Rack and pinion steering

KiWinUS said:
You probably need to ask that on the hamb would be my suggestion.
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This is probably not a good idea. The H.A.M.B. is dedicated to "Traditional" hot rods. As such, anything after 1965 is not allowed, and while there may have been vehicles with R&P steering then, their use on hot rods just didn't happen. Such things a EFI and Mustang front suspensions are frowned upon there as well. If you do post "off-topic" things there, the least that will happen is that the thread will abruptly disappear. There is a forum called "Hotrodders.com" that might be a good place to start.
 
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That question is probably not much different that asking about "cowl" steering and that has been beat to death here.
Rack and pinion steering can be made to work on a solid front axle like a 36 but it is a PITA
to install and looks Mickey Mouse.
If you just want easier steering, use a 37 or later. They have a roller sector.
 
I've had limited experience with a R & P on a straight axle car.. It was a Model A hot rod (later drivetrain). It was attached to the front axle (aftermarket round unit). It worked very good. I put a lot of miles on the car and never had a steering problem. Some of the miles were long distance and at highway speeds. To take care of the up and down motion of the front axle, I used the slider assembly off a Chevy collapsible column. The R & P unit was off a SAAB. This was back in the late 70's early 80's.



I think the fact that it was attached to the axle made it work very good. I didn't engineer it, a friend of mine did it up for me.
 
I put a 37-40 steering box in my 36 coupe. The hardest part was removing the bracket from the frame and installing a Drake steering box mounting bracket. Those rivets are a bear to get at. Some say you can re-drill the stock 36 bracket but I found that wasn't satisfactory for me.
Here's the step by step instructions. Only an expert can tell the difference by looking and the car actually steers much easier

http://www.goldengatev8.org/tips/SteeringGearSwap35-36/SteeringGearSwap.htm

I did have to relocate the notch in the actual inner steering column that allows the steering lock to work. No big deal though.
 
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Radial tires can also add to the steering effort at low speed. Especially if one has gone to a larger profile tire. Keep them well inflated.

Al H
 
Converting your car to IFS is probably the best thing you can do to inprove handling and ride quality. Thes systems are not cheep, but are available for the eary 34.48 fords, For long didtent trips they are a dream to drive, BUt!! Like Pete said a better steering box is much cheaper and works well. I have one in the roadster from a 77 Toyotaand the Ford pitman arms bolts on and the chevy rag joint fits the input shaft. another feacher is the inputshaft is to theleft of the out put shaft giving plenty of room from the header Many inprovements like this makes these old cars much safer to drive in todays trafic.
Gramps
 
I converted the entire front/rear suspension on my 37 pickup from stock to power rack-pinion, disk-drum using a TCI front clip and modified rear parallel left springs. I used a stock type of engine, an automatic trans and a late model rear axle with 3.24 gearing, a tilt column and a 12v electric system.
The body has been completely rebuilt as needed with nothing left to do except finish painting which will be a stock color from a vintage advertisement.Most people will think the pickup is stock.
I like vehicles that are safe and reliable, and are able to do the job they were intended to do, carry people and goods from point A to B.
 
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