Pics of rack guide, cont form citation rack and pinion

the guide is installed and ready for a test drive. I pulled the wheels and went lock to lock to make sure everything was clear with no binding. The center section that is bolted to the rack and ataches the tie-rod ends to the rack is smoth as silk and solid as a rock, no up and down movement at all.

Here are the pics:

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Neal

Could you please photo that from the front, and maybe the driver's end also...curious how you got that rack mounted there....

:hi:

Gene heres the thread of the pics of the mounted brackets without the rack, I'll post some pics tonight form the front and drivers side with the rack mounted tonight when I get home from work.

http://www.vettemod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3301

Neal

That was quick!

Are you planning on putting some boots on the rod?

496BBC said:

Gene heres the thread of the pics of the mounted brackets without the rack, I'll post some pics tonight form the front and dricers side with the rack mounted tonight when I get home from work.

http://www.vettemod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3301

Neal

Click to expand...

Yeh man, looking forward to that, looking now at the above pix, I C things that I didn't spot at 4 am...wonder why....I note the rack is taking NO angle thrust at all from ackerman, and looking at them closer I see VBP lower arms, so giving more clearance than stock for your moving the inner tie rods forward....I have stock arms and so the tie rods are as far forward as I dared...missing by nearly 1/4 inch on either side, in any position....I remember dealing with that aspect of it, with no springs/shocks in the car, moving that stuff up/down with the jack as the rack was on jackstands with me flipping it around trying to get some input linkage to hook up.....

I was following Idar Anderson from Europe, with very vague information at the time.....NO ONE had any kits out at all....01-02 winter project along with tons of other crap....car was down some 6 months

:beer:

BBShark said:

That was quick!

Are you planning on putting some boots on the rod?

Click to expand...

I'm trying to find something that may work for the rod covers.

In an earlier thread I had asked TT about the tie-rod angle and he indicated that they should be kept as straight as possible. I'm as close as I was comfortable at the A-arm cross shaft ends so I couldn't get them exactly straight but they are close. The VBandP tub A-arms do give more room to work.

Neal

Here are the pics for the front:

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Hate to be a PIA over this, but can you photo the driver's side from the input angle straight down, and get behind the front spring to the placement of the guide rod and rack output/guides/mounts....??

did you cut a crescent out of the engine mount on the lo back side for input clearance???

love to see just how much room to the oil pan also....

:beer: You are about the only one I have seen anyting from that is doing his own rack install from the git go.....not some kit....

so my curiosity is really UP....

:kissass::shocking::beer:

No problem, I'll post a pic of the input for the rack in the morning. Did not cut the motor mount. Cleranace to oil pan is right at 1/2".

Here you go Gene;

Input of rack from top

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Closeup of center bracket and guide mounts

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Another pic of input to rack form bottom

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Neal

Damnit man, just DAMNIT, that thing is tighter than whale pussy and twice as slick, the only rack adaptation on a nearly stock shark that I like better than my own.....you simply made the best I seen yet....

now I"m jealous....

:crap::amazed:

had it on the road yet?? how's it turn?? how smooth is the input linkage??

for all the world my install seemed to be too much angle on the top universal off the steering shaft, and it don't look like you collapsed yours at all, I shoved mine way back into the column nearly far as it would go, to get that top joint angle to relax, made a much longer intermediate shaft that way....and I saw NO way to do it without cutting the lower rear backside of that engine horn to allow input linkage.....

do you happen to know if that Citation rack is the same as the Grand Am rack?? and what years it come off???

my rack was a '92 grand am junkyard fresh one....

:bounce::bounce:

Gene the rack I used is the same as yours, 92 grandam, I questioned the citation rack cause I seen a reference to it in the speedway catalog. The citation rack is a end take off if I remember fight. It is to long for the install in the C3.

I've driven it a couple times with out the guide mounted, its been raining here for a few days so I have not driven it with the guide system mounted. Its drives great, this has to be the best mod as of yet to my car.

My column is not collapsed at all, its fully extended. I put the rack as far back as I could to get the rack input installed as straight up as I could to help with the U-joint angle. I could not collapse the column due to the middle shaft hitting the header primary pipe.

Neal