Randall rack install...

With regard to bookkeeping issues, a single open thread of this kind is probably the least useful as a long term resource. The reason I say this is that too much irrelevant information and posting will inevitably find its way into the thread and eventually make disseminating information from the thread tedious and tiring. And since you are intent on doing this thread "correctly" and maintaining the clear purpose you set out with (for which I commend you), I'd like to suggest a more typical publishing approach to the process. With this in mind, I suggest doing a defintive documentation of your conversion and observations away from this thread, but continue to share all of the information as you acquire it along the way (i.e. research and development). After completing your separate documenation of the conversion, including any appropriately credited outside contributions and/or observations (including this thread as a whole), I suggest offering it up for editing to several folks for input and questions. Upon completing any edits and clarifications, I think a finally PDF would be an excellent way to distribute and share the final work.

Relatedly, I would prefer your original posts stay unedited so as to maintain the integrity and linearity of the process and the thread. Doing otherwise calls into question any contributions that are made and then edited, which also may undermine trust in the free flow of information a thread like this ideally provides.

Make sense?

BTW, can you tell I've spent way too much time doing academic research and writing and documenation and article submission and blah blah blah...?

Completed steering column modifications today

Hey just wanted to note a couple of things for you:

1). The instructions don't say anything about the orientation of the flycuts on the steer shaft. This is a little thing, but...If you orient the fly cuts correctly the alignment mark at the steer wheel end will line up correctly with the dot on the steering wheel in the straight ahead position. When I was doing alignments, it was one of the things I would check and correct. In my case the fly cuts ended up being parallel to the indicator mark on the steer shaft. I also only needed to go back 3". Then I welded the collar to the shaft, and spot welded the coupler to the column tube. Used a chop saw for the column tube and for getting the correct length of the steer shaft. What an awesome tool.
Also it is suggested to have a machine shop fly cut the original shaft as this dimension is fairly critical (nneds to fit snuggly in double "D" coupler). If you are careful you can do it yourself. Again, I marked the shaft then used a hack saw. Kept it slightly to the large size and used the fine wheel of the grinder to carefully finish off the cuts. Took about 1/2 hour, and gave me some much needed upper body excersize.

2). Picked up all new steer column to firewall seals, and a new turn signal switch as it is much easier to deal with while it's on the bench.

3). To facilitate a quick and easy dissassembly I removed the column then used a hack saw (a Sawsall would have been easier) to cut the shaft off at the box. My old box is in the garbage can. You may be able to get the sector gear cap bolt off, I couldn't. This kept me from having to disconnect the ptiman arm, or drag link, and farting around trying to get the whole box and shaft out as one piece. In fact since I'm replacing the entire front suspension system, I was able to drop the whole thing out, including the sway bar as one assembly. Took a little less than 2 hours, including the column. Then with the old front end out in the driveway I undid the sway bar end links and the tie rods to make everything small enough to fit in the garbage can.

HTH,

Scott

dbfarr said:

Currently i am changing the oil pan gasket as it was in sad (prev. owner overtightened cork gasket) shape. This has to be done first unless i want to realign the car after removing the rack at a later date.

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Get one of those new rubber one-peice units. Best invention since sliced bread!

dbfarr said:

Ok, so the steering box. Either the Flaming river box has no play in it and my idler arm is cheap garbage or the box does have play in it (either its a bad unit or, no matter what, the saginaw system has play. I have seen article that claim otherwise).

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This is an interesting question....I put a FR 16:1 box in my car and depending on the road surface there's play, on others the steering is really tight and responsive, perhaps it's my front suspension wandering? or could I possibly have a bad box?

I was originally going to go r&p but figured that I would try the cheaper alternative. The steering is certainly better than before, but having a car that would have consistently tight steering would be nice.

Tcp

I went power and I'm switching it back to a manual rack. Go to the classifieds if anyone's interested.

Okay, well I'm getting ready to install the randalls rack as well. My question now is that I am thinking of changing over to a tilt steering column. Does anyone have any suggestions about which one to go with? I have emailed Randy as well and hope to hear from him this week. Just wondered if anyone else has thought about or already done this.

i have an original tilt column that i will modify to work with the randalls rack when the time comes

Good info here. With all the effort put into this write-up it should go into a Stangnet Tech Article http://www.stangnet.com/Tech-Articles.html

Randall's rack doesn't work with stock clutch linkage

That said, it will not be that hard to fabricate a bracket, and modify the bell crank to make it work for my 6 cylinder. Randy was positive he told me this. I'm sure he did. He's a straight up guy. I must have had selective hearing though, because I was sure not too happy when I went to install the steering column this evening, and the link goes squarely through the area that the clutch linkage would be.

I doubt the bracket I fab up would work on a V8 with headers though. A cable clutch or hydraulic clutch is the ultimate solution in that case.

Moral of the story... close mouth and open ears when speaking with Randy.

Scott

Any updates? Very interested in this install!

jim

Randall Racks is out of Canada

66Runt said:

It's a personal thing for me.

When you put 20K into updates/upgrades, what's $200.00 when you get quality made in the good old U.S. of A. parts.

And no, I don't use those cheap rebuild kits. But again, it's a personal thing.

Scott

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Update?

Don - How is your write up coming along? Looking forward to reading it. I'm either doing the TCP or Randals before spring gets here and was hoping to get some good insight from your install. I'm also installing into a Cougar.

Thanks, jim