Steering rack refurbishment

[MMM1965]

Hi all, does anyone know if there is anyone out there who rebuilds/refurbishes mk1 steering racks please? Many thanks

[Peter Laidler]

While I don't do rack refurbishments, I did do one in order to write a technical article for the Forum that went down fairly well. But got to admit that it was an update of an original article written by our own Australian teccy maestro, Chris the Spider. Whereas Chris's detailed the Mk1, mine covered the sort-of similar Mk2 plus other info from UNIPART.

Alas....., while I am technically literate, I'm not compu'er literate so can't point you to where the article is! The technicalities of rebuilding the rack is pretty easy - if you've got the usual hand tools, punches and a lathe to turn a new phosphor bronze bush - and a short 1" x 1" os so bar of bronze.

Can anyone find the article for MMM?

[Spider]

Cheers for the mention there Peter, however if I can include a correction here, the article I did was a MKII Rack.

I just looked - twice - through the tech section 'How To' guides and I can't find it.

http://mk1-forum.net/viewforum.php?f=31

Maybe I missed it ?

I just did a search of the forum but at 107 pages,,,,, I looked through the fist 16 or so, sorry,,,,,

[jcr227e]

I found an article that was written by Spider

The link is below:

https://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/t ... type-mkii/

Hope this helps

[floormanager]

Hello,

I've been researching this for a month or so and have attached a couple more how to guides.

Steering Rack Bushing.pdf

rack.pdf

Hope they are of use.
Paul

[Peter Laidler]

Yep........, them's the steering rack articles written by Chris and me that detail all you need to know and more about rebuilding your own steering rack.

My article was originally within the TECHNICAL TALK, MINI - HOW TO DO IT section. If you spend an hour looking at your rack, read the two articles and have the workshop manual handy, you'll realise how easy it is - if you've got a lathe and a good selection of hand tools.

Worth pointing out that Jak Knight in the USA has had some shims cut too if the need arises.

Maybe Mark would be so kind as to put the two articles found and mentioned by Floormanager Paul into the Mini - How to section or somewhere else convenient. Ae you there Mark.......? Thanks

As a matter of interest Paul, were the articles useful?

[floormanager]

Peter,
The articles were extremely interesting and useful. I purchased an old rack to start to have a play. It is a later type, so has no locking nut on the ends, so the ball and socket cannot be serviced. Need to check what's on my Mk2 now and then prepare for the overhaul.

I removed the bush with an internal puller, which worked quite well.

Kind regards,
Paul

[850man]

Hi all, does anyone know if there is anyone out there who rebuilds/refurbishes mk1 steering racks please? Many thanks

Where are you?
I rebuild our Australian made steering racks regularly.
The UK made Mk 1 racks I only do for concourse restorations, as the parts are almost impossible to find, but we have enough second hand racks that I can build one out of many if needed.

[timmy201]

Hi all, does anyone know if there is anyone out there who rebuilds/refurbishes mk1 steering racks please? Many thanks

Where are you?
I rebuild our Australian made steering racks regularly.
The UK made Mk 1 racks I only do for concourse restorations, as the parts are almost impossible to find, but we have enough second hand racks that I can build one out of many if needed.

What would you recommend for an Aussie 850 with the English MK1 rack? Mine needs looking at, I’m not concerned with originality but just want something decent quality

[Spider]

What would you recommend for an Aussie 850 with the English MK1 rack? Mine needs looking at, I’m not concerned with originality but just want something decent quality

You could fit a refurbished Australian Rack. Parts are still available for them and they have MKI Geometry. No disrespect to our English friends, but the Australian Racks were a better rack then their UK Counterparts.

[850man]

Hi all, does anyone know if there is anyone out there who rebuilds/refurbishes mk1 steering racks please? Many thanks

Where are you?
I rebuild our Australian made steering racks regularly.
The UK made Mk 1 racks I only do for concourse restorations, as the parts are almost impossible to find, but we have enough second hand racks that I can build one out of many if needed.

What would you recommend for an Aussie 850 with the English MK1 rack? Mine needs looking at, I’m not concerned with originality but just want something decent quality

An Aussie rack.
The UK made Mk1 racks, are nowhere near as good as a Aussie Camgears/TRW rack. And as I said, unless you are going for a 100% original concourse show winning car that requires a UK rack to be rebuilt, fit an Aussie rack.
& Stand clear of a new rack, they are absolute rubbish.

[73GT]

Who sells the parts to recondition the racks?

[Peter Laidler]

Just try the general parts suppliers first. The articles tell you where to get the bearings, shims and how to make a new bronze bush.

[Gary Schulz]

Please don't forget that if you use a precision bushing (i.e bronze) then you need to take care to align the ends of the rack housing so the inner rack runs concentric otherwise it will bind.

[Peter Laidler]

While I haven't done many racks Gary, I haven't found eccentricity to be a problem. The Unipart man told me that if their reconditioning/exchange contractors found that, it'd indicate a distorted rack.

[Gary Schulz]

While I haven't done many racks Gary, I haven't found eccentricity to be a problem. The Unipart man told me that if their reconditioning/exchange contractors found that, it'd indicate a distorted rack.

Hmmm, I have rebuilt two of them and both absolutely needed to be aligned because the original bushing (felt or 3 point plastic) are tolerant of the relative misalignment of the two ends because they allow for the inner rack to aim in a suitable direction (it doesn't really need to be concentric all the way across). It works but is not optimal. When you use a precision bushing it removes the ability for the inner rack to aim any way it needs to hence the binding problem. I first saw this mentioned by Spider and indeed it is a real issue that needs to be addressed if you use a precision reamed bushing:

If you look at the later plastic type bushes, they don't make a 360 degree contact with the rack, put have 3 fat points. Best I can determine, they are made that way to allow for misalignment and also to reduce friction.

I have been doing the bushes in Bronze going back to the early 80's. I bore them undersize, press them in, then ream them once fitted up. Then I align the bush end of the rack to the other end. It is easy to do, the rack will lock up if you don't. These days, I do this by fitting the inner so it comes up flush-ish to the pinion end then between V Blocks in the press and a block of shaped timber to press against, straighten it up using the inner as a gauge until it lands central in the pinion end, I just do it by eye. They don't need much force at all to bend them. For many years, I was just fitting the OD of the Bushed End in a length of heavy pipe and just push it around by hand to do this.

The rack in my wife's Moke I rebuilt using a Bronze Bush around 1984 or 85 and it's done over 300 000 km since then. I have had to replace the gaiters a couple of times in that period, but otherwise, I've not touched it.

[Spider]

While I haven't done many racks Gary, I haven't found eccentricity to be a problem. The Unipart man told me that if their reconditioning/exchange contractors found that, it'd indicate a distorted rack.

Hmmm, I have rebuilt two of them and both absolutely needed to be aligned because the original bushing (felt or 3 point plastic) are tolerant of the relative misalignment of the two ends because they allow for the inner rack to aim in a suitable direction (it doesn't really need to be concentric all the way across). It works but is not optimal. When you use a precision bushing it removes the ability for the inner rack to aim any way it needs to hence the binding problem. I first saw this mentioned by Spider and indeed it is a real issue that needs to be addressed if you use a precision reamed bushing:

If you look at the later plastic type bushes, they don't make a 360 degree contact with the rack, put have 3 fat points. Best I can determine, they are made that way to allow for misalignment and also to reduce friction.

I have been doing the bushes in Bronze going back to the early 80's. I bore them undersize, press them in, then ream them once fitted up. Then I align the bush end of the rack to the other end. It is easy to do, the rack will lock up if you don't. These days, I do this by fitting the inner so it comes up flush-ish to the pinion end then between V Blocks in the press and a block of shaped timber to press against, straighten it up using the inner as a gauge until it lands central in the pinion end, I just do it by eye. They don't need much force at all to bend them. For many years, I was just fitting the OD of the Bushed End in a length of heavy pipe and just push it around by hand to do this.

The rack in my wife's Moke I rebuilt using a Bronze Bush around 1984 or 85 and it's done over 300 000 km since then. I have had to replace the gaiters a couple of times in that period, but otherwise, I've not touched it.

That is a good point you raise here Gary. While I don't think I've touched on it in these threads for our Mokes, the Racks I refurbish for them have a Bronze Bush, that I fit and then ream to size in place. I then inert the Inner and then with just about every Rack, have to bend the body to align it all, or else, they will be locked up tight.

[1071 S]

Hi all, does anyone know if there is anyone out there who rebuilds/refurbishes mk1 steering racks please? Many thanks

Where are you?
I rebuild our Australian made steering racks regularly.
The UK made Mk 1 racks I only do for concourse restorations, as the parts are almost impossible to find, but we have enough second hand racks that I can build one out of many if needed.

What would you recommend for an Aussie 850 with the English MK1 rack? Mine needs looking at, I’m not concerned with originality but just want something decent quality

However, when I swapped for a UK Mk II rack people thought I was taking advantage during Motokhanas. The 3 foot reduction in turning circle had nothing to do with my times...

Cheers, Ian

BTW Does anyone know if you can get good rebuild kits for Mk II racks??

[timmy201]

My mechanic noticed some play in the LH side of the rack when the wheel was turned all the way to the right (so LH side extended). Would this point to the felt bush on that end, and is that able to be replaced?

It is a UK Mk1 rack

[Peter Laidler]

At the moment I'm sat here saying '.......most strange.....' under my breath Timmy! It indicates to me that the rack part of the shaft is slightly worn where it slides through the bearing situated at the left side of the rack. It's not where the rack usually wears. Wear usually takes place in the area where most movement of the rack takes place. If it was mine, I'd be happy if it was free of any slop at the central span of the rack.

Also bear in mind that there's more leverage for the big fisted Aussie VM to hold onto when the rack is fully extended out to the left.

We don't know whether your pommy rack has a felt or nylon bush. In my limited experience you can hear the rack clonking slightly , even when you gently accelerate or decelerate when the bearing is knackered because of the........ anyway.....