuck

Jack DeRyke has generously allowed me to convert his very excellent April 1998 POCA News Letter article on checking and adjusting Pantera bump steer to web format and post it on the Pantera Place in the tech section. Thanks very much Jack and I hope I caught all of text errors caused by the OCR software!

Mike http://www.PanteraPlace.com

Note: Printed original copies of the news letter might still be available through the POCA club store at http://www.panteraclub.com/ Please support the club store if copies are available. It�s always best to have the originals!