Steering Rack Removal & Refurb

I initially changed out my worn plastic bushing with an original plastic bushing. One year later the new plastic bushing disintegrated completely. Since then I have only used bronze bushings in my racks. I consider the plastic bushing as being a weak spot in these racks.

Regards Peter

 

Peter,
seems, that you got a NOS bushing. Plastics are like fuel hoses or all things rubber. They deteriorate on the shelf.
Or the bushing was a bad repro part.
For the first thirty years, that bushing was no problem, but suddenly has gotten one. This means for me, it's simply age related.

Best Regards
Martin

 

You are most likely correct Martin. It seems like the plastic bushing could have been brittle from laying on the shelf for 40 odd years. By the way I made a small foto display of the overhaul of my 246 rack including installation of a bronze bushing that some here might find helpful (Roughly same rack as for 308):

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/206-246/430377-rebuild-steering-rack.html

Best regards Peter

 

Nice pics Peter. And I think, the only difference we find on these racks is the design of securing the tie rod nuts. Yours has the early design with the notches. Mine the later one with the pin.
If you don't mind, I could add some photos of mine to your thread.
And BTW: How did you remove the old plastic bushing with its sleeve from the rack? I found this a little bit tricky and required improvised special tools.
Maybe you had a smarter solution?

Best Regards

Martin

 

You are very welcome to add photos to the rack rebuild thread! I also have the more troublesome hollow pin securing solution on the 308. They can be a beast to drill out since they are hardened. I always end up milling them out using a small hand held Dremel machine. I removed the bushing sleeve using the extenders from multiple sets of 1/2" socket wrenches as I remember it.

Regards Peter

 

One way to remove the bushing is to take a washer or disc of the appropriate size and then make it an oval. You can then slip it in behind the bushing and from the other end of the rack drive it out. I did something like this but I cannot remember exactly what I used.

 

This is exactly, how I did it. For pushing it out from the other side of the rack, I used a threaded bar with a nut.
On my rack, there was not much left of the plastic bushing. The piece in the third pictures was the biggest.
The rest was black powder.

Best Regards
Martin
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Hi Andy,

if the rivets actually protrude too deep into the tube, you will have to drill them out. One cannot see that on the picture, because the inner tube diameter, where the rivets are, is bigger than the seat of the bushin. With luck, the bushing can pass the rivets.
But I think, those extensions were no bad idea from those folks who designed them.
These extensions mean, that the tie rod ball joints are running inside the tube and not outside like on the earlier design without extensions. This would prevent such an annoyance like I experienced, when some dumb-ass did my track alignment. While turning the tie rods, he twisted the gaiters so bad and didn't readjust them, so that the tie-rod ball joint pinched a hole into my new gaiters as soon as I did the first complete steering lock

Andy, may I ask about the VIN of your car, since in your profile I can read 80/81 and my car is also one of the very last carb GTB, but has a rack without extensions.

Best Regards
Martin

 

That's interesting. Much earlier VIN than mine (#34379), but with modified rack.I wonder, Why did they perform this modification only on the RHD-racks?
Are there more differences?
Andy, when the rack is in its center position. Are the tie rod ball joints inside the extensions?
Do they exit the extensions, when steering from lock to lock?
I still wonder about the purpose of these extensions.

BTW? I have not figured out yer, how to quote, to post a single post.

Best
Martin

 

Gentlemen thank you for posting all of this information. I have not yet had to do this project but it is great to see it being archived here for future DIY projects. Keep up the good work.

 

Andy,
don't be upset, because you removed the bushing and it looks, as if it were unnecessary.
Mine looked similar, when I once checked it. And one year later it disintegrated. You cannot look into the material.

Sorry, no cheaper source for the bushing, because I made mine myself.
Anyway I would look for someone who could make you one out of POM (Delrin), or bronze, if you would prefer metal.
I recommend this way, since one of our buddies here, reported, that his new bushing just lasted one year or so.
Either they are brittle NOS, or inferior quality repro parts.

Best Regards
Martin

 

Bronze bushing:
Suspension & Chassis 1045 Rack Bushing
Pantera Steering Rack Bushing

I got mine from the first site and have had no issue but it has only been two seasons.