Anybody have any thoughts or experience with the steering rack rebuilds by PanteraParts. Looks like it is completed on an exchange basis. Thanks in advance for any input.
As on the topic, are all Dino racks the same? And is PanteraParts a good source? Or, which one is common with the Pantera, as my L need rebuilding. Regards, Alberto
The actual racks in my L Pantera and #2840 Dino are the same but they use different tie rod ends. So if you get a rack for a Pantera you will buying ends you can't use and will have to buy new ends. I had my Dino rack rebuilt thru Panteras by Wilkinson because he is local but he actually sends it to Chicago for the work. I believe there's a guy in the SF Bay area who is an expert at rebuilding these and if I had to do it over again I would have him do it. Jim
I believe the maker is Camgears or something similar, an English company. I would expect the Mini to have a shorter rack considering it is so much narrower, but I guess it is possible if the ends are just shorter
I would really like to see photos of the various racks for the various series, and establish once and for all, if there are differences/interchangeability. I have a NOS 308 rack that as usual was told it'd be a perfect fit, but it does not look like the L series in the metal housing length. Regards, Alberto
The left hand drive mini rack is visually the same for a right hand drive Dino. The track rod ends are longer and a mini rack is different gearing. I have considered buying a mini rack just for some of the parts as they are only £50 ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here you go Alberto. I disassembled my Dino 246 L series rack today for inspection and to replace the standard plastic bushing with a custom made bronze bushing This is a straight forward DIY job and no special tools are needed. Note that rack is dated week 28, 1969 so it is most likely the original steering rack. I hope Matthias will chime in with information regarding the color / surface appearance. As you can see mine is black painted, but I'm not sure this is original. The total length of the 246 L series rack is 112.2 cm and it very much looks like the rack in my 308 GTS QV except for a few minor details. The size of the custom bush is the same for the 246 as for the 308: OD = 30.80 mm, ID = 21.45 mm (Tolerance = +0.05 to +0.07 mm) L = 21 mm The pictures speaks more or less for them self. I can recommend this site If anyone feels temped to do the overhaul them self: Pantera Steering Rack Have a good weekend Peter Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I actually spent quite a bit of time investigating this. I purchased a speed rack and a repair kit(which I returned). I also looked into the Pantera route, I looked into buying an exchanged unit (which was not the same unit), I looked into trying to repair mine (the bearings were tough to find), I bought new control arms(they didnt fit), I looked for a used cam lock unit (I couldnt find one) ...finally I found a gentleman who repairs these. He is out of the West Coast and was very knowledgeable about them & sharp. PM me if you want his name & ctc info. I thought it would be an easy thing for me to fix & it wasnt. In fact my right side control arm wasn bent 13 degrees due to an accident from the PO- so I am very glad that I investigated.... good luck
Is it true that the Chicago guys who actually do the work use different tie rod ends? I was asking them about a rebuild service for a 512 BB and they mentioned the tie rod ends are aftermarket and more durable (but I guess not correct?) Can anybody comment? Thanks.
Most spares for the 246 / 308 rack are available from Dino parts (Rubber bellows, Track rods, track rod ends, Seal ring for pinion, bearings and lock nut for track rods) and some parts can be found at SF. The original type plastic bushing is available many places and the re-placement bushing can be sourced in US (Pantera parts and one currently on ebay) or it can be fabricated very easy. Use 250 - 300 ML type 00 grease for assembly. Best regards Peter
I finally finished the renovation of my 246 L series steering rack. Here is a short turtorial for information and future reference: 1. Dismantled the rack and got the track rods and flanges zinc treated. 2. Cleaned the housing and gave it a light glass blasting. 3. Gave housing a layer of epoxy paint followed by a layer of 2K black silk gloss lack. 4. Installed custom made bronze bushing. Drilled a 2.5 mm hole through existing hole in housing and penetrated bushing. Secured bushing with original screw. 5. Greased assemblies. Used approximately 0.25 L Multifac-00 grease. 6. Installed upper pinion bearing. 7. Installed rack and pinion, pinion spacers and pinion flange. (Ensure rack is completely straight, otherwise it can bind in the new bushing). 8. Installed plunger, plunger spring, plunger spacers and plunger flange. 9. Checked that pinion could rotate freely. 10. Installed pinion seal ring. 11. Installed track rods using new lock nut. 12. Filled rack ends with remaining grease. 13. Installed bellows. 14. Installed track rod ends. 15. Installed new steering rack mounting bushes and seal rubber rings. Some good news, Superformance now have almost all spare parts for the rack in stock! Best regards Peter Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Good write up/photos Peter. My L-series rack is exactly the same with same bolts, markings and fittings but date coded 13-70. It's worth mentioning here for future reference that the bearing in the middle of the steering column is an SKF 2204 E-2RS1TN9 Double Row Self-Aligning Bearing. These are commonly available however don't buy the one from dinoparts (as many have found in other threads .. it's completely wrong).
