Joined: Wed Dec 21 2005, 07:34AM
Location: indiana
Posts: 791
In my estimation: If you want to do this as a rear-steer unit you would need brackets as long as the lower portion of the oilpan (6-8"?) to mount a rack, and it might not even fit under the rear section of the oilpan anyway. The idler arm and gearbox areas of the frame will be too far side-side to grab any rack I've ever seen. Steering shaft angles will also be pretty severe to reach the rack's input.
If doing it as a front steer, well, that would require a whole redesign of the lower balljoint / steering arm end, not to mention a steering shaft with lots of U-joints to get to the front of the crossmember.
In spite of how 'simple' someone might claim this modification is, I ask: Why do it? Yeah, new-car steering feels nice and responsive, but is it worth 50 hours of research and fab to put it on a C when the end result is not known, not guaranteed to be safe, and might not be easily reversible if it doesn't work?
My recommendation is throw the car on a lift, hold a junk rack from some brand-x car in your hands and see what you're in for.
Joined: Thu May 01 2008, 11:15AM
Location: Chicago,IL
Posts: 2868
Chris, I'll agree with you that I would not in any way call this a simple thing as is implied above. The benefits that I could see in it are 1. Improved steering feeling, esp. off center 2. Reduced front end weight, reduced weight in steering components for better response 3. Room for headers and /or power adders with custom steering shaft and no box in the way.
Joined: Wed Dec 21 2005, 07:34AM
Location: indiana
Posts: 791
After I typed all that and submitted it I thought maybe I sounded too harsh - the last thing we want is this site to turn into Moparts. I gotta stop going over there, I'm starting to become a know-it-all like many of those guys.
Brian - There is a bare subframe at my buddy Tim's, so if you can get a rack to evaluate you could pay a visit and eyeball things from all angles. I just think you'll get more bang-buck putting your time in other areas of your car first.
Don't worry Chris you know I am slow to take action on anything. I watched the mock up on my neighbors car and remember this question asked before and someone answer with "it has been done before" I am looking at it and I do have a good candidate rack already "no money involved" I will work on it while I finish the bodywork on the beasty. By the way I still need to come up and see you.
Is a dakota R&P going to fit or bolt right in,NO.Is it going to take a bunch of weekends tring different racks and ideas and a few beers with some good freinds to build a unit,YES.Some busted knuckles and a few onces of blood,maybe,BUT,when the first one is done,and then refined,do you think that there might be a few C-body memebrs beating a path to your door asking for one,you bet your white ass there will be.And when the system is down to simple bolt in or place and weld and then install,every one will say,WHY did some one think of this 20 years ago,as I am cahing the cheques,mrmopartech
Joined: Thu May 01 2008, 11:15AM
Location: Chicago,IL
Posts: 2868
I think there's more than a few of us willing to write that check, so get to work!
I think most people's concern is not the part about making it physically fit in there, it's the performance afterwards- avoiding bump steer and other geometry problems. These issues can (and have) plagued OEM designs (the transverse t bar comes to mind) so that's where the worry is, not an attack on you personally.
Joined: Thu Mar 01 2007, 09:30PM
Location: Houston
Posts: 1735
This is another one of those tasks that people like Mopartech are quick to call easy - of course they've never actually done it.
I'd say it's easy to fit a rack under there. It's very difficult to fit a rack under there that would meet the standards that would have been used by Chrysler in 1970.
Bump steer, clearances, longetivity, reliability. Those are words you never seem to hear the magazines talk about.
A rack and pinion is a C-body is really an answer to a problem that hardly exists. In proper condition, the factory pieces are hard to beat.
As for using a Dakota rack, why would you want to do that given the numerous problems Dakotas had with their steering?