First here is my set-up:
Flaming River 1508-Q Quick Ratio Steering rack
Maximum Motorsports Steering shaft with bump-steer kit
Car is a 94 Convertible, lowered with FMS C-Springs. I have 275/40/17 Nitto 555 Radial tires in front. My alignment is roughly 5 degrees caster, -1.5 degree camber, 0” Toe. I use the car as my daily driver to and from work (100 miles a day, country roads). So far I have about 500 miles on the steering set-up (one week).
I will state that MM sent me two messages to say that manual steering is a step back in technology and not to do it on a street car.
If you do a lot of parking lot or tight spaces driving do not do this. As of about 10 MPH I can steer with one hand. At driving speed I can follow the roads without problem. It no longer is so easy to steer that I can use one finger like my power steering was, however I can easily drive with one hand without getting tired. 90 degree turns take both hands. I need to pull a U-turn in my work parking lot and it takes both hands. I have noticed that it is hard to turn fast.
When I pulled the PS pump I also disabled my A/C. With my BBK U/D pulleys I am using a 70.5” belt. I bought a ribbed idler pulley for a 2000 ford explorer 5.0. The car has noticeably more power. Probably a solid 15 hp at the wheels. But my power steering was pretty much shot. When I bought the car with 123k miles the power steering fluid was full of metal shavings. Even after a few drains and refills it was better but the fluid was still pretty bad.
Even with the quirks, my whole car is quirky and I am glad I did this. Don’t be afraid of manual steering on the street if you do not live in the city…
Flaming River 1508-Q Quick Ratio Steering rack
Maximum Motorsports Steering shaft with bump-steer kit
Car is a 94 Convertible, lowered with FMS C-Springs. I have 275/40/17 Nitto 555 Radial tires in front. My alignment is roughly 5 degrees caster, -1.5 degree camber, 0” Toe. I use the car as my daily driver to and from work (100 miles a day, country roads). So far I have about 500 miles on the steering set-up (one week).
I will state that MM sent me two messages to say that manual steering is a step back in technology and not to do it on a street car.
If you do a lot of parking lot or tight spaces driving do not do this. As of about 10 MPH I can steer with one hand. At driving speed I can follow the roads without problem. It no longer is so easy to steer that I can use one finger like my power steering was, however I can easily drive with one hand without getting tired. 90 degree turns take both hands. I need to pull a U-turn in my work parking lot and it takes both hands. I have noticed that it is hard to turn fast.
When I pulled the PS pump I also disabled my A/C. With my BBK U/D pulleys I am using a 70.5” belt. I bought a ribbed idler pulley for a 2000 ford explorer 5.0. The car has noticeably more power. Probably a solid 15 hp at the wheels. But my power steering was pretty much shot. When I bought the car with 123k miles the power steering fluid was full of metal shavings. Even after a few drains and refills it was better but the fluid was still pretty bad.
Even with the quirks, my whole car is quirky and I am glad I did this. Don’t be afraid of manual steering on the street if you do not live in the city…