No posts here for a while so I'll start a new thread. Any body ever look at putting a Pinto steering rack in a 240? New race type pinto racks are plentiful in the race car catalogs like Jegs for about $250.

--John B
'73 FP 240Z

 

Hi John,
Why? Do you just need a replacement and are looking to save some money? I've been running the 240 rack for a decade now and see no benefit to changing.

I do know John Anderson is running a power steering unit in his car. Not sure what it's out of, but he swears by it. I will ask him when I see him in a couple of weeks. Maybe take a few pictures for everyone.

Missed seeing you at the Austin race this past weekend... No one else showed up in FP. I was in the class , but I don't know if you could say I was driving!

Tom
FP29

BTW - I moved my website to http://sth2.com/Z-car/
Same old site, but faster and I put the videos back plus a couple of new ones...

 

Tom,


Optimistically, I can start giving you some competition this fall. Working out bugs on my car, although they are getting harder to pin-point now. The car is down to 1885# (according to the scales at the divisional) even with glass windsheld and hatch and it is accelerating pretty well even with the motor internal in stock form. People tell me it looks fast as S%$t on the course but my times are still way off. Most of the problem is driving of course, and hopefully seat time will take care of that.

I'm starting to coax maximum grip out of my setup I have and I find I am having a hell of a time controlling the car with all the grip. I am running out of muscle trying to do lane change/switch back manuvers and slower sections. I am actually thinking about taking up weight lifting, or rack ratios that require less effort or power steering!

Some of it is probably still due to imperfect alignment, everything is not as adjustable as it needs to be, and I am still trying to figure out what needs to be adjusted and how much...

The current 240 rack in my car is worn with slop when it is centered, and tighter off center but trying to adjust the slop out just binds it. Old u-joints and the steering coupler also add slop. Slop is not helping with the amount of effort that it is taking to control the car. It is not so bad with both hands on the wheel, but if the course has fast 3rd gear sections, followed by a slow 2nd gear section, I am having major problems holding on the wheel during shifting. It is fun watching the corner workers scramble out of the way when the car shoots off course but it doesn't do much for my times ....

To address that I got a bunch of nice circle track steering parts (and I have a 240ZXT collapseable steering shaft out of a column so I am legal) that will be used for the center section, so everything from the steering wheel down the rack will be tight. So I am thinking it while I am at it, a brand new steering rack would be ideal and be done with steering once and for all. Pinto racks are readily available in various ratios suitable for our cars and relatively inexpensive, and widely used in race cars.

I know what you mean about driving - I dnf'd 4 of my six runs Sunday. It was blazing hot at the 'dome. I think half the drivers were on the verge of heat stroke, a few left after 3 runs ...

--John

P.S. I hope I didn't kill your quota downloading the new videos!

 

I put a narrowed Pinto manual rack into a 1939 Ford Coupe awhile back. I think I purchased it through Fat Mans, as they use to offer a narrowed (2") front suspension set up, to allow more tire underneath the car. If you need more information, let me know. I need to dig through my paperwork on the car.

Speed.