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????

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

Try this link : www.fatmanfab.com

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 :D ). 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):

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

Quote:

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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

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.....joe