Loose steering control
05-13-09, 12:16 PM
#3
Old [Sch|F]ool
Drive a 60's Chrysler for a week. BAM, RX-7 feels tight as a drum.
(Seriously... people who complain about FB steering probably grew up in modern cars and have no idea what BAD really is)
(Seriously... people who complain about FB steering probably grew up in modern cars and have no idea what BAD really is)
05-13-09, 01:19 PM
#4
Sleeper but still slow
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I refer you to RESPEED. I drove billy's widebody FB once and it had the rack and pinion steering upgrade and let me tell you, I am saving to get one myself. The lock-to lock was really short, like a go-kart's steering wheel travel, and it's efficient design actually makes it easier to turn the wheel at low speeds to park and whatnot, keep in mind, his car had a small cometition steering wheel and I still found it easier to turn than the boat wheel that comes on our cars with my current stock steering box.
05-13-09, 01:39 PM
#5
Environmentally-Hostile
After driving a thoroughly worn out 91 Mustang AND a 67 Mustang for quite a few years, the FB feels like a surgical instrument.
05-13-09, 05:42 PM
#6
My steering had gotten to the point where I had about 3" of rotation play in the steering wheel. Actively scary. New tires made it unavoidable.
Properly adjusting the steering gearbox got rid of almost all of it (down to about 1/2" now); enough so that I was able to detect that my idler arm bushings are in need of replacement (sitting on the bench right now).
I also noticed that one of my front tension bar bushings is coming apart, so all four of them are getting tossed too.
And my front bearings needed to be re-packed and reset to proper preload.
That should get things back to stock, as all other bushings and ***** are good.
A worm box will never be as tight & fast as R&P, but they can be pretty good for their era. I'm looking forward to being back there in the next couple days.
I have another worm box I'm refurbing, and it'll go in to give the current (original) box a chance for a cleanup.
Properly adjusting the steering gearbox got rid of almost all of it (down to about 1/2" now); enough so that I was able to detect that my idler arm bushings are in need of replacement (sitting on the bench right now).
I also noticed that one of my front tension bar bushings is coming apart, so all four of them are getting tossed too.
And my front bearings needed to be re-packed and reset to proper preload.
That should get things back to stock, as all other bushings and ***** are good.
A worm box will never be as tight & fast as R&P, but they can be pretty good for their era. I'm looking forward to being back there in the next couple days.
I have another worm box I'm refurbing, and it'll go in to give the current (original) box a chance for a cleanup.
05-13-09, 09:31 PM
#7
Lives on the Forum
Yeah, the steering on these cars can get pretty damn sloppy with age. But with a whole bunch of replacement parts, some specially modified tools with which to adjust the steering box, and many many painful hours with a large sledge hammer persuading stubborn parts to let loose, the steering can be tightened to the point that you will find you have larger issues to chase elsewhere.
Really though, its not all that bad. Basically you're just ripping off old parts and putting new ones on. Things like tie rod ends, ball joints, idler arms, and bushings, bushings, and more bushings. There is a potential for a small amount of "slop" in each of those parts, and that slop eventually adds up to a major problem. When taking these items off of the car, you get the enjoyment of hitting things with a hammer whilst having a valid and legitimate excuse for doing so. That alone makes the task nearly worthwhile. After that, its just a matter of assembling the new pieces together and getting a front end alignment done.
In the rare case that all of this does not remove enough of the slop to make you want to pursue other items of interest, then there is also a procedure for tightening the gear box up and getting it back into the shape that it was in when it came from the factory with a mere 1/2 inch of slop. There is a very detailed and incredibly complicated procedure that uses rocket science, algorithms, eye of newt, and slide rulers, that was put together (I believe) by Felix the RX7 enthusiast. And I must say that it is a very concise, meticulous, and highly impressive piece of work. This is an exellent method for those fortunate to have all of the needed items close at hand, and the months needed to learn to use them.
I, on the other hand, am of an extremely lazy nature, which forces me to find the least difficult route to an acceptable solution that it is possible to find. This makes me a great manager, but it also led to a writeup on a procedure for correcting the slop in the steering (once all worn parts have been replaced, of course) that only takes a few minutes and one slightly modified socket. I can't post the link to that procedure at the moment, but I will later when I get access to the right computer.
One last word on sloppy steering. When shopping for parts, choose a quality name like Moog. It really seems to make a difference, as I was loathe to find out in the long run. But even if you go cheap on every single part, make sure that the idler arm is made by Moog. They have a unit of completely different design, and it is a definite improvement on the original equipment. Much more heavy duty and should last much longer and give more accurate input. www.Rockauto.com has this part cheap, but you are welcome to purchase it at a 40% higher price by shopping at Mazdatrix or any of the other "specialty" providers.
But definitely take the time to do all of this. It is really not that hard if you don't let the task intimidate you. Its nothing but ripping off old parts and throwing on some new ones. And it is very much worth the effort. The improvement will make you happy that you didn't, and at the same time make you want to kick yourself for not doing it sooner.
On the other hand, I will also tell you that nothing will ever compare to a proper Rack and Pinion setup. So if you can afford to do it, then convert. You will not regret it. The one and only reason that I do not have the Respeed R&P setup is because it would push me into a new racing class in which I would have absolutely no chance of being competetive.
Best of luck, and I'll post that link later.
.
Really though, its not all that bad. Basically you're just ripping off old parts and putting new ones on. Things like tie rod ends, ball joints, idler arms, and bushings, bushings, and more bushings. There is a potential for a small amount of "slop" in each of those parts, and that slop eventually adds up to a major problem. When taking these items off of the car, you get the enjoyment of hitting things with a hammer whilst having a valid and legitimate excuse for doing so. That alone makes the task nearly worthwhile. After that, its just a matter of assembling the new pieces together and getting a front end alignment done.
In the rare case that all of this does not remove enough of the slop to make you want to pursue other items of interest, then there is also a procedure for tightening the gear box up and getting it back into the shape that it was in when it came from the factory with a mere 1/2 inch of slop. There is a very detailed and incredibly complicated procedure that uses rocket science, algorithms, eye of newt, and slide rulers, that was put together (I believe) by Felix the RX7 enthusiast. And I must say that it is a very concise, meticulous, and highly impressive piece of work. This is an exellent method for those fortunate to have all of the needed items close at hand, and the months needed to learn to use them.
I, on the other hand, am of an extremely lazy nature, which forces me to find the least difficult route to an acceptable solution that it is possible to find. This makes me a great manager, but it also led to a writeup on a procedure for correcting the slop in the steering (once all worn parts have been replaced, of course) that only takes a few minutes and one slightly modified socket. I can't post the link to that procedure at the moment, but I will later when I get access to the right computer.
One last word on sloppy steering. When shopping for parts, choose a quality name like Moog. It really seems to make a difference, as I was loathe to find out in the long run. But even if you go cheap on every single part, make sure that the idler arm is made by Moog. They have a unit of completely different design, and it is a definite improvement on the original equipment. Much more heavy duty and should last much longer and give more accurate input. www.Rockauto.com has this part cheap, but you are welcome to purchase it at a 40% higher price by shopping at Mazdatrix or any of the other "specialty" providers.
But definitely take the time to do all of this. It is really not that hard if you don't let the task intimidate you. Its nothing but ripping off old parts and throwing on some new ones. And it is very much worth the effort. The improvement will make you happy that you didn't, and at the same time make you want to kick yourself for not doing it sooner.
On the other hand, I will also tell you that nothing will ever compare to a proper Rack and Pinion setup. So if you can afford to do it, then convert. You will not regret it. The one and only reason that I do not have the Respeed R&P setup is because it would push me into a new racing class in which I would have absolutely no chance of being competetive.
Best of luck, and I'll post that link later.
.
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