In a message dated 1/24/2005 11:53:35 PM Eastern Standard Time,
<walt@hot-tr6.com> writes:
>I put one into my hot TR6 about 1.5 years ago. I bought it from Scott Harper
>at Team Triumph. I like it very much. I mounted the quick ratio rack in
>aluminum blocks and the suspension has all poly bushings, stiff springs and
>Spax shocks. It is my understand that this setup has Spitfire steering
>rack guts in a TR6 housing. It took about 1 full turn off of lock to lock.
>Steering is very direct and quick. The steering effort when parking is
>higher but I don't mind. When I would autocross or even road race it seemed
>like I had to do an awful lot of cranking and cranking with the stock
>steering. This quicker ratio rack is much better.
>Walt Hollowell
>Abq.NM
============
Walt, I'm confused here. Physically, TR and Spitfire racks are about the same
externally, although I can't vouch for the angle of the pinion shaft as it
connects to the steering column. But they're about the same length or width or
however one wants to describe that measurement.
Meanwhile, the Spitfire rack is something like 3.75 turns lock to lock (GT6 is
a bit over 4 turns). The early TR4 steering rack, which as I recall also
mounted solidly as opposed to the rubber bushings used on later TRs), was also
2.5 turns lock to lock, so I've long wondered if this "new" quick-ratio box is
much more than a "replica" of the original TR4 rack.
I have an early TR4 rack that I've been saving to toss into the autocross
Spitfire 4 (assuming that I -- or my daughter and/or son -- ever actually dig
it out and start autocrossing again). I've also got some early Herald steering
rack mounts, which were "solid" as opposed to the later rubber-bushed mounts.
Or maybe I'll just toss all this good stuff, and the Spit's motor, into a
street Herald.... ;-)
--Andy Mace
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