Rack and Pinion for a 58

[Tom's bird]

I am considering going to a rack and Pinion steering. I have found a few posts that show owners building special mounts and installing the various pieces. Has a company come out with a kit yet to make it simple?

I don't want to reinvent the wheel if I don't have to.

[c4clewis]

I had looked extensively up till about 2 years ago. As of then there were no kits.

[YellowRose]

Rack and Pinion for a 58

I also have been looking again for a company that makes Rack & Pinion kits for '58-'66 Tbirds. No one does, that I know of. I have only found one or two companies who make them for the Babybirds. One company who does told me that they have not created a kit for Squarebirds because the design of the Squarebird front end does not lend itself well to doing so. Words to that effect, though they might consider doing one, if they can find a donor car to work with. But there are no immediate plans to do so. The other reason I forgot to add was what Dave said. There is hardly no demand for '58-'66 Rack & Pinion setups, so there is no money to be made. So no one makes them.

[simplyconnected]

I am considering going to a rack and Pinion steering. I have found a few posts that show owners building special mounts and installing the various pieces. Has a company come out with a kit yet to make it simple?

I don't want to reinvent the wheel if I don't have to.

it's true that there is no 'across the counter kit' to bolt directly on your Squarebird. Believe me, you aren't reinventing the wheel because nearly every auto parts store across the USA has rebuilt rack gears including rockauto.com. They are VERY inexpensive, tie rods and heim joints are available through speedwaymotors.com, they use 'AN' (army/navy) standard fittings and they work with nearly every power steering pump out there. My '59 Galaxie uses the pump from my '90 Mustang.

You will however, remove the original steering box and idler arm, bolted on both subframes, and use the bolt holes for your own brackets to hold a rack gear. So, some fabrication is required, but not that much. Notice that rack gears are rubber mounted. This makes mounting very easy.

The real reason you don't find a kit is because there aren't enough Squarebirds out there to make kits profitable. We ran into this with firewall brackets for power brake boosters. I figure around two or three of our members actually do this conversion each year. Nobody will make tools to stamp out two parts per year. But hey, isn't that what 'restoration' is all about? I marvel when I see the custom work done on our cars in Australia and New Zealand, where they are far removed from our resources and shipping is through the roof. Good on you, mates. - Dave

[Yadkin]

A decent "how to" should be easy enough to do.

[OX1]

I think the last pump I would use would be a 80's ford pump. They work well enough, but many times whine loudly when there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. Rebuilds seem to be a crapshoot on fixing the whine, also. I use a standard Saginaw pump over the ford all day long.

it's true that there is no 'across the counter kit' to bolt directly on your Squarebird. Believe me, you aren't reinventing the wheel because nearly every auto parts store across the USA has rebuilt rack gears including rockauto.com. They are VERY inexpensive, tie rods and heim joints are available through speedwaymotors.com, they use 'AN' (army/navy) standard fittings and they work with nearly every power steering pump out there. My '59 Galaxie uses the pump from my '90 Mustang.

You will however, remove the original steering box and idler arm, bolted on both subframes, and use the bolt holes for your own brackets to hold a rack gear. So, some fabrication is required, but not that much. Notice that rack gears are rubber mounted. This makes mounting very easy.

The real reason you don't find a kit is because there aren't enough Squarebirds out there to make kits profitable. We ran into this with firewall brackets for power brake boosters. I figure around two or three of our members actually do this conversion each year. Nobody will make tools to stamp out two parts per year. But hey, isn't that what 'restoration' is all about? I marvel when I see the custom work done on our cars in Australia and New Zealand, where they are far removed from our resources and shipping is through the roof. Good on you, mates. - Dave

[simplyconnected]

...They work well enough, but many times whine loudly when there is absolutely nothing wrong with them...

If you hear one whine, it's probably old and worn out.
None of them whined for years after leaving the factory and I can't say one brand is any better than another. I've heard all brands whine, usually when the fluid is contaminated with black debris from the pump vanes.

If my auto parts store sells one that whines they will gladly take it back. Oh and, mine is quiet. It has never been serviced since 1989. I drove it through the 5.0-HO, the 351W and now the Y-Block, flawlessly for over 200k miles. - Dave

[OX1]

Yes, some of the factory originals don't whine (my 86 Capri bought new just started with 86K miles). Many of the crappy remans do. You can find 100's and 100's of threads of fords whiney PS pumps, even when not needing service or new fluids.

Anyway, if you are going to custom fit a pump, no reason not to use a sag. Even ford did on many apps, like their HB cars.

If you hear one whine, it's probably old and worn out.
None of them whined for years after leaving the factory and I can't say one brand is any better than another. I've heard all brands whine, usually when the fluid is contaminated with black debris from the pump vanes.

If my auto parts store sells one that whines they will gladly take it back. Oh and, mine is quiet. It has never been serviced since 1989. I drove it through the 5.0-HO, the 351W and now the Y-Block, flawlessly for over 200k miles. - Dave

[Yadkin]

I have a Sag on mine because that's what March uses on their serpentine systems. It's the only pulley on the system that wobbles.

[OX1]

I have a Sag on mine because that's what March uses on their serpentine systems. It's the only pulley on the system that wobbles.

But does it whine

[Yadkin]

But does it whine

No, that would be my daughter when I ask her to do the dishes...