Rack and Pinion problems?

[DJE55]

Hey guys, I'm a newbie here. I have a 67 vert that I just got on the road (almost). I took it down the street and the steering feels awful. I have the Flaming River Rack and Pinion set up and the car just steer funny. When you turn the car, the wheel doesn't come back to center. It just keeps turning until you pull the wheel back to center. I have heard a lot of complaints about the FR kit and don't know what to do. Any advice?

 

[gonzothegreat]

First thing I would do even before seeking advice here: I would call Flaming River.

 

[65 fastback]

Have you had the car aligned yet? Return to center is a function of the Caster setting in the alignment. My TCP rack and pinion did the same thing until I got it aligned. I would have them dial in 2.5 degrees of positive caster.

Tim

 

[DJE55]

It has been aligned but it was just a quick alignment to get the car down the road. I'm not sure he did adjust the camber setting. Thanks for giving me some place to look. I will call FR also, I just wanted to make sure I have all my loose ends tied up before I get them involved. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[65 fastback]

I'm not sure he did adjust the camber setting. Thanks for giving me some place to look.

The Camber setting has nothing to do with "return to center" of the steering wheel. It's the Caster setting that needs to be adjusted.

The original stock alignment setting for '64 - '66 Mustangs are:
Caster: -0.5*
Camber: -0.5*
Toe-In: 9/32"

The Performance alignment settings are:
Caster: +1.5° to +2.5°
Camber: 0 to -.5°
Toe: 1/8"

The biggest difference being in the Caster setting. Caster is the angle of the steering axis. If you were to draw a verticle line through the ball joints on the upper and lower control arms you would have 0 degrees Caster. If the lower control arm is moved toward the front of the car you would be increasing positive caster.

A positive Caster setting will help the car to track straighter and return to center more quickly after a corner. The easiest way to describe it would be to think of a bicycle and the angle of the front wheel fork. If the fork that connects the handle bars to the front wheel were to be straight up and down (0 degrees Caster) you would constantly need to steer to keep the bike going in a straight line. Now if the front fork were installed at an angle (think chopper - Positive Caster), you could take your hands off of the handle bars and the bike would continue to track in a straight line.

If the alignment shop used the stock Mustang alignment settings, that's your problem.

Tim

 

[geostang351]

The Camber setting has nothing to do with "return to center" of the steering wheel. It's the Caster setting that needs to be adjusted.

The original stock alignment setting for '64 - '66 Mustangs are:
Caster: -0.5*
Camber: -0.5*
Toe-In: 9/32"

The Performance alignment settings are:
Caster: +1.5° to +2.5°
Camber: 0 to -.5°
Toe: 1/8"

The biggest difference being in the Caster setting. Caster is the angle of the steering axis. If you were to draw a line through the ball joints on the upper and lower control arms you would have 0 degrees Caster. If the lower control arm is moved toward the front of the car you would be increasing positive caster.

A positive Caster setting will help the car to track straighter and return to center more quickly after a corner. The easiest way to describe it would be to think of a bicycle and the angle of the front wheel fork. If the fork that connects the handle bars to the front wheel were to be straight up and down (0 degrees Caster) you would constantly need to steer to keep the bike going in a straight line. Now if the front fork were installed at an angle (think chopper - Positive Caster), you could take your hands off of the handle bars and the bike would continue to track in a straight line.

If the alignment shop used the stock Mustang alignment settings, that's your problem.

Tim

I NEVER understood caster until that explaination.THANKS!!!!

 

[chepsk8]

That's definitely it.

It took three alignments to get my Cobra where I liked it. Definitely go back, and pay careful attention, test drive it again.

The rack will change how the car feels, as the turning circle will change, and be critical of bump-steer.

 

[DJE55]

Thanks for all the help guys. I will definately print this out and take it with me to get the alignment taken care of. Thanks again.