Hey all. I'm currently working on an FC front subframe swap for my first gen and noticed my donor car was equipped with a manual rack. I was pretty excited to see this, considering my FB had manual steering and that's what I wanted. I noticed while spinning the pinion gear by hand it felt a bit notchy, and the body of the rack itself was quite rusty. anyway I degreased the body and cleaned up the rust a bit. the body itself was quite heavily pitted, and looks terrible. I might be able to clean it up well enough to look good in my car, but the notchiness concerns me. I pulled bellows, and found a layer of surface rust on the rack, along with some disgusting grease.

Would it be easier to clean up my current rack (paint, new inner tie rods, bushings, grease, etc) or just depower a remanufactured power rack? Quite frankly I have no idea what kind of grease to use, if that notchiness will go away, the fact that I've never done inner tie rods, and the bushings appear impossible to find.

 

If it is a true manual rack you've got, refurbish what you have if you're technically capable. The inner tie rods are cake.. There is a set pin that you'll need to tend to, but you'll see it once you degrease things.

Personally, I prefer the lightning sharp ratio of the three port power rack. Literally telepathic.

 

The labor involved is basically the same except with the power rack you must cut off some seals, weld the quill and plug the hose ports.
The notchiness you feel is probably the pinion>rack mesh, which is adjustable.
Strip that down, clean and inspect- most likely it's fine.

Given there's no labor advantage, the prime consideration should be the ratio you want.
True manual racks are the slowest at 20:1, the two-port power rack is 17:1 and the three-port is 15:1.
I've had all three and yes, the 3-port is significantly faster and would probably be great for auto-X or canyon carving but I thought it was too twitchy for everyday driving.
Now running the 20:1 manual rack and it's perfect for street use.

 

Yeah, the car will just be a street car, albeit a 350+ whp turbo FB so maybe the manual rack is best for me. It is a true manual rack, and I have no desire to buy parts I don't need, so If I can get away without buying a new rack that's perfect. Unfortunately, I had cleaned it a bit before taking these photos but here's how my rack looks:







That said, I should be able to get away with new inner/outers, boots, and grease after a good cleaning?

 

I'd think it's worth a try.
Before you buy the new parts, clean the rack and pinion, assemble and see if the notchiness has gone away.

 

X2 on clean them parts . Hit them rusty parts with a wire wheels to knock that rough stuff off and grease like no other . It's probably just the rust that's making it Notchey

 

Sounds like I'll be giving it a go then! What would you all recommend for grease? I haven't really found anything on the subject.

 

I used wheel bearing grease.