[DeTomaso] Steering Rack Bearings

robert stewart rspink2012 at yahoo.com
Sat Aug 28 09:46:08 EDT 2010


A few weeks back John Taphorn and I removed the steering rack from my car hoping 
for a relatively quick exercise of cleaning to up, painting adding the zerk and 
lube. When we took the rack apart we found that top bearings that sit in an open 
race where in many pieces.

After a quick consultation with Mike Drew there didn't appear to be a well know 
replacement for the bearing.

John suggested I visit a good friend of Gray Gregory - Lars Nielsen at Motion 
Industries in Houston. To say Lars was helpful would have been a huge 
understatement. He took the rack measured the bits and pieces of the bearing and 
race and identified a replacement suggesting a fully enclosed bearing instead of 
the open one. In addition he took the rack into the backroom and worked with one 
of his shop guys to remove the other bearing and race.  It was quite a pain to 
get out. Heck he even used a parts washer to clean up the rack. Can you say  
"above and beyond".

The two bearings which are part number 1622 ZZ cost me about $4 each and are 
fantastic. The rack turns very easily  and even though the bearings are sealed 
the lubricate that we put in through the zerk is still able to move throughout 
the rack as intended.

Thanks to Gray, Lars and John.

Rob



      


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