Rack and Pinion Opinions

[69volunteer 84]

Those of you that have installed the Randalls or Unisteer, are you going from stock PS or stock manual?

[SM69Mach 68]

I have a Unisteer set up with Big Block and long tubes.   I had to clearance one tube just a little where the knuckle joins the rack, but other than that there are zero issues.   I am also using a Ididt Column, just for reference.   

Lock to Lock I may have less turning radius, but considering I couldn't start turning the car unless I was moving with my manual previously, I am ahead of the game.  Absolutely love PS.  

[danno 128]

I have

On ‎11‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 1:24 PM, 69volunteer said:

Those of you that have installed the Randalls or Unisteer, are you going from stock PS or stock manual?

I have Randall's, and I took out my stock PS to install it.  It was not that difficult to install, but it did require taking out the steering wheel and cutting the column shield.  That took extra time that others might not need to do.

[latoracing 256]

My setup is a little more on the modified side as I have lowered my engine 1"  and slid it back a lot. As these modifications have led to a custom pan, remade Unisteer rack mount, and of course custom headers. Reusing the stock power steering (for me) would have not worked out so well. The only issue I could see with using the Unisteer rack on a stock-ish setup would be the shaft interfering with a header tube. 

I did equal length 4-2-1 (crazy bends) and was able to route the tubes around the shaft, and other obstacles. Regular Try-Y's ought to fit fairly decent as the new shaft is much smaller than the steering box that would have been in the same location. 

I cannot comment on how it works, still slowly building stuff. I chose the Unisteer over the TCP for the simple fact that there is an actual cross member that the rack attaches to. The TCP rack is the cross member, and I couldn't see having those stresses  transmitted through the rack housing. (Hopefully this will get abused lol) I'm certain the TCP rack would function great on a street driven / auto cross build. 

 

[JET 445 43]

I think both the Randalls and Unisteer are poorly engineered, have a look at the spindly centerlink and the way it is mounted with two bolts very close together, then think about the load transmitted through it from a set of wide sticky tires, that centerlink has got to flex like crazy. I have a RRS rack which is also a compromise but it has a support for the centerlink because they found on their early racks that the centerlink would flop up and down. Flaming river have just released a new rack which looks pretty good, might be worth a look.

[latoracing 256]

On ‎12‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 4:39 AM, JET 445 said:

I think both the Randalls and Unisteer are poorly engineered, have a look at the spindly centerlink and the way it is mounted with two bolts very close together, then think about the load transmitted through it from a set of wide sticky tires, that centerlink has got to flex like crazy. I have a RRS rack which is also a compromise but it has a support for the centerlink because they found on their early racks that the centerlink would flop up and down. Flaming river have just released a new rack which looks pretty good, might be worth a look.

One of the irritating design issues with the Unisteer system is access to the eccentric bolts on the LCA. I don't think you would easily access these bolts through the rather small access holes in the provided rack mount. It would be very difficult to perform any adjustments in this area. 

As I elected to "recreate" this mount, I incorporated slots for the LCA bolt to pass through the stock locations and through the rack mount. (you can see a bolt in the upper mount) Shims had to be machined to close the gap between the rack mount and the LCA mount. I also added a 2" x 1/4" flange to the inside portion to give the part a little more rigidity.

In looking at the RRS rack, it looks to be the same basic layout Unisteer is using, (two bolts in the center of the rack connecting to the tie rods) but utilizing the stock steering component locations. http://www.rrs-online.com.au/gt-rack-and-pinion.html  (comparing to http://www.unisteer.com/1965-1970-mustang/late-67-70-power-mustang-rack-and-pinion-for-big-blocks.html) As it is not replacing the crossmember with a plate, steering forces should be transmitted more directly to the frame. One thing that I do not like in looking at the RRS system, urethane mounts with U straps holing it in position. I am not understanding the need to mount the rack with urethane blocks, that could deflect with large sticky tires.  I like the way Unisteer has machined aluminum blocks securely clamping the rack to the mount. 

I have a complete Street or Track suspension package and the Unisteer rack was recommended to me by Shaun. He runs one on his '66 dedicated track car and liked it so much, he now sells them. 

None of these aftermarket rack systems are fantastic, they all have their short comings and flaws. For the intended use of the vehicle and what you personally like is the choice we all have to make. Do your homework and make the choice on what fits your personal needs.

 

[JET 445 43]

I agree,  none of the racks are perfect, it's a matter of choosing the best of a bad lot.

[JET 445 43]

This is the Flaming River rack I mentioned, it is an interesting setup, looks quite sturdy but is also quite spendy at around $2500 with no column.