Welcome to Club Hot Rod!  The premier site for everything to do with Hot Rod, Customs, Low Riders, Rat Rods, and more. 

  •  » Members from all over the US and the world!
  •  » Help from all over the world for your questions
  •  » Build logs for you and all members
  •  » Blogs
  •  » Image Gallery
  •  » Many thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of posts! 

YES! I want to register an account for free right now!  p.s.: For registered members this ad will NOT show

 

Thread: Can I change (convert) the steering on my 39 chevy to rack & pinion steering???????
          
   
   

Reply To Thread
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    hottrodd57 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    north salem
    Car Year, Make, Model: 39 chevy coupe,57 bel-air, 67 gto
    Posts
    196

    Can I change (convert) the steering on my 39 chevy to rack & pinion steering???????

     



    I have been giving it some thought.. and wondered if i made a cross-member to install a rear steer R&P rack, that would mount behind the drop axle and the cross member would anchor to the frame rails ,(simulair to how they mount the R&P units on the 55-57 chevys) and kept it level with the steering arms, why this wouldn't work???if not why??? any help???? engine clearence would not be a problem, and the crossmember would not hang any lower than the drop axle. I know the unisteer make a rack&pinion unit to replace the vega steering box on cross steer fords (can't use it on the 37-40 chevys the left side spring is in the way).If it would work and be safe for driving I can't see any downside to converting over to a r&p steering??.................. A little background on my car... it is a 39 chevy coupe with a 3" dropped ibeam axle and 3" dropped mono leaf springs up front. the car is currently setup with a cross-steer using a vega steering box. the engine is a 454 with a th400 trans. can any chassis builders "steer" me in the right direction????. also if it would work and can be done what rear steer rack would you reccommend????

  2. #2
    Itoldyouso's Avatar
    Itoldyouso is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    fort myers
    Car Year, Make, Model: '27 ford/'39 dodge/ '23 t
    Posts
    11,033

    I was afraid you were going to say you have a beam axle.

    Beam axles and r and p just don't mix. It has something to do with the way the beam moves up and down and the rack doesn't, so it steers you on the bumps.

    Some people have tried mounting the rack directly to the axle, so they travel up and down together, but then you end up with a lot of unsprung weight, and an ugly axle setup.

    I know some people will say they have had one on their rod for years and years, but generally it is accepted they don't work out well. A friend of mine, who is passed away now, had a T bucket with a R and P on it, and I drove the car one time, and it was scarey.

    The new R and P unit on the market has only one end of it that steers the car, so it functions like a Vega box would, but it is totally different than mounting a regular R and P unit, because it only feeds one side.

    I will probably get flack on this, but they just don't work, IMHO, and from everything I have ever read on the subject.


    Don
    Last edited by Itoldyouso; 04-02-2006 at 05:25 PM.

  3. #3
    hambiskit is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Shelton
    Posts
    693

    Try this link : www.fatmanfab.com
    Jim

  4. #4
    pharaohchris is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Manhattan
    Car Year, Make, Model: 1927 Ford Model T
    Posts
    9

    I have a rack & pinion on my car. Granted my whole front suspension set up is a bit different, but I mounted the rack to the axle itself and I use a slip joint out of a '95 Mustang's steering linkeage (at least I think that's where I got it ). The slip joint allows the axle and rack to move without affecting the steering. So I have no bump steer. I can't imagine it'd work well without the slipjoint. I don't have major mileage on my car, but so far its working out really well!

    An old picture (its painted now):
    Attached Images

  5. #5
    TooMany2count's Avatar
    TooMany2count is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Cahokia
    Car Year, Make, Model: 48 Chevy 1ton Bus
    Posts
    2,498

    info from the Stovebolt site about a R/P on a str8 axle.
    u mite want to talk to the last poster in the 1st post (Seon) he says he put a MG rack on his & i quote him
    Back in '68 I installed an MG R&P on my '31 Chevy Sedan. Drove it till '82 when I retired the car. I never had bump steering problem. I still have the sedan and will one day get it back on the road. I'll up date the R&P with a power steering
    .....joe
    Donate Blood,Plasma,Platelets & sign your DONORS CARD & SAVE a LIFE

    Two possibilities exist:
    Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not.
    Both are equally terrifying.
    Arthur C. Clarke

Reply To Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Links monetized by VigLink