has anyone ever used a manual rack out of a stang, in their bird/cat? looking to weed out the non-necessities from the white car and power steering is 1 of them..
what i want to know is, how well did the car steer with it? and what year was it pulled from/listed for?
Geez another thread I need to follow. I can't believe my bird has a worse turning radius then my 94 Caprice Wagon.
Put a rack and pump in from a Sport or 5.0 Stang...it'll turn tighter than the big Chevy. I've also got a '94 Caprice...driving the Sport feels like I'm sitting in a laser guided missile...while the caprice feels like I'm sitting on my couch while it's floating in the air...very little feel of the road from it lol.
I have an ebay manual rack in mine. It can be a workout during multipoint parking maneuvers. Especially with sticky 9 inch wide tires. Its cake when the car is moving though. I dont think i would bother just for the weight savings or power loss. Perfomance was not noticeabley improved for such a sacrifice. At the time i did it my rack was failing and i wanted that spot for my supercharger.
reason i want to ditch it is the lousy 3hp i'll gain, the mere 7lbs i'll shave off and the fact that i don't have to replace all the stupid lines and pump (all shot).. right now, it's basically all manual, but i'm using the current rack elsewhere, so i want to throw a manual rack in.. those ebay racks are super sketchy.. some are phenomenal, some are garbage.. not willing to wager my money and go through the hassle lol
I agree, I don't like the over assisted power steering, it's worse than my Cadillac!
I've got zero complaints with the faster ratio rack in my Sport, it's not the original, but it's the same ratio as it was...it's from an '89 5.0 Mustang...rack looked really good, so I yanked it and paid for it.
It's almost too touchy compared to everything else, but I'm getting used to it. I'll sacrifice the few ponies to be able to park without using both hands lol.
Besides...if you can't find room to mount a blower..perhaps one should look at a hairdryer ;)
I totally agree and here is why. The fast rack is the CATS A$$. Good road feel and not to spongy just right. Also with the new steam roller tires out their today if you dont have power you are Finished. I could not imagine parking my car without power with the tires i have on it. And the weight and offset in HP is basically a non issue with or without power. Manual steering is OK for a 1320 car. But on a street driven car it is crazy. Also a manual rack puts a tun of stress on the steering sector. Bushings joints ETC. I would never have a car that is street driven without power assist. Just me could be wrong.
When i did the manual rack i also installed a solid steering shaft because of the extra abuse it would have to take. It gives you a more solid feel, but it also transfers more vibration than the the rag joint. I cant say i've had any problems with my ebay rack its been pretty solid for 6 or 7 years now. Steering effort is best with higher tire pressures up front. I keep 40 psi in my front tires.
I grew up driving trucks without power steering, so the thats no big deal for me. I want a manual rack, how often are you making low speed turns? Im starting to have issues with my rack and pump, the pump whines and leaks. The steering is jerky too. My car is retired from daily duties anyway so for me I think it would work well.
power steering is on my list of 'dislikes' in most cases.. if i'm building a nice cruiser (you know, like a 60's continental :D ) i'd definitely want it.. but for my TC, it's on the list of things to go.. like bruce said, how often do you make low speed turns? not to mention, a manual rack is geared differently, to mechanically assist in steering.. by no means is it the same, but it's a lot better than running a power rack/box with no pump.. my bronco didn't have power steering and that was rolling on 38x12.50's and it didn't bother me.. my old 93 shortbed F150 was rolling on 39.5x15's and it was only a b*tch when not moving.. i just want to eliminate it so i don't have to worry about the pump dying, the lines leaking, etc etc.. oh wait.. THEY'RE ALL SHOT ANYWAY lmao
The size of the steering wheel plays a huge role in how bad manual steering is.
My freind's mud bogger has 38X12.50s with a manual mustang rack, it steers fine with an 11" wheel. I would put a bigger wheel (like a 13") its a beast to turn in the mud. My 87 ranger had a manaul box with 235/60s and a 12 or 13" wheel, it was a little tough to steer but not bad enough that it bothered me. I just prefer manual steering, just my opinion. But like shadow said if it were a cruiser it would be different.
Manual racks out of the Mustangs are from 1979 thru 1986 and they use different tie-rod ends. Finding one in the salvage yards is about impossible as they were far and few between from the factory. You can get one through the parts dealers but they are somewhere around $200 plus core and they typically will not accept a power unit for the manual unit. I am just going off of what a lot of the guys on the Corral, Stangnet, and a few other Mustang sites have said. Flaming River sells them but its expensive.
Darren
thanks.. i have a flaming river rack in my capri.. you're right, NOT CHEAP.. i was lucky and got a 'scratch and dent' deal from my wholesale supplier and it still cost me 2 pretty pennies
as for using different tie rods, i'm sure i can figure something out.. OR do steel hiem ends like i'm using on the S10's stang rack
I have a 87 Bird that is a drag car with skinnies up front, I use the Flamming River manual rack and steering shaft from the 79-93 mustang with 94+ inner and outer tie rods and its works great. Im going to be swicthing to a bump steer kit this year.
I don't get why so many people complaing about manual setups. I drove my car for two years with a busted power steering line before they failed it on saftey. With stock sized front tires I could park one handed. I even drove all the time with a big gulp in the other. My last bird had a busted rack, with no fluid in it when I bought it. It wasn't vad at all, and that one had the higher ratio rack for some reason.
Lets see is anyone willing to trade me for some beta tapes for some 8 track's!!!!!
I would not for one second drive a car with manual steering. Unless it is a 1320 car. Even NASCAR runs power steering. If they didn't they would never be able to run the race. Once again with steam roller tires of today running manual steering would not be my choice!!! But then again i am Nuts!!!
(I don't get why so many people complaing about manual setups.)
Because they suck Plain and simple. As the matter of fact every car we build includes power steering. Even if the car came without it. But then again i am nuts!!!
to each his own and to hell with nascar lol 'THEY'RE MAKING ANOTHER LEFT TUUUUUURN'