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July 29, 2015 6:59 pm  #1


Rack n pinion question

Guys I've been reading up on everyone's build of the r&p swap .
Question on the brackets for the frame , do they have to be 1/4" thick??
And for the middle tie rod mount. What about cutting a center link apart to have the correct mount holes for the inner mounts and then build the bracket off of that?
Just throwing that idea out there.


64 Galaxie Country Sedan Wagon
69 XL Convertible "390" w/ Air
1990 Crown Vic Wagon
 

July 29, 2015 9:25 pm  #2


Re: Rack n pinion question

...just my two cents. I went with 1/4" because I thought that is what the previously available kit( Wurth it Designs) used. I based this on the pictures of the kit I got my hands on.  It would be a disaster to use thinner material only to have to do over because there is not enough strength by going thinner.
As far as using part of the centre link...what if your current OEM is worn, only to give you alignment problems down the road? Also, not sure if you would be saving any work by trying to incorporate the centre link...not sure about that?

 

July 30, 2015 6:46 pm  #3


Re: Rack n pinion question

Dan
Ok thanks
I got ahold of the magazine with that article too .
Just couldn't tell thickness
Do you have dimensions of your brackets anywhere posted?
And ok on the center link just thought I would throw that out there
.have a lot of time on my hands right now after having 2 discs replaced and fused in my spine, so the hands on part of building is on hold.
But have a lot of time to read and think lol


64 Galaxie Country Sedan Wagon
69 XL Convertible "390" w/ Air
1990 Crown Vic Wagon
     Thread Starter
 

August 1, 2015 9:32 pm  #4


Re: Rack n pinion question

Away from home for a few days...can measure when I get home. Just off the top of my head... About 7" long. They are as tall as the sides of the frame  and as deep as the frame is across the bottom rail. Just guessed from pictures when I fabbed them up. Hope your feeling ok!

 

August 2, 2015 3:09 am  #5


Re: Rack n pinion question

Ok of you could thanks
Where did you buy your steel from?
The two brackets look like 1/4" L brackets ?
And thanks yea I'm feeling better, can't wait to get the brace of my neck and
Be able t9 move around again

Last edited by 69crewcab (August 2, 2015 3:11 am)


64 Galaxie Country Sedan Wagon
69 XL Convertible "390" w/ Air
1990 Crown Vic Wagon
     Thread Starter
 

August 3, 2015 9:34 pm  #6


Re: Rack n pinion question

Brackets were originally heavy angle iron that an uncle of mine had on his farm. We cut them with a plasma cutter to fit. Dimensions are 1/4 inch thick by 7 1/4" long, 5" tall, 3" deep on the driver's side. That bracket sits on the outside of the frame. The passenger side bracket fits on the inside of the frame. That bracket is a little different size. You will need to make that one once you know what rack you are using. The distance of the rack mounts will determine what size of bracket you will need.

 

August 4, 2015 2:47 am  #7


Re: Rack n pinion question

Dan
Thanks
But confused on the dimensions

7 1/4 long , 5" tall and 3" deep??

If we're talking an L shape is the 7 1/4 the long leg the 5 " the short leg and 3" wide ?

I'm using a rack from a cavalier also so did different years mount differently?
Joe


64 Galaxie Country Sedan Wagon
69 XL Convertible "390" w/ Air
1990 Crown Vic Wagon
     Thread Starter
 

August 4, 2015 2:42 pm  #8


Re: Rack n pinion question

I'd guess it is a piece of 3 X 5 angle, 7 1/4 long.

 

August 5, 2015 1:04 pm  #9


Re: Rack n pinion question

70XL is right on the money with the measurements. The other side was 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" angle by 6 1/2" long. So the 4 1/2" side bolts to the inside of the frame and the 5 1/2" side is the mount for the rack. 
...just a suggestion, but if you study the pictures I posted in my previous post about the swap, the measurements might make a little more sense once you see it.
As far as the rack interchange between Cavaliers, I don't know. I just harvested a rack from a wrecked Cavalier and made my mounts to fit.

 

August 6, 2015 5:11 pm  #10


Re: Rack n pinion question

69crewcab wrote:

 Question on the brackets for the frame , do they have to be 1/4" thick??
And for the middle tie rod mount. What about cutting a center link apart to have the correct mount holes for the inner mounts and then build the bracket off of that?
Just throwing that idea out there.

dan_6776 wrote:

...just my two cents. I went with 1/4" because I thought that is what the previously available kit( Wurth it Designs) used. I based this on the pictures of the kit I got my hands on. It would be a disaster to use thinner material only to have to do over because there is not enough strength by going thinner.

Actually if you look at  one of the last paragraphs of the article, the material used by Wurth was 3/8".   IMHO the single biggest design flaw of putting this type of rack in an early Galaxie is that the two frame brackets are not tied together by anything other than the rack.  This "flaw" is not because it was missed in design but rather because there simply isn't room to easily tie the two pieces together.  If the brackets are tied together than any load you apply to one side or the other will be shouldered by both mounting locations.  By not tying them together each bracket must shoulder the load independently.  This means you must use thicker brackets so they are adequate for the loads they will see.  If the two were tied together I think 1/8 would be sufficient if properly gusseted.  

The driver's side bracket is not an issue at all as any load applied to it is also absorbed by the frame especially if you mount it from both directions as I did.  If you mount it from only one direction as Wurth did the potential for the angle iron to flex is there however very unlikely.

On the passengers side not only is the angle iron only supported from one direction by the frame but there is a lot of leverage than can be applied to the angle iron simply due to sticking so far into the engine compartment to reach the rack.  I am sure this is why Wurth used 3/8".  

When I built mine I made a lot of improvements (IMHO) to the Wurth design.  As I said before I mounted the driver's side bracket from two directions to eliminate flex, on the passenger's side I used 1/4" angle instead of 3/8" and added a major gusset of 1/8" plate down the middle.  This gave me a lighter bracket than it would have been if it were made of 3/8" but is also twice as strong as the 3/8" angle (if not more).  I also designed my center linkage to completely emulate the OEM Ford design by having my inner tie rods correctly spaced and angled so that my heims were parallel to the travel of the steering.  I REALLY wanted to tie the two brackets together and could have done it but the final result would have taken days, not looked great, and would have added only minimal strength due to all the bends it would have had to make to get around my headers, the rack, and the oil pan.

As to your question about using the drag link as your inner tie rod mount and then fabrication a bracket to connect it to the rack, I too thought about doing that.  The issue is an OEM drag link is a cast steel part, and welding cast steel is not always a good idea.  Some times it can be done successfully by some one with basic skills and limited tools and is as simple as firing up the welder and running a bead.  Other times however it has to be treated more like cast iron and must be preheated, welded, then cooled in a controlled manner.  The deciding factor is how the part was originally made and what exactly it was originally made of.  There in lies the problem, because  you don't know exactly what process and steel Ford used you don't know what method and techniques are required to do it correctly, and for me thats not a gamble I was willing to take.

69crewcab wrote:

I'm using a rack from a cavalier also so did different years mount differently?
Joe

As long as it is a center steer rack all of them mount up the same.

 

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