Originally Posted by Dr G

Hi folks,
Some pics of the No Limit straight axle rack and pinion steering kit as promised.



A I mentioned already, my first driving impression of this kit was very good. The steering is very precise, with no free play, as one would expect I suppose from rack and pinion.

Installing the rack on the axle was pretty easy. Attaching the steering arms is also easy, once you remove the stock steering arms. For this I used a bearing puller, which made short work of it. Very handy tools to have around.



The rack is offset to the driver’s side, so one tie rod is short and the other long. This would be a huge no-no with control arm suspension as it would induce bump-steer. But here since the rack, steering arms and tie rods all move as a unit during suspension travel, it is not such an issue. In theory you do get some Ackerman effect, as the rack sits forward a bit of the tie rod ends, thus the tie rods being different lengths means that the driver’s side wheel turns a bit more than the passenger side. But this would only really manifest itself when the wheels are turned at full lock, in which case you’re going pretty slow and won’t notice.





Since the rack moves up and down with the axle, the kit uses a collapsible steering shaft to connect to the column. And this shaft is constantly expanding and contracting with suspension movement. The collapsible shaft is a simple Double-D affair, but comes with an accordion dust boot and Zerk fitting to allow you to keep the joint well lubed. The collapsible shaft must be cut to length by the installer, and this is something that took some thinking. In my case my steering column is long (36”), and protrudes about 6” into the engine compartment. So I have a very limited range with which to work to accommodate full compression and full droop on the steering shaft without it bottoming or worse, becoming disconnected. The Zerk fitting actually acts as a stop to prevent this from truly happing, but it is still something I wanted to steer clear of (no pun intended).



No Limit gives some instructions on what to measure, and some math, to figure out the correct length. But I preferred to figure it out myself. With a shorter steering column (like the 30” that is usually recommended) it would have been a lot easier to get the steering shaft length sorted. I may still go that route in the future just to get some extra margin, but it is working fine for now. I used the new Bilstein shocks as droop limiters to help out.
The PS fluid connections are AN6 (high pressure) and 3/8” (return). I used some Aeroquip lines that I had made up at a place in Northridge near my house (Orme Brothers). Actually, I did up one of the connections after cutting the hose to length, and of course that is the one that blew off during my initial purging of the system. I took it to Earl’s in Hawthorne (near my work) and they fixed it free and admitted that hose/end fitting was one of the toughest to do right, so I did not feel like a complete idiot.



The total travel of the rack does limit your full lock steering potential a bit, relative to my BMW anyway. But I was still easily able to pull out of the driveway and back it in again, so nothing that is really an issue except during very tight maneuvers.


The only other gripe is that the (custom made) tie rods do not have any wrench flats for use in turning them to adjust toe. I had to use vice grips, which is pretty cob and unnecessary if there were some flats machined in.
I do not know what this rack is from. Hopefully it is some type of Ford product (just philosophically), but I honestly have no idea. The rack weighs 16lbs with tie rods. The sway bar I removed weighs 18lbs and attaches to the axle, so in terms un-sprung mass it is a wash. And one you add the mass of the axle, brake rotors, calipers and wheels and tires, 16lbs is essentially in the noise. The rotors weigh 25lbs each. I weighed the calipers and wheels/tires also but do not have it with me. Probably close to 200 lbs for the whole front axle assembly, including that part of the leaf springs that moves with the axle. I will post the weights later.


So that’s about it. For those with leaf springs looking for modern steering feel, I’d recommend the No Limit R&P kit so far. If I encounter any issues down the road I’ll update the group.


Gustave