[DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/21/14 21 43 19, julian_kift at hotmail.com writes:


> As you know I have replaced just about everything on the steering end of 
> my GT5 in an effort to try and make it an enjoyable drive, alas it is still 
> a white knuckle ride tram lining the slightest rut in the road and darting 
> when one changes lanes over the center crest. The rack was rebuilt at some 
> point by someone who was heavy handed with vice grips and I have never 
> been happy with it, so my last ditch effort is to just change out the rack for 
> a new one.
> Mine being an early GT5 where Alejandro was still using up leftover Ford 
> parts has the same rack as my '74, so I'd be keen to know if what you have 
> in the box there fits. That said I'm intrigued that later GT5's had a 
> different rack, are they dimensionally the same or does the later rack alter 
> (improve) the steering geometry?
> 

>>>The later rack appears to be dimensionally the same.   The rack housing 
tube is a smaller diameter, and there are crude spacers that wrap around the 
outside of it to make up the difference between the small tube and the 
larger opening in the Pantera rack housing clamps.

Here is what arrived at my house for me to repair, plucked from the GT5:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ferrari-Testarossa-TRW-Steering-Rack-/121278970012

At least, I'm 99.9% certain it's the same.   The tie rods are completely 
different from an early Pantera rack, the rack is different, the housing is 
different, although the boot on the driver's side seems largely the same (the 
passenger side is very different.   You can see the tube is much smaller in 
diameter as well.

But functionally it seems to be identical.   As I said, I'm going to fully 
compare the worn-out GT5 rack, a standard Pantera rack that I keep on hand 
as a visual aid, and the new early 308 rack I just bought, and we will see 
wot's wot.

BTW Rick Moseley's 1980 308 uses a later-style rack I believe, with a 
different housing with the mounting clamps cast integral with the housing.   But 
internally it is the same as the Pantera rack, needs the same bronze bushing 
for a quality repair, etc. etc.   Rick is the one who contacted TRW (the 
outfit that purchased Cam Gears UK, the original maker of the Pantera and 
Ferrari racks) and asked what to use as a lubricant; they told him in no 
uncertain terms that gear oil was no longer in vogue and 0-weight grease was the 
lube of choice.   The GT5/Testa Rossa rack comes filled with this grease, as 
did the TRW racks that some vendors were selling a few years ago, and also 
the ones that Roland was selling.   I have no doubt the new rack we just 
bought will have grease as well.

(As an aside, I just replaced the worn-out rack on one of my VW Sciroccos 
today.   The new rack came from the German manufacturer filled with grease 
too).

Rick and I worked together with the fellow you saw on the F-chat forum, who 
has an early 308 GT4 Dino and had a blown-out rack.   Some thief had 
charged him over $1000 to 'repair' his rack; he threw a home-made nylong bushing 
inside, bludgeoned some later-style tie rods onto the rack, and overtightened 
them to the point where they were bound up solid.   The poor guy got the 
rack installed in his car with some difficulty, but the car was virtually 
undriveable.   He managed to get it to an alignment shop and they literally 
couldn't turn the tie rods to set the toe, so they sent him home.

With much long-distance hand-holding, he took the rack apart, dumped the 
new parts, got three (!) Pantera rack bushings from three different Pantera 
vendors, chose the one we told him to choose in the first place, and put his 
rack back together using his original tie rods.   The result was perfection 
and he was quite pleased, not only with the results, but with himself for 
having taken on the challenge and prevailing.

He has been trying to sell one of his three rack bushings on E-bay for 
quite some time now, with no takers; oddly, the other one sold almost instantly?

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   In a message dated 2/21/14 21 43 19, julian_kift at hotmail.com writes:

     As you know I have replaced just about everything on the steering
     end of my GT5 in an effort to try and make it an enjoyable drive,
     alas it is still a white knuckle ride tram lining the slightest rut
     in the road and darting when one changes lanes over the center
     crest. The rack was rebuilt at some point by someone who was heavy
     handed with vice grips and I have never been happy with it, so my
     last ditch effort is to just change out the rack for a new one.
     Mine being an early GT5 where Alejandro was still using up leftover
     Ford parts has the same rack as my '74, so I'd be keen to know if
     what you have in the box there fits. That said I'm intrigued that
     later GT5's had a different rack, are they dimensionally the same or
     does the later rack alter (improve) the steering geometry?

   >>>The later rack appears to be dimensionally the same.  The rack
   housing tube is a smaller diameter, and there are crude spacers that
   wrap around the outside of it to make up the difference between the
   small tube and the larger opening in the Pantera rack housing clamps.
   Here is what arrived at my house for me to repair, plucked from the
   GT5:
   http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ferrari-Testarossa-TRW-Steering-Rack-/121278970
   012
   At least, I'm 99.9% certain it's the same.  The tie rods are completely
   different from an early Pantera rack, the rack is different, the
   housing is different, although the boot on the driver's side seems
   largely the same (the passenger side is very different.  You can see
   the tube is much smaller in diameter as well.
   But functionally it seems to be identical.  As I said, I'm going to
   fully compare the worn-out GT5 rack, a standard Pantera rack that I
   keep on hand as a visual aid, and the new early 308 rack I just bought,
   and we will see wot's wot.
   BTW Rick Moseley's 1980 308 uses a later-style rack I believe, with a
   different housing with the mounting clamps cast integral with the
   housing.  But internally it is the same as the Pantera rack, needs the
   same bronze bushing for a quality repair, etc. etc.  Rick is the one
   who contacted TRW (the outfit that purchased Cam Gears UK, the original
   maker of the Pantera and Ferrari racks) and asked what to use as a
   lubricant; they told him in no uncertain terms that gear oil was no
   longer in vogue and 0-weight grease was the lube of choice.  The
   GT5/Testa Rossa rack comes filled with this grease, as did the TRW
   racks that some vendors were selling a few years ago, and also the ones
   that Roland was selling.  I have no doubt the new rack we just bought
   will have grease as well.
   (As an aside, I just replaced the worn-out rack on one of my VW
   Sciroccos today.  The new rack came from the German manufacturer filled
   with grease too).
   Rick and I worked together with the fellow you saw on the F-chat forum,
   who has an early 308 GT4 Dino and had a blown-out rack.  Some thief had
   charged him over $1000 to 'repair' his rack; he threw a home-made
   nylong bushing inside, bludgeoned some later-style tie rods onto the
   rack, and overtightened them to the point where they were bound up
   solid.  The poor guy got the rack installed in his car with some
   difficulty, but the car was virtually undriveable.  He managed to get
   it to an alignment shop and they literally couldn't turn the tie rods
   to set the toe, so they sent him home.
   With much long-distance hand-holding, he took the rack apart, dumped
   the new parts, got three (!) Pantera rack bushings from three different
   Pantera vendors, chose the one we told him to choose in the first
   place, and put his rack back together using his original tie rods.  The
   result was perfection and he was quite pleased, not only with the
   results, but with himself for having taken on the challenge and
   prevailing.
   He has been trying to sell one of his three rack bushings on E-bay for
   quite some time now, with no takers; oddly, the other one sold almost
   instantly?
   Mike