Rack and pinion?

[mistaake]

Hey all, so the other big complaint I've had with my older vehicles is steering slop. I've owned two vehicles with rack and pinion and the rest with traditional gearboxes. In literally every gearbox vehicle I've had to repalce the gearbox, and in the case of my Crown Vic the one I labored over to put that sucker in is defective and I do have the job again and I don't like that idea. I had a similar situation in a 95 Burb where the new gearbox was almost as bad as the old one... I opted to just ignore it and sell the vehicle but anyway, it's clear to me that gearboxes suck.

I'm wondering if there is a cheaper way to get rack and pinion steering on a square body than one of these kits?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fla-fr318ktpl/

A rebuilt rack and pinion unit for an early 2000s Silverado 2wd costs a couple hundred bucks. Obviously a bracket to hold it to the frame would need to be fabricated, but I can't imagine that costing like a thousand bucks...

Any ideas on this topic?

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

I would advise you to work with the Saginaw box. I've seen those things worn out really bad, and they're just awful, but they can be worn just kinda bad, too. What I do is get a buddy to turn the steering wheel, and I see if the output correlates with the steering input. The gear at the bottom should move as soon as you turn the wheel. There's an adjuster on top of the Saginaw case, and that'll help a little if it's starting to get sloppy, but a NAPA reman is a good investment if there are problems. Slop in the pitman arm and idler arm can really kill you, too, and tie rod ends can go just the same so I'd look for any of that. The rag jointed intermediate steering shaft sucks. Plain and simple. A Jeep XJ shaft is the way to go on a '77 or later GM vehicle that uses the Saginaw system. It uses universal joints on both ends, which really makes a difference. You can have slop in the steering column, and there's a thread on disassembly and reassembly to get that out, but I'd work with the other stuff first to see if you like it better. You'd be in it $150-$200 dollars with a new Saginaw box and new Jeep steering shaft. $50 tops if you don't need a new steering gearbox. I updated the steering in my Caprice per the aforementioned specifications, and it's extremely precise. I'll be doing my Jimmy soon, too. It'll never top rack and pinion, but it's extremely viable for a lot cheaper.

If you're set on getting rid of the old setup, LMC offers a rack and pinion kit, supposedly bolt on, for considerably cheaper. It's on Page 63.

 

[mistaake]

The ones Napa sells are made by the same company that makes the ones from O'Reilly as far as I know. And I have had rebuilt gearboxes from ACDelco, Napa, O'Reilly... all have had slop in them. Even after adjustment. In my Crown Vic I can easily turn the shaft from under the hood or reach through the window to turn the steering wheel and no the pitman arm doesn't move. It's definitely the gearbox.

In a few months when I can afford it I'm going to try a Redhead gearbox in my Crown Vic. If that turns out well then maybe I won't worry so much about the rack and pinion thing.

That one from LMC is a good find and definitely a bit cheaper. I wonder who really makes it and what their warranty is?

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

The ones Napa sells are made by the same company that makes the ones from O'Reilly as far as I know. And I have had rebuilt gearboxes from ACDelco, Napa, O'Reilly... all have had slop in them. Even after adjustment. In my Crown Vic I can easily turn the shaft from under the hood or reach through the window to turn the steering wheel and no the pitman arm doesn't move. It's definitely the gearbox.

In a few months when I can afford it I'm going to try a Redhead gearbox in my Crown Vic. If that turns out well then maybe I won't worry so much about the rack and pinion thing.

That one from LMC is a good find and definitely a bit cheaper. I wonder who really makes it and what their warranty is?

Good point. I'd hate to have even brought it up, and it be some offshore trash assembled in a sweatshop. Try calling them and see if they have anymore info. They're pretty dumb over there, but it never hurts to ask. I'm sorry you've gotten lemons with your previous gearboxes. I was under the impression that NAPA did theirs in house, as did O'Reilly. I believe the NAPA one is their gold product line, while O'Reilly's is a MasterPro, which has a poor reputation across the board of automotive parts. I've bought a NAPA before, and it worked like a charm. Like I said, I'm very happy with how my stuff performs. It's surprisingly nimble, has no slop, and that's just with a 250,000 mile gearbox and the Jeep shaft upgrade. That being said, just because there's no slop doesn't mean it's completely precise, but to me, slop is input with a lack of output. That's not the case here. Even the slightest steering corrections net noticeable changes. I do wish you were local so you could take it for a spin and see for yourself, but you'll get it figured out one way or another.

 

[mistaake]

I'll give em a call tomorrow and see if they have any details.