Now, before anyone comments... I did hours of research on this site- there was plenty to learn. I am new to this forum.

Upon my research of putting a rack and pinion into a FB, the largest problem seemed to be width, as the FC rack is simply to wide to use on the FB crossmember. I have a 13b GSL-SE with converted pwr. steering/ball type. I obviously want the precision of the rack steering without spending $700 on the Respeed conversion OR all the work making the FC subframe fit.

I do not mind fabricating a set of mounts for the rack and pinion. So, I have two questions- 1- does anyone know the measurements for the Miata rack? 2- has anyone tried it?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

uhh.sounds like hard work. id rather get an respeed rack and pinion conversion.

edit:
http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...82c523bde1d57b

let us know how it goes.

i dont like to scratch my head too much so id pay someone to scratch their head to fab a system up.

 

+1

just go to respeed. all the work has been done and its top nothc work

ww.re-speed.com

 

I just got my rack and pinion kit in the mail from re-speed yesterday, the work is beautiful, don't bother making your own setup....

 

Strangely enough the cheap, quick, and easy route usually ends up costing more, taking longer, and being more difficult in the end.

 

I agree. The amount of R&D that they've put into this system is astounding, and it shows in the quality of the final product. I really doubt that anybody would be able to fab up something on their own that would even come close, let alone cost less...

 

^^^ +76576508796857645678597687678987

 

uh, those weren't exactly the responses I was looking for. I don't mind the work. look, I don't want to toot my own horn here, so I will just simply state that I have all the skills and tools necessary to do this. I am not putting down the respeed kit. I just don't have $700 plus a rack to spend on just steering. I will let you guys know if I find anything out, or if I go ahead with the install.

 

It's odd, i was just thinking the same thing yesterday, putting a miata rack into an fb.

Well re-spedd says a fox body mustang rack is what they use, maybe you can get that to work?

 

sorry i don't have the answers to your questions on the measurements and such. however, if what you say is true, then why not just sign up on a Miata board and get the info you need.

personally, i would like to see you succeed with it. if i were to ever ditch the stock FB steering (i'm a geek, yes, i know), then i'd much prefer to use Miata hardware if i can.

good luck with it ...

 

Not to hi-jack this post but speaking of the respeed kit, does anyone know what they are using in the kit for outer tie-rod ends and if a person can buy them separate from the kit? I was thinking that there has to be a less expensive way to mount the fox Ford rack, but it must use different outer ends. Let me know how your kit turns out. I'd be interested in what you find out as well. Fab a couple heavy duty brackets and reinforcements, a shaft, a couple joints, and voila! instant rack!

 

The kit includes adapters that make the stock FB outer rods to work. I can't believe how cheap you guys are... if you saw the kit in person (like I finally have) you'd see how much time and work went into its design, its basically a whole new front end, with much more adjustability than the stock parts could ever have... plus its lighter and is sure to give much better steering....
Plus Ford holds the majority share of Mazda, so using a fox body rack is like using mazda parts
And no Billy isn't paying me to say this

 

^^ ive seen the rack in person. during its processing stages and final stages. you wouldnt believe how much work and effort was put into it. it, like all of respeeds products, are of top quality.

 

I do not doubt the 'awesomeness' of the parts from Respeed. I've been on the site and plan on doing the respeed kit in the future. But I say if fb44 wants to tackle the problem we should cheer him on. After all, if respeed had not tried to do it they would not be offering the great kit they now have for sale. FB44, Keep trying and let us know how it comes along.

 

Mr Wankel: Dude, I'm gonna bulld this bitchin engine with no pistons and like 3 moving parts! It is gonna be great!

Everyone else: Ferdinand down the street already built this bad assed air cooled flat four. Just buy his and be done with it! You can turbo the thing and its great!

I'm being smart assed but you get the point.

 

Miata is a front steer rack and pinion. 1st gen is rear steer. That won't worky work.

Too bad CP's rabbit rack had bump steer and that wonky angled u-joint.

 

Now back on to the Fox rack.....

 

By the way drivefast7, your REPU is cool as hell!

 

i understand what youre saying.

heres how i see it:

respeed spent all this time researching, designing, and creating this cradle. many different racks were looked at. using front steer vs rear steer was looked at, and so were MANY other obsticles. this kit is known to fit, work, and have top notch quality and workmanship.

im not trying to hinder the OP from his idea, but im just saying. itd save him a lot of trouble, time, and possibly a great deal of money lost to go with something that has already been in the engineering stages for quite a while.

trust me, im ALL FOR being creative, experimenting, and ingenuity. im also about saving cash and being logical. this just seems so much more logical to me.

to each his own.

 

If someone finds a way to create a nice rack and pinion kit for cheap that the average home fabricator would be capable of building, send me the dimensions of the parts used and I'll draw them up in Autodesk Inventor with a complete set of fabrication and installation instructions as well as a list of materials used. That's my job. I'm an engineer. I sit there and design and draw pump assemblies for drilling all day.

I can also stress test them in the program using FEA (finite element analysis) and tell you if your choice of material thickness is up to the job and also suggest different layouts if I feel you've got too much flex or if something needs to be redesigned. I can't really tell you if you'll get bump steer though. The program is capable but I'd literally have to draw the entire suspension up and I'm not taking the time to do that. It's actually pretty fun. I can do this at home too. I love my job!

 

I love to see guys come up with cool stuff and make it themselves. Give it a shot.

It seems like it would be as simple as finding a rack and fabricating a bracket to mount it and your done, but trust me, its a bit more involved.

A rear steer rack worth using will be hard to find. Front steer gets in the way of the stay rods. Proper rack location gets in the way of the stock engine mounting. There is a good bit to think about. How you tie the stock steering shaft to the rack is very important. The stock lower steering shaft has a worm screw built in so you will need to make a metric "DD" lower shaft that mates with standard imperial U-joints.

We spent a year thinking about it and refining things like these.

As far as our rack choice being "Ford" and wanting it on your "Mazda". In all reality This is not true. The racks we use are 100% brand new manufactured parts. They are designed as a direct replacement for the mustang but there are no stock "Ford" parts in them.

If you have the time, skills and desire to do it, I say go for it. Let us all know how it turns out.



-billy

 

You're better off mating the subframe (and associated suspension components) from either the FC or Miata. In doing so, you get the rack, and modern suspension design.

I'm not quite to the point of attaching the FC subframe to my SA, but I've looked at it... if you think you've got the fabbbb skillzzzz to convert a front-steer miata rack for use on a rear-stear FB then I don't see why you couldn't just as easily pick up an FC clip, or at least subframe, rack, CAs, struts, swaybar, etc., etc. and fab it together. Plus, you've got a wider variety (and probably cheaper) aftermarket suspension goodies.... which is important, because if you're worried about "precise" steering, you should be equally worried about better front-end geometry.

No offense to the McPherson strut, I just think there are 10 year newer designs available.

'Course, if you went Miata, you'd have *2* real control arms (per side)! Granted they'll bend if the neighborhood dog pees on 'em, but oooooh the geometry!!

 

Thanks guys, this is the kind of constructive dialog a guy needs to see if this is a feasible project or not. Not just someone saying buy this and that or your wasting your time. No offense bwaits.

 

I know that you have a desire to build, that's fine... How about just getting an automotive manual and learning how to adjust your current steering box. I rebuilt mine, and adjusted it. It's really not hard to do. It takes like 10minutes of reading and a diagram to understand the theory.

If I hadden't spent time sand blasting my suspension and re-building my steering box I would be interested in the respeed kit. I love the new subframe included.... Maybe one day I'll cave and get one, but for now I'm good.

 

wow, all the replies! thanks. a few comments...

1- Ford does NOT own the majority share of Mazda. It was around 40% last time I checked. I work for Ford and talk to Mazda employees often. It is true that both companies share technology.

2- If I had the money, I'd buy the respeed kit and a bunch of other parts. However, as a fabricator and technician I just can't see paying that much money. That's just my opinion, again, Im not knocking the kit.

3- Using the FC subframe is another option, and one that I have thought about. However, I would like to keep the FB as much a 1st gen as possible. The rack and pinion would be the only technologically updated part. I just- hate gearboxes on small cars.

All of this was simply my initial thought. I will try to take measurements tomorrow. At that point I will decide to try to make it work or use a different rack.

Again, thanks to almost everyone for the encouragement. To the others, I understand your opinion. This is actually the first forum I have been on where no one, so far, has verbally attacked me. Not that it really matters, but it just makes research more difficult.