Metro 6R4 Replica rebuild ... Steering rack help
Discussion
Hi Guys,
Looking for a bit of help if poss.
A local garage is re-constructing a Metro 6R4 replica for me. It's a rear engined car with a Rover V8. To cut a very long story short, the car is missing various parts. The current part in question that is holding up progress is what sort of steering rack it used to be fitted with. (The front hubs are old Ford & the struts are Bilstein)
After posting on a Metro forum, they seemed to think that perhaps an Escort MK2 rack may have been fitted previously.
Below are some pics / measurements of the general strut / steering rack area i've taken. Does anyone know if these dimensions / mounting positions would tally with an Escort rack ?
Also at the risk of sounding stupid, the parts that join the threaded ends of whatever rack it may be to the wishbones is also missing, so can anyone figure out from the hole positions what could have been here.
Any tips / pointers would be very much appreciated
Dave
Looking for a bit of help if poss.
A local garage is re-constructing a Metro 6R4 replica for me. It's a rear engined car with a Rover V8. To cut a very long story short, the car is missing various parts. The current part in question that is holding up progress is what sort of steering rack it used to be fitted with. (The front hubs are old Ford & the struts are Bilstein)
After posting on a Metro forum, they seemed to think that perhaps an Escort MK2 rack may have been fitted previously.
Below are some pics / measurements of the general strut / steering rack area i've taken. Does anyone know if these dimensions / mounting positions would tally with an Escort rack ?
Also at the risk of sounding stupid, the parts that join the threaded ends of whatever rack it may be to the wishbones is also missing, so can anyone figure out from the hole positions what could have been here.
Any tips / pointers would be very much appreciated
Dave
The 'wishbone' started life as a simple straight bottom arm, and the large hole is where a tension strut connected to the arm to resist fore and aft forces. If the bottom arm had been converted into a proper wishbone this is would now be redundant. However, it has not been properly converted!
The design of that wishbone is nothing short of appalling. The the narrow, curved tube supporting the rear rod end will be very heavily loaded in compression during braking. This is certain to fail at some stage and it shows such a fundamental lack of engineering principles that I would have to question the quality of the rest of the conversion.
FWIW the rack mountings do not suggest a Mk1/2 Escort rack as the mounting holes on these racks are not staggered as the ones on your subframe are.
One thing I really don't understand, why has all this effort been made to put Ford components in to the front of the Metro? Why not stick with the original subframe, rack and hubs?
The design of that wishbone is nothing short of appalling. The the narrow, curved tube supporting the rear rod end will be very heavily loaded in compression during braking. This is certain to fail at some stage and it shows such a fundamental lack of engineering principles that I would have to question the quality of the rest of the conversion.
FWIW the rack mountings do not suggest a Mk1/2 Escort rack as the mounting holes on these racks are not staggered as the ones on your subframe are.
One thing I really don't understand, why has all this effort been made to put Ford components in to the front of the Metro? Why not stick with the original subframe, rack and hubs?
Edited by Mr2Mike on Sunday 14th October 14:28
Mr2Mike - Thanks for you're reply, appreciated.
The car was previously a rally car - I've sadly got no idea who initially built it nor why they chose the Ford components.
You seem pretty knowledgeable, if it were yours, how would you progress with the steering / wishbone side of things ? - any pointers appreciated & i can pass them on to the garage that is re-building it.
The car was previously a rally car - I've sadly got no idea who initially built it nor why they chose the Ford components.
You seem pretty knowledgeable, if it were yours, how would you progress with the steering / wishbone side of things ? - any pointers appreciated & i can pass them on to the garage that is re-building it.
Take the wishbones and throw them in the bin. The simplest and probably most cost effective way to sort them is to start with a new pair of adjustable Escort/Capri bottom arms from e.g. Rally design, and combine it with the compression strut that they also sell. The rear bracket on the subframe would need to be modified/moved, but that is a fairly trivial amount of work. You would end up with a strong, well proven system that will give you some camber and castor adjustment.
Adjustable track control arms
Compression struts
There is a pair of RS2000 steering arms ending shortly on eBay if you are interested.
The steering rack to use depends entirely on the geometry of the suspension. If the distance between the inner bottom arms mounting points are the same as a Mk2 Escort (sorry, I don't know what this measurement is) then the Escort rack would be a good starting point. What you have to be very aware of is that the dimensions of the steering rack and it's mounting location with respect to the rest of the suspension is critical in order to avoid bump steer (i.e. wheels steering by themselves as the suspension compresses and extends). This can make the difference between a car that is pleasant to drive and an evil bastard that wants to throw you in the hedge down bumpy roads.
Bump steer can (and should) be measured when deciding on the mounting points of the rack. Don't assume that it was optimal before you got it!
LocostBuilders has a bunch of very knowledgeable chaps, and you will be welcomed whether building a Locost, a kit or a special.
Adjustable track control arms
Compression struts
There is a pair of RS2000 steering arms ending shortly on eBay if you are interested.
The steering rack to use depends entirely on the geometry of the suspension. If the distance between the inner bottom arms mounting points are the same as a Mk2 Escort (sorry, I don't know what this measurement is) then the Escort rack would be a good starting point. What you have to be very aware of is that the dimensions of the steering rack and it's mounting location with respect to the rest of the suspension is critical in order to avoid bump steer (i.e. wheels steering by themselves as the suspension compresses and extends). This can make the difference between a car that is pleasant to drive and an evil bastard that wants to throw you in the hedge down bumpy roads.
Bump steer can (and should) be measured when deciding on the mounting points of the rack. Don't assume that it was optimal before you got it!
LocostBuilders has a bunch of very knowledgeable chaps, and you will be welcomed whether building a Locost, a kit or a special.
Edited by Mr2Mike on Sunday 14th October 16:04
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