We needa R&P super thread. Blake made his own and he loves it from what I know. It would be cool to see links of what R&P's people run including the CP one. I allways loved the stock steering until I got some goot tires now I really feel the wonder, and I want desperatly to fix it!

 

Hmm, any updates? I can weld, and would definatly be up for this...

 

does anyone have any up close pics of the stock steering setup and the legacy one? particularly the shaft from the column and how it connects to the box/rack? i don't have a 7 at the moment, but i'll be in the same boat as pyro2 when i do get one. i do lathe work all day, and have a few ideas, but don't know exactly what i'm working with. the thought of welding a steering shaft seems a little sketchy to me unless its done the ride way.

 

welding the steering shaft shouldn't be a problem assuming you can weld competently. the one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that if we're gonna go with a front steer setup custom, or at least different knuckle arms will be needed, since the stock ones are rear steer, how are you guys planning on addressing this? The need for custom ones would be a good opportunity to modify the turn in etc to adjust for lowering springs etc. hmm...

 

I have a CP kit on my first gem. I thought it was more like 600+ plus the slow *** shipping and hidden 20.00 customs fee. I looked into building my own too. The problem is getting the geometry c orrect. Its not a simple make a bracket and bolt things on deal. The CP kit used a VW rabbit or shirocco manual rack. It hooks to the rx7 steering shaft via a small U joint and special made shaft. To install it you have to remove the gear box and drive a plastic sheer pin out of the stock steering shaft in the erea where the brake pedal is. This plastic pin is designed to break in a accident allowing the steering shaft to collapse. Getting that pin out and seperating the shaft is a real PITA! It can be built but by the time your done you could just buy one. Also theres the issue of calculating the suspension geometry. If its not correct the bump steer ,slip angles etc etc etc will make it handle worse than with wonder steering. The only way to ensure it will work is to install spherical bearing rod ends left and right hand thread and make everything adjustable. Then it would be well above most ppl to adjust thier own caster,camber..slip angles and toe until it worked. Even something as simple as a pan hard bar has a lot of engineering behind it to make it work properly. If you have a awful lot of free time to build one and try I give you a thumbs up for trying. But honestly I think its better to go with a known working unit. BTW the CP kit is pricy but really does work nicely. Just my opinion.

 

So far I've been a lazy *** and not made any progress on the R&P. I've been in a gathering mode for the project to get the little things that will make it run, and been messing with the V8 a bit and have to take care of some things on my DD.

The steering knuckles are an issue but I've dropped the tension rod to below the control arm using spacers to make room between the rod and the sway bar and frame, true I'm not yet sure how this will affect the geometry. There is allot that goes into making a complete aftermarket steering setup and I plan to get it right before I would even suggest that someone else attempt my set up. Once I get a working set up I plan to have someone that drives a stock FB to drive mine and give back to back opinions.

I would say that if you want a sure thing go with the CP kit. This for me is a solution to my V6 swap and I too plan to take the old SBC out and put a LS1 in that one and would require a front steer setup too, or other ungodly fab. work to an alu. oil pan that most wont touch.

I think most people on this board can come up with a R&P solution for less than $600 and the 4 month wait. However, I wouldn't mind paying the $$$ for a R&P kit that I would know worked with my set ups.

And too, I have no plans of making money off this at all. I love my first gen and most here seem to as well. If I can help others love their first gen more that's all I'm after. If someone commissions me to make and test a kit for them, they must understand that while I would do it, it is not my primary job and would be willing to wait and of course pay for my time to do it. Once I get it all sorted I will make my plans readily available...

If weather up here keeps up like it has I may make good progress soon and will update as milestones are passed.

Thanks for the interest, it give me the encouragement to get off my *** and do finish it up.

 

couldnt someone just make a template with their CP rack, make it better and tell everyone about it or sell it?

Im more worried about turning radius changes than a quicker sterring ratio.
I like the stock ratio just fine.

I dont see how the suspension changes alot by putting a new rack on. TOE would be the major thing affected I would think.

 

dp

 

I finished installing mine today, but I have to get it aligned. I won't be starting the car till Sat, so won't be able to give my opinion yet.

No steering play though

 

damn that looks nice, what rack did you use?

did you weld the mount to the "frame rails" or make a mounting plate?

looks like the mount is aluminum so i guess you had to make a plate...

what did you do about the steering shaft link?

 

www.cpracing.ca I bought it when it was $650 though, now I thnik it's $850

Back yard mechanic style

 

I think they use a VW Rabbit rack, can anyone confirm this?


how does the cp racing shaft work? complete replacement colum?

 

Woe that's a cute little inter cooler. Sofar my count is at 3 happy customers and 6 un happy with the rack. The biggest complaint is that it's slow in the center, and the tight loose tight loose thing it does, but that's supposed to go away after a few thousand miles.

 

ive been informed it messes your ackermen all up also and its turning radius can be somewhat less than stock.

probably doesnt matter on the street

 

I don't know who started this claim but it was clearly someone who never checked it. I've checked the turning angles of the wheels both left and right and they indeed give good correction for the difference in turning radius of the inside and outside wheels. Let's spread around substantiated information instead of conjecture.

 

im assuming you have a rack installed?

if i write you a few questions i would like checked out would you take a peek for me and try and answer them?

 

Sure

 

still interested in this thread, any update?

 

bump

 

rebump. Any news?

 

I take it this is not in the works anymore?

 

Sorry, I thought I posted an update. No this front steer set up is not in the works anymore. BUTTTTTT, I may have some better rearsteer related news by the end of april. With the better weather, I'm out in the garage and pillaging junk yards at an alarming rate.

And the overall goal is still the same, something that any '7 owner should be able to do easily. I went a little to far into the "custom this and that" side with the other project. And due to the demise of my then DD, I had to rearange project goals between 3 autos... thus the sale of the v8 set up and nixing the v6/SA project.

 

the rack that they use is definitely a mkII vw manual rack. Further, the stock RX-7 inner tie rod ends thread onto the rack. This is what the kit uses to connect the rack to the RX-7's knuckles. The small intermediate shaft with the 2 U joints is part of the stock mkII vw steering setup.

Find a diesel MkII VW at a junkyard and that should have everything you need. You will need to lift the VW engine up some to get the rack out, so bring a friend. The subframe that was provided with the kit I may be able to duplicate, thanks to Purple82.