Australia's Only Ultimate Classic Sports Car
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Australia's Only Ultimate Classic Sports Car
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| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 11) |
| Author | Comment |
Jesse
Feb 25, 08 - 3:01 PM |
Help with Nagari steering setup
Hi there. I was just after some technical advice. I have a friend who is fixing up a Nagari and was wanting to know what the best options are for upgrading the steering on a Nagari. Are there modifications that can be done to the standard steering rack or are there better options out there like a rack from another model car. I hope you can help. please reply to: jessetrapp@hotmail.com Thanks again Jesse |
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Dino33
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:03 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Hello Jesse If your mate owns a Nagari, I would suggest he joins a club in the state in which he lives. If he lives in Tasmania then he can join the Victorian club, if the ACT or Qld the NSW club. He can get the details from the club pages on the web site. That way he will get all the help he wants. Hope that helps |
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vidstud
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:04 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Dino, Are you suggesting the only way to get help is to be a club member? I'm a member and I would love to hear other members' ideas on alternative racks. |
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Dino33
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:06 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
John Firstly this thread is set up for members to exchange information, which I only wish they would. That is a no brainer. In no way in my reply did I suggest that other members not reply to his request, I just knew that would not happen. Second, if this guy's friend does own a Nagari I would have thought he would get all the information he wanted at a club level. And this is a club site, and as he sounds like he isn't, I simply pointed him in that direction. 
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bollie7
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:08 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
G'day Jesse, good to see you are still around. Do you still have the Mk7? re Nagari steering I'm in the same situation myself at the moment. I have the rack out of my Nagari to repair it. At some stage in its past it has been dissasembled and the rack itself has been wrapped up in cloth. Long enough for the cloth to get wet and the rack to start to rust. The solution used on it was to wire brush it and reassemble complet with the rust damage. You can even see the pattern of the fabric in the steel where it has rusted more where the threads of the fabric were and less in the spaces in the weave of the cloth. (hope that makes sense)As the Austin 1800 rack uses a felt bush in the end the result of the rough surface of the rack shaft is to flog the bush out in no time. I'm just in the process of trying to grind the shaft using a tool post grinder on my lathe. Haven't quite got it set up properly yet. Anyway the Nagari rack ( at least mine, which is a late car)is approx 680mm centre to centre of the rack end ball (tie rod inner)so we are looking for a rear mounted rack with at least that length centre to centre of the inner ball joint. I'll start doing a bit of research to see if there is anything around. I will be re installing the Austin 1800 rack on my car but I'm keen to see if there is an alternative for another project I have coming up. Another thing that I'm changing on mine is the rubber uni that connects the steering shaft to the rack. I'm buying a steering uni from Borgeson (www.borgeson.com)in the US. I ordered it last night. 5/8X36 spline one end, 9/16 smooth with the yoke unturned on the other. this gives a wall thickness of around 1/2" on the 9/16 end so I can machine 2 flats on it and drill a hole through the side for the cotter pin. Price $87 USD for the uni and $40USD for postage. contatc Gil Evans at Borgeson Gil@borgeson.com. I have already got rid of the other rubber uni under the dash. A torana steel uni was a direct replacement. Hope this helps. regards bollie7 |
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Simon
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:10 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Hi Bollie7 Read with interest your comments on the steering racks, and also your comments onthe source for the universal joints. I will check on a (later)Mk7 chassis that I have,that has an Austin 1800 rack in it (unmodified mounted on what for all the world look like "Bolwell" mounts) which results in horrendous bump steer. I also have another (earlier)Mk7 that has a home made rack mount and a shortened 1800 rack. I do not know how this car bump steers yet. For a project race car that I have built (Left hand drive - purely for convenience in my application)I used a rack that was designed to mount behind the front crossmember (RHD)and mounted it upside down, in front of the crossmember. I do not believe there are any problems in doing this, althought the angle that the steering shaft comes out may be an issue in specific applications. What I am getting at is that it may be possible to use a steering rack from a LHD car that mounts in front of the cross member, turn it upside down and use it behind. In this age of "world" cars there may be something built in LHD that is suitable, and readily available overseas. Just a thought. Simon |
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bollie7
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:11 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Simon It's funny but I have also been thinking along those lines. Will try and source a rack from an aus released car first. Only for the ease of getting one if I can find one suitable. Otherwise LHD upside down might be the next step. The biggest problem that I can see is getting one long enough. Most modern cars with Macpherson struts that I have looked at have a rack that is shorter than what we need for the Bolwell. Mind you I really haven't had a serious look yet either. regards bollie7 |
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simon
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:12 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Actually when I was sourcing a rack for the race car I was finding that many racks were too wide, the car is only 1600mm wide, about the same as a Mk4. I ended up using the rack out of an old Celica. Iam unsure of the model but they are the ones with the small square headlights that partly retract. I also found the column from the same car very usable. If taken from the tilt column model they had two universal joints in the column already as well as two collapsable sections that slide into on another. This gives a range of length and angle adjustment that is quite amazing compared to what Bolwell had to deal with, and straight from the wreckers! The particular Celica chosen also had a manual and power steering rack available which are of different ratios, but using the same mountings, making a change possible if the steering wasn't quick enough. In the end it has proved to be ok with the manual (slower) rack. For interst sake, the above rack is 660mm long. Hope this helps Simon |
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Keith
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:13 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
For anyone who needs to repair an Austin 1800 rack: My original rack shaft and pinion was so corroded as to be useless. I purchased an excellent second-hand rack from Mini Link Motors in Melbourne, then had a machine shop shorten the non-rack end of the shaft and intalled the good bits into my old casing ( the new casing could be cut and welded if required). If the felt bush is beyond repair a plastic bush could be turned to fit. The pinion shaft seal is available from any across the counter seal and bearing supplier. Mini Bits in Beaconsfield, Victoria, have a "useable" 1800 steering rack for $55.00 plus postage, phone John on 03 9707 1666, he may have steering boots to fit as well. If not Morris Minor Aust., in Moorabbin, Victoria sell them for around $20 to $30 each, phone Thorpe on 03 9555 1793( he also can obtain Nagari headlight rims and buckets off a Morris 1500 ). To improve the steering ratio from 3.8 turns lock to lock to 3.2 turns, the Victorian club still has a 6 gear pinion instead of the 5 gear pinion, which fits straight in, but may need re-shimming. These cost around $150.00 ( I think ) , order from our club treasurer Phillip on white.ps@bigpond.net.au The rack should be filled with 80-90 gear oil, tip the rack up vertically and fill the lower boot with oil, then clamp and install into the car. Keith |
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Keith
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:15 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Now that the original Metalastic couplings, part # 21/940, are rare, an alternative is available from Rare Spares, see www.rsp.com Part # A1892U, for a JC-LJ Torana,6 cylinder, kit price of $69.58 plus postage. It may be slightly thicker than the original, but, that's easy to cut down to size. Keith |
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bollie7
Feb 25th, 2008 - 3:16 PM |
Re: Help with Nagari steering setup
Just thought I would post a quick update on the steering in my Nagari. As I said in my earlier post I had ordered a new uni from Borgeson in the USA. It arrived 6 days later (is that good service or what?)and I preceded to set it up in the mill and machine flats on the unmachined end. Also drilled a hole for the cotter pin. I also discovered that a Holden Torana steering uni (or "Trunnion" as Holden calls them)is a direct replacement for the rubber coupling under the dash. I did not have to modify the steering shaft at all to fit these uni's. I also fitted new bearings in the upper steering column. Another job I did was to strip the rack down and adjust it. The car is a lot better to drive now. The improvement to the steering is a lot better than I expected. It is smoother and feels more positive. I think getting rid of the rubber couplings has contributed mostly to this. You have to keep in mind that the rubber couplings are designed to be a coupling, not a uni, even though they will stand a bit of misalignment. They are mainly to reduce shock, road noise etc being transmitted into the steering wheel. Bolwell probably used them because they were readily available at the time. If you want to improve the steering on your Nagari get rid of the couplings and fit uni's. regards bollie7 |
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