Steering rack rebuild or buy a new one?

[Joes66]

Hi all
I need to get my rack fixed
I have asked a rebuild company to take a look at it and it needs a lot of parts coming to £560.00!
Is this a usual price?
I see SNG have racks much cheaper than that which are outright buys
Are these racks Chinese replacements?
Are they any good?
Should I rebuild my original one to keep the car original or get one of the cheaper racks from SNG?
Whats my best option?
Many thanks
Joe

[christopher storey]

What are the many parts needed according to the repairers. I ask because the usual problem with a rack is not anything fundamental, but wear of the bronze bush through which the rack shaft runs, allowing the rack to lift from the pinion . The bushes , so far as I know, are still available , and reasonably easy to replace with the rack off the car

[mgcjag]

Joe...Very few of SNGB parts are from China.....just give them a call and ask for details on the rack...im sure they will be very helpefull....Steve

[Joes66]

Thanks Steve I will do
The rack needed a tie rod and I asked them to quote for an 8:1 pinion
They said it was £385.00 to re build it plus the tie rod at £75.00 plus vat i guess and postage
What have others paid to get their rack rebuilt
Just seems a lot
Joe

[tim wood]

I used Kiley Clinton in Birmingham to rebuild mine a few years ago. Excellent job and not as expensive as your quote.

Tim

[Joes66]

Phoned SNG and they said their ones were made in the uk

[mgcjag]

Well there you go...not everything is made in China........Steve

[Robbiee]

Kiley-Clinton is the way to go ...they do a fantastic job
I’d always get the original rebuilt if possible
I’m not sure the gearing is quite the same on the repro ones either??(although this may not matter to many)
Robbie

[Joes66]

Kiley-Clinton are the guys i asked to look at it
Guess I will just have to go that route
Just its £160.00 more than a new one from SNG thats all
Joe

[tim wood]

PM sent

[Drive35]

Hi Joe
Had mine rebuilt by Propowersteering in Thurrock, Essex - http://propowersteering.co.uk/
Very quick service and cost about £300 just over a year ago. Has been working fine since.

Can't remember if yours is still LHD, but I have a spare worn out rack that you might be able to use for parts

[1954Etype]

Kiley Clinton are excellent. However, if they find a worn part they have to replace it and this could be expensive. Best off getting it checked out by them first for a quote (this will cost). We always replace the racks unless specifically asked to rebuild the original.

[Joes66]

Lots of small print there
And Kiley Clinton don't have any exchange units available
So no choice there
Joe

[chrisfell]

The Weak point of the rack on my car was the passenger side bush. It is too far from the grease nipple, gets dry and wears. It cost me a few quid, plus a few hours pulling the rack, and while it was out a fitted new mounts. That was when I discovered yet another bodge by the PO (a well known and now defunct seller of E-Types). Wrong failsafes, wrong fasteners. The rack end bush had to be cut out of the rack tube, not difficult. The new bush pushed in with only minor resistance.

I took wear out of the pinion by turning it upside down and reassembling. Less worn pinion teeth on the same worn teeth of the rack. I hope that has bought me another 100,000 miles. The drivers side rack bush had been well greased and had not worn.

The next job was adjusting the inner control arm joints. This requires setting it up with measured resistance. Not a big issue, but at 200,000 miles the components had worn and were most loose in the fully loaded position. Setting the resistance at this orientation meant more resistance when the suspension was unloaded, or the steering at full lock. I put up with the increased resistance to ensure minimum play when driving in a straight line.

This is, of course me working on my own car. I have to live with the consequences. But as the steering still self centres from full lock when moving forward, I know I have not created a greater problem than I have fixed. If this have been done by a professional workshop and a good price charged, I’d have expected more new or properly refurbished parts.

And while the rack was out I had the radiator recorded. And the header repainted, and the radiator surround, which also required a little structural repair. And I cleaned up the support brackets, remounted the Kenlowe fan, which gained a new override switch and telltale lamp......

All for just one worn bush.
Shipwright’s.
I think I caught it early this time.

This time.....

[abowie]

Short answer:
Just buy a new one.

It's what we have to do with all of our RHD conversion restorations as the LHD racks can't be converted. We have had zero problems with the new racks.

Longer answer:
Actually measuring the tolerances on the rack/pinion and tie rod balls is very difficult. Really all you can feel is slop. If you want to do it on the cheap yourself you can replace the pinion bearing, the rack bush and invert the pinion on reassembly, and see how it feels. You might be lucky.

Otherwise "professional" rebuild.

I'm not sure if the rebuilders are able to regrind the rack and pinion teeth, or correct errors on the ball/socket. This would be quite complex, require very specialised equipment and the surfaces would also need re-hardening.

So if there's wear on these parts it can only otherwise be remedied by replacing them. With new parts made in the same place as your brand new rack.

So you end up with the same repro parts as you would in your brand new rack, but with some of your old parts, for more than the cost of a complete brand new new unit.

[malcolm]

There speaks common sense! Well, sounds it to me anyway!

[politeperson]

On the subject of new racks, it was only by chance that I discovered one had been sent to me dry.
One side of one rack didn't have a drop of grease in it even after external lubrication .
Worth peeling back the bellows and having a look for some grease before you fit it.