an unfortunate problem in all steering gear is the fact that well over 80%
of the time it wears in or near the center (going straight) position. a
number of years ago i was a supplier of rebuilt 55-57 chevy steering boxes
for a large parts vendor. try try and try again some steering gear had
been horribly worn by use without any lubrication rendering them useless as
gear cores. the gear teeth were so worn in the center position that if you
adjusted them to have little to zero lash in the center position they would
bind horribly and not return in either extreme right or left turn positions.
now it is not inconcieveable that a rack can suffer the exact same fate.
replacement pinions, shimming and adjusting that aspect can help relocate
the wear pattern and give some reduced "free play". our cars are far more
responsive and sensitive to this than an old chevy will ever be. evryone
is concerned with king pins and controll arm bushings but few ever get far
enough into the last bit of fine tune, the rack. fooling around with
30-50 year old assemblies can yeild some very interesting wear patterns and
problems. just be carefull with your disassembly and reassembly and a nice
tight and responsive car can be achieved.
chuck.
heading for year #30 of delightfull ownership of the same bugeye!
>Larry,
>you said that :
>
>>>This is all because the rack in my driver Bugeye is kind of flat on
>center. It works well in the twisties but going straight at high speed can
>be a problem<<
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