Chevette Steering rack
Discussion
Well alot has been said about the S having a modified Chevette rack - but with very little specific info.
My rack has some play - and I've just bought a recon Chevette rack off ebay for £16 (and local enough to go and pick it up).
The plan (assuming the Chevette rack won't fit on) is to have them both to bits and to see if I can make one rack for the S.
One clue to the difference may be that the chevette rack is specified as 3.5 turns lock to lock, whereas I'm sure the TVR is way less that this.
(Sad I know but I got a Chevette Haynes manual to look at this off ebay for £1).
Its probably going to take me a few weeks to get round to this, but I'll have the camera going when I do.
Watch this space.
Chris
My rack has some play - and I've just bought a recon Chevette rack off ebay for £16 (and local enough to go and pick it up).
The plan (assuming the Chevette rack won't fit on) is to have them both to bits and to see if I can make one rack for the S.
One clue to the difference may be that the chevette rack is specified as 3.5 turns lock to lock, whereas I'm sure the TVR is way less that this.
(Sad I know but I got a Chevette Haynes manual to look at this off ebay for £1).
Its probably going to take me a few weeks to get round to this, but I'll have the camera going when I do.
Watch this space.
Chris
Edited by Barkychoc on Sunday 14th October 19:40
The number of turns lock to lock means nothing without considering the amount of movement of the rack innards. Because the TVR rack is (allegedly) a modified Chevette one it is quite possible that TVR fitted some end stops on the rack. If they are there then these probably would be there to stop the wheels rubbing on the inner bodywork at full lock. They would also reduce the number of turns lock to lock. That would also explain the slightly larger turning circle the S has compared to other cars.
The reason I say that is that I had a pair of Westfields before the S and the one with the clam shell wings used a standard Escort Mk2 rack and had a normal turning circle. The other with cycle wings (wings that are attached to the hub uprights) had a modified rack to stop the cycle wings touching the bodywork. The turning circle on this car was similar to the S.
The reason I say that is that I had a pair of Westfields before the S and the one with the clam shell wings used a standard Escort Mk2 rack and had a normal turning circle. The other with cycle wings (wings that are attached to the hub uprights) had a modified rack to stop the cycle wings touching the bodywork. The turning circle on this car was similar to the S.
Well a quick update.
The chevette steering rack has much shorter track rods than the S steering rack (we are talking several inches) and they are the wrong thread on the end of the chevette track rods for the S track rod ends.
I have yet to check if the travel lock to lock is the same on both racks.
If it is I'll probably swap the track rods over (assuming old ones are OK) and see how I go.
The kitchen has to be decorated first before I do anything else.......
Chris
The chevette steering rack has much shorter track rods than the S steering rack (we are talking several inches) and they are the wrong thread on the end of the chevette track rods for the S track rod ends.
I have yet to check if the travel lock to lock is the same on both racks.
If it is I'll probably swap the track rods over (assuming old ones are OK) and see how I go.
The kitchen has to be decorated first before I do anything else.......
Chris
If the ball joints on your steering rack are adjustable, like mine were, it wouldn't be a problem to change them for the ones on your existing rack, you'll have to take the track rods off anyway, to take the rack apart.
PS: If rebuilding the Chevette rack doesn't work, I hope to have a spare RHD steering rack available next spring, after I've completed my RHD to LHD conversion. I've had it rebuilt two years ago, so it's as good as new.
PS: If rebuilding the Chevette rack doesn't work, I hope to have a spare RHD steering rack available next spring, after I've completed my RHD to LHD conversion. I've had it rebuilt two years ago, so it's as good as new.
I've had the rack gaiters off the chevette rack & it looks pretty straightforward to get apart.
The inner trackrods have some sort of staking going on to stop them coming undone. Looks like I may have to drill that bit out to free it off. I'm going to ask a few peeps I know as I want to be confident that its not going to come to bits while I'm driving along.
Incidentally the chevette rack I have is 2.9 turns lock to lock the same as the TVR, so it is looking like it is the track rods that are modified to fit the TVR, and not much else.
Your RHD rack may yet be of interest - give me first refusal!
Although you may want to keep it & fit the track rods to a LHD Opel Kadett rack (chevette equivalent) to give you a cheap LHD S rack.
Chris
The inner trackrods have some sort of staking going on to stop them coming undone. Looks like I may have to drill that bit out to free it off. I'm going to ask a few peeps I know as I want to be confident that its not going to come to bits while I'm driving along.
Incidentally the chevette rack I have is 2.9 turns lock to lock the same as the TVR, so it is looking like it is the track rods that are modified to fit the TVR, and not much else.
Your RHD rack may yet be of interest - give me first refusal!
Although you may want to keep it & fit the track rods to a LHD Opel Kadett rack (chevette equivalent) to give you a cheap LHD S rack.
Chris
Edited by Barkychoc on Sunday 21st October 20:39
You can drill out the staking and then, using some big pliers, screw the collar and lock ring off. When putting it all back together you can drill and tap in a new staking, provided it's at least 90 degrees from the previous one.
I did browse the Kadett parts guide at the Opel dealer when I was looking for parts to rebuild my rack, but the Opel rack turns out to be different, so that didn't work.
Apparently there are at least two types of steering rack fitted to the S: there seems to be a type that has a separate bush to support the rack in its housing on the passenger side, and mine had the support bush machined direcly into the alloy of the housing. The support bush wears out quite quick on the S, which is not strange considering that the steering rack was originally designed fo a 800kg vehicle with some 40bhp and narrow 135 wide tires. The support bush is an obsolete part, so that will have to be machined from bronze, like others on here have done (or source it from another rack that has led an easy life, in your case). If you have the type of rack without the separate bush, also the housing has to be milled out to accept the new bush.
The other parts that wear are easily adjustable: The ball bearings and yoke on the drivers side are adjustable with shims, and the ball joints are adjusted using the threaded collar and lock ring. Do inspect the nylon cups in the ball joint carefully: These can crack if there's too much play in the joint, and new cups are hard to come by. (The company that did my rack modified some Cups from a Capri using a lathe to make them fit).
I'll let you have first refusal for the RHD rack, but the conversion may take a few months. I've just started converting the dashboard. There is a slim chance that it doesn't work out, and then I would better put everyting back together with the steering wheel on the right hand side. I'll keep you posted.
I did browse the Kadett parts guide at the Opel dealer when I was looking for parts to rebuild my rack, but the Opel rack turns out to be different, so that didn't work.
Apparently there are at least two types of steering rack fitted to the S: there seems to be a type that has a separate bush to support the rack in its housing on the passenger side, and mine had the support bush machined direcly into the alloy of the housing. The support bush wears out quite quick on the S, which is not strange considering that the steering rack was originally designed fo a 800kg vehicle with some 40bhp and narrow 135 wide tires. The support bush is an obsolete part, so that will have to be machined from bronze, like others on here have done (or source it from another rack that has led an easy life, in your case). If you have the type of rack without the separate bush, also the housing has to be milled out to accept the new bush.
The other parts that wear are easily adjustable: The ball bearings and yoke on the drivers side are adjustable with shims, and the ball joints are adjusted using the threaded collar and lock ring. Do inspect the nylon cups in the ball joint carefully: These can crack if there's too much play in the joint, and new cups are hard to come by. (The company that did my rack modified some Cups from a Capri using a lathe to make them fit).
I'll let you have first refusal for the RHD rack, but the conversion may take a few months. I've just started converting the dashboard. There is a slim chance that it doesn't work out, and then I would better put everyting back together with the steering wheel on the right hand side. I'll keep you posted.
What does the staking consist of?
On the chevette rack it looks like a small hole between the rack end and the inner trackrod that has been drilled, tapped then it looks like a small bolt has been screwed into it then sheared off.
I'd take another look at the parts list for the rack - in the chevette manual I have the original rack won't fit the TVR - it has a metal & rubber coupling attached to the input shaft of the rack.
There is a later chevette rack in the haynes manual that has a splined shaft out of the rack the same as the TVR.
According to Haynes the earlier racks are made by GM but the later ones by a company called cam gears.
Incidentally the rack I bought he said he had bought to fit to an opel kadett.
Here it is
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Chris
On the chevette rack it looks like a small hole between the rack end and the inner trackrod that has been drilled, tapped then it looks like a small bolt has been screwed into it then sheared off.
I'd take another look at the parts list for the rack - in the chevette manual I have the original rack won't fit the TVR - it has a metal & rubber coupling attached to the input shaft of the rack.
There is a later chevette rack in the haynes manual that has a splined shaft out of the rack the same as the TVR.
According to Haynes the earlier racks are made by GM but the later ones by a company called cam gears.
Incidentally the rack I bought he said he had bought to fit to an opel kadett.
Here it is
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Chris
Edited by Barkychoc on Tuesday 6th November 17:34
You've bought a reconditioned rack for that money? You've got yourself a real bargain! I paid a bit more for reconditioning myself.
Last week I've ordered a new LHD steering rack from TVR carparts, that also cost a bit more than your recondioned chevette rack from ebay. Maybe I've been too hasty...
As far as I know, the staking is just a slightly tapered solid pin, that is tapped into a hole, and then the end that sticks out is sawn off (at least, that's what the reconditioning guy used).
It looks like you can make yourself a TVR specific part quite easily.
Last week I've ordered a new LHD steering rack from TVR carparts, that also cost a bit more than your recondioned chevette rack from ebay. Maybe I've been too hasty...
As far as I know, the staking is just a slightly tapered solid pin, that is tapped into a hole, and then the end that sticks out is sawn off (at least, that's what the reconditioning guy used).
It looks like you can make yourself a TVR specific part quite easily.
Yes I'd say the Chevette gaiters will fit fine.
Anyway a further update.
Both racks have 135mm travel lock to lock, so now I'm pretty convinced that the racks are identical apart from the track rods.
Here's a couple of pictures of just how short the track rods are.
Ignore the fact that the gaiters end at different points, the racks are both reasonably well lined up, the gaiters have just been fixed at different points on each rack.
I have been thinking about how to make it fit and I have a cunning plan (without taking either rack to bits)
- but I'm not sharing it yet!
Chris
Anyway a further update.
Both racks have 135mm travel lock to lock, so now I'm pretty convinced that the racks are identical apart from the track rods.
Here's a couple of pictures of just how short the track rods are.
Ignore the fact that the gaiters end at different points, the racks are both reasonably well lined up, the gaiters have just been fixed at different points on each rack.
I have been thinking about how to make it fit and I have a cunning plan (without taking either rack to bits)
- but I'm not sharing it yet!
Chris
Sound like they could be what I need - where can I get them?
The pic below was from a chevette rack on ebay which is the wrong type - the coupling that connects to the steering column is incorrect.
The one I have & later models has a straight splined shaft the same as on the TVR
Chris
The pic below was from a chevette rack on ebay which is the wrong type - the coupling that connects to the steering column is incorrect.
The one I have & later models has a straight splined shaft the same as on the TVR
Chris
Edited by Barkychoc on Tuesday 6th November 17:30
Barkychoc said:
Sound like they could be what I need - where can I get them?
You'd have to get them machined up to fit because chances are the ones for the Westfield won't be the right length. They're just steel rod with a hole drilled and tapped at one end to go on the track rod and the other end is turned down and threaded to fit the track end. Having suggested that, I was playing with my car today and when jacked up at full droop the track rod rubs on the lower arm. Therefore I'd be very reluctant now to suggest that this is a viable option. However if you decide that there is enough clearance under extreme cornering then it could be an option.
Here's a link to the Rally Design ones...
http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/product_info....
I was chatting with a friend I haven't seen for ages about this - he's a bit of a petrolhead and good with all things mechanical.
He dropped something very profound into the conversation - he said maybe its a chevette rack with ford track rods fitted to it.
He's really got me thinking now......
Chris
He dropped something very profound into the conversation - he said maybe its a chevette rack with ford track rods fitted to it.
He's really got me thinking now......
Chris
This would also make sense as the track rod ends come off a Mk 3 cortina (see my comment under the alternative parts list www.parkersteve.dsl.pipex.com/sparts.html) and the thread form within the Track rod end and also the pitch of the cone (although this doesn't affect the steering rack) appeared quite unique when looking through the motor factors parts guide.
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