71roadster

doin a favor for the man...sorry about the size








mrvette's home page... http://home.att.net/~ncmpics/mrvette.htm


[Modified by 71roadster, 7:22 PM 11/16/2001]

427V8

So now I'm trying to decide if I should pay the $1000 or do it myself ???

Hmm, Steeroids, $1000 bolt it on

(using my normal cost multipliers and labor rate )
Myself, >$1000 a couple weeks of work...

mrvette

Jim Shea and I exchanged emails on the two designs, he probably has not seen my pictures yet, as they just hit the wire, so to speak....but he and another engineer that did the saab/grand am rack design passed on that it's their belief the steeroids design puts maybe too much twisting loading on the travelor car in the slot, causing undue wear on the rack.....if you look at it, that comment makes sense, and is why I kept the tie rod ends and the CTO in line,
I had to reorient the tie rods up at 45* from the original install/machine work by cutting the steel and rewelding it so as to raise the tie rod ends for ground clearance...saving about 2" worth, beleive it or not....;-)))

Jim did comment that having unequal tie rod lengths will make for bad bump steer charactoristics....I"m sort of hoping the effect will be minimal as the length is so long....21.5 inches pass side...and 19.5 inches driver's side....
but IF there is a problem, the steel block will be extended on pass end to then shorten the tie rod.....oh well, live and learn....

you can see from the pix that I cut a semi-circle out of the backside of the engine mount, but it's thick enough, I think and won't miss the metal...
that was to get the rack input enough vertical so using only two stock type universal joints at mild angles.....I feel with the double collapsing linkage there, the steering wheel is safe....everything being off on an angle too, instead of head on, like the original box.....

notice on the pass side the extra welding on the one inch angle iron, to move the bracket inboard so it misses the rack plumbing....
notice the boxed one inch angle iron on the drivers' side, and in fact it's angled toward the rear of the car, and another piece of angle is welded on the outer side, moving the rack one inch to the driver's side....pulling the input shaft away from the headers....
I used 14 mm steel rod for the tie rod collar insert pieces, 9/16 ths would have been a more perfect fit.....

I can at some point take this all apart and publish a sketch of the brackets, I think the requirements of the center adaptor steel block are self evident...as will be your final tie rod lengths....

Like Jim and his friend, I like using GM style tie rod ends....proof is everyone uses that style.....
GENE

mrvette

71, Sorry, I forgot to thank you straight away for your help on posting those pix.....thanks muchly....

GENE

daily_driver

from the pics your setup looks significatnly higher also???

mrvette

Well the engine is out, so I can't say for sure, but from the pictures and just swag on by looks....I"d say so....now by the measure off the centerline of the engine mounts, there is plenty of clearance, but I may have to move the lines running on top of the rack, no sweat really....toward the rear, it's well forward of the pan drop.....I should have an inch of clearance to the top of the rack, from the pan....

I shall see in a few months, when I get the engine back....

GENE