Quick Rack

[endakillian]

Just wondering if anyone has any expierience fitting a quick rack kit to the Manta?

I bought a steering rack which was supposed to have the quick gears already fitted but when i checked it it seemed to be 3.5 turns to lock (standard) instead of 2.4? I checked it by marking the pinion shaft,then turning it full lock and counting the turns until at opposite lock. Result-3.5.

I then went about ripping my own standard Gte rack and when i removed the pinion shaft it looked completely different indicating that the other may actually be a quick rack?

2 pinion shafts (standard one is the long one).....

The biggest problem i have now though is the difference in the ends of the pinion shaft. The one which is supposed to be the quick one has a splined end which doesn't seem right..or does it? How do i fit it to the lower universal joint? Am i missing a part?

Hopefully some of you may have fitted one and can tell me where i'm going wrong.

Cheers.

[mantasrme]

A quick rack will have more turns when checked off the car, than it will have once fitted

Because the rack doesn't bottom out at full lock, the uprights touch against the lower arms to limit steering angle.

So your new rack could indeed be a quickrack, which i've seem in anything from 2.5 down to 1.75 (like mine )

The standard rack has that horrible rubber bush/UJ fixed to it

whereas quickracks require a new 2nd UJ (like the top one on the manta column as standard)

All my quickracks have had the same fitting on the new pinion shaft as the link bar (2 flats and 2 half rounds with a groove for the bolt)

Your pinion shaft looks like the old escort mkII spline, if my memory serves me right.

I'm sure i've had a U/J with a spline one end and the double flats the other, can't remember where from now though

Oh and your new pinion certainly looks 'Quicker' than the original one

[endakillian]

Yes the pinion definately is 'quicker' alright. I'm just stumped now on how to mate it to the rest of the column. I'm gonna have to find some sort of matching spline to fit it really aren't i? Thats not gonna be easy!

[mantasrme]

I can offer 2 suggestions to get it mounted

Either get a double spline lower UJ and a new intermediate shaft with spline lower (and either weld into your upper joint, or machine the flats and groove into it)

Like This and This Not sure this is the right spline for yours but other sizes are available

Or you can get U/J's with disimilar ends in them and use the standard manta link bar

Not sure if you can get one from the UK but there's loads listed in the states like on Here

Oh and the standard manta fitting is refered to as '3/4" DD'

[endakillian]

Been going over this on TotalOpel as well and i think i've established that the pinion shaft in mine seems to be an early Chevette pinion.Could it be a Chevette rack?(It is bolted to the X-member and does fit) or could it possibly be just a chevette rack and pinion in a Manta tube? I have found a few options that will fit so that i can mate it to the rest of the Manta column( http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GSV1027)but it still doesn't fix the problem that it isn't a quick rack? I might be just better getting the proper quick rack and fitting it? The car will only be for road/fast road use-in you're opinion is it worth my while fitting the quick rack?

[mantasrme]

If its only giving you 3.5 turns lock-lock when fitted to the subframe than i wouldn't bother fitting it.

Its going to be hassle getting it connected up and only give you the same as a standard GT/e rack would, which bolts straight on.

A quick rack transforms the feeling of a manta and i always have them on my fast road cars

Quaife do the kits but they aren't cheap (mine was about £125 a couple of years back)

Their kit is purely a new pinion and rack (no bushes/casing or anything else), like this

Is this for your 400 kitted manta (as pictured at bottom of your post)

If so i have no experience of big wide tyres and a quickrack (well nothing over 205 wide) so not sure how heavy the steering will get

Of course you can always add a power steering column to lighten it again.

Infact i think i might have the internals from a quickrack in the garage, i'll have a look for it tomorrow and see.

[endakillian]

If its only giving you 3.5 turns lock-lock when fitted to the subframe than i wouldn't bother fitting it.

Its going to be hassle getting it connected up and only give you the same as a standard GT/e rack would, which bolts straight on.

A quick rack transforms the feeling of a manta and i always have them on my fast road cars

Quaife do the kits but they aren't cheap (mine was about £125 a couple of years back)

Their kit is purely a new pinion and rack (no bushes/casing or anything else), like this

Is this for your 400 kitted manta (as pictured at bottom of your post)

If so i have no experience of big wide tyres and a quickrack (well nothing over 205 wide) so not sure how heavy the steering will get

Of course you can always add a power steering column to lighten it again.

Infact i think i might have the internals from a quickrack in the garage, i'll have a look for it tomorrow and see.

If you have that would be great!

Yes i am fitting an electric power steering column so wide tyres shouldn't be a problem.

What you're saying is very true-no point in going to all that trouble to just end with standard lock?

Cheers,

Enda