Sheesh.. I feel like such a newbie!

so, about to install the rack.. but it seems that the boots will rub against the lower A arm bolts no matter what..

I 'think' the order is

crossmember
spacer
rack busing
washer
bolt head

if I move the washer to between the crossmember and spacer it ALMOST clears.

this is a no name crossmember, but it measures the same as the TCI version I have partially installed on the 54 chassis in the corner.

Sam

 

Don't feel bad Sam. I AM a newbie to MII's and the instructions to these things are horribly incomplete. My instructions were 2 copied pages, and once I got the strut rods installed, I was on my own. And apparently every manufacturer is that way. Which bolts are you talking about on that lower A arm? The ones that hold the lower shock mount? I can't remember why, but I had to flip that bolt around and put the nut on the back side because I could tell something was gonna rub when I eventually bolt my rack on. But you may be talking about another bolt.

But I would tend to agree with you. I would assume any supplied washer would go between the rack housing and the head of the bolt. Mine is chassis engineering. And I've already noticed that I have nothing more than the 2 bolts and lock nuts to install mine.

 

yes the lower A arm bolts.. ok, so you put the bolt head on the back side..
I thought of trying that..

this kit came with NO instructions.. I asked for them, they said 'sorry'.. (guess thats the $500 savings!)
so I've used the TCI instructions from my other kit.. and almost everything is identical.. but I hadn't done the actual final install over there.

thanks..
I'll post some pics.. later today
Sam

 

Credit where credit is due…………other then for the sway bar, the instructions on the Heidts kit were not bad, for an old dummy like me.

 

It must be a real good copy of a TCI because their rack mounting also has the boots just touching the big acorn nuts for the lower arms. Have never seen it cause a problem. Spacing the rack slightly forward for clearence won't hurt a thing.
One note, TCI used to (it's been a couple of years since I've been installing them) give you two spacers that went under the rack bushings as it mounted to it's brackets on the crossmember. Seems to me they were about 1/2-5/8" thick and the diameter of the rack bushing.

 

Sam, I've got the TCI kit and the through bolt for the lower control arm needs to have the bolt head to the front. Mine just brushes the bellows at full droop. The rack sequence is the bolt goes athrough the big washer then the rack mount, then the spacer then through the cross member bracket, washer and nut.

 

I have the Heidt's rack and crossmember. They have a spacer that goes between the rack and crossmember that puts everything out far enough not to rub. If you leave the spacers off they will rub the boots.

Here's a link to their illustration:

http://www.heidts.com/_uploaded_files/in-082.pdf

Also Heidt's has a rack extension that puts it 2" wider for our trucks. I wonder if maybe you need the extensions for your rack.

 

yeh, they said, "oh, you didn't get the extensions?"
...

nice

sam

 

Oh yeah, those extensions are a necessity. Mine is a chassis engineering setup. They told me that if you go with a power steering rack, you don't need them. But you do for the manual rack.

But I'm still worried about your spindles. Did they say anything about that?

 

this is a power rack.. so maybe that is the problem.. but the TCI kit with power rack has the longer tierod ends as shown in one of the pics

not got to the guy on the balljoints yet..

Sam

 

Just noticed the goof in my previous post, it's 4 inches not 2. I have the power rack and it does need the extensions.

They add 2 inches to each side, not 4 inches to one side, otherwise you get bump steer.

 

I sometimes wonder if all the people who are selling these things really know what they're talking about. And the various brands and designs are SO much different than each other. I looked under my buddy's 36 Ford truck the other day. He has an actual Mustang II original suspension under it. I just stood there shaking my head--these kits are the same basic premise, but they are so much different from that and from each other nowadays. If there's one thing I've learned about these things, you'll hear a lot of "oh yeah, you'll need......" and "no, our product requires....." after you've shelled out the cash and think you have everything you need.

 

The best thing you hear from them is "We have never had that problem before"

 

TCI's power rack is actually based on a '87 T-Bird. The rack body is a Mustang II but the tierod ends are longer.

 

The racks measure the same length, but the new kit has the short tierod ends

Sam