[DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308

Tomas Gunnarsson guson at home.se
Sat Feb 22 13:04:48 EST 2014


The Si doesn't have as wide front tires as the GT5 cars which helps a
lot. I can pretty much confirm that Thomas' steering rack was the same
type as in my early car although there were minor differences.

Tomas



<-----Ursprungligt Meddelande----->

 	 	From: Julian Kift [julian_kift at hotmail.com]
Sent: 22/2/2014 6:44:48 PM
To: thomas at hax.se;mikeldrew at aol.com
Cc: detomaso at poca.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308 

Thomas, 
You may very well be right, I can still feel a little bit of play in the
rack and that might be just the tolerance on the rack & pinion, but this
is the last thing to change before I have to just accept it was it is or
sell it. I modified my front a-arms for the full 7 degrees of caster
too. New tires improved it a little I now have the Michelin PS2, whereas
the previous Michelin Sport was the old Chevron tread style. 
Off topic but the suspension geometry on the Si was changed and I have
heard the Si's are great cars to drive. I assume the body width was the
same as GT5S and they moved the center line of the wheels out via use of
longer a-arms. Anyone have dimensions of the Si suspension to hand? 
Julian 

> CC: julian_kift at hotmail.com; detomaso at poca.com 
> From: thomas at hax.se 
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308 
> Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 10:56:20 +0100 
> To: MikeLDrew at aol.com 
> 
> I rebuilt the rack in #9321 (1984 GT5) using a brass bushing that Mike
supplied, and I believe it is the later rack. 
> 
> Later I removed some of the thin shims to reduce steering wheel play. 
> 
> I have Marino's offset poly bushings and it is still a white knuckle
ride with the 285-40/15 Yokohama AVS-1 tires. 
> 
> I don't think this can be fixed with a new rack alone. 
> 
> Thomas 
> 
> > 22 feb 2014 kl. 08:13 skrev 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-/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 
> > 
> > 
> > !DSPAM:53084e8a24993343511756! 
> > _______________________________________________ 
> > 
> > Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA 
> > 
> > DeTomaso mailing list 
> > DeTomaso at poca.com 
> > http://poca.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso_poca.com 
> > 
> > 
> > !DSPAM:53084e8a24993343511756! 
	


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-------------- next part --------------
   The Si doesn't have as wide front tires as the GT5 cars which helps a
   lot. I can pretty much confirm that Thomas' steering rack was the same
   type as in my early car although there were minor differences.

   Tomas
   <-----Ursprungligt Meddelande----->
       From: Julian Kift [julian_kift at hotmail.com]
   Sent: 22/2/2014 6:44:48 PM
   To: thomas at hax.se;mikeldrew at aol.com
   Cc: detomaso at poca.com
   Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308
   Thomas,
   You may very well be right, I can still feel a little bit of play in
   the rack and that might be just the tolerance on the rack & pinion, but
   this is the last thing to change before I have to just accept it was it
   is or sell it. I modified my front a-arms for the full 7 degrees of
   caster too. New tires improved it a little I now have the Michelin PS2,
   whereas the previous Michelin Sport was the old Chevron tread style.
   Off topic but the suspension geometry on the Si was changed and I have
   heard the Si's are great cars to drive. I assume the body width was the
   same as GT5S and they moved the center line of the wheels out via use
   of longer a-arms. Anyone have dimensions of the Si suspension to hand?
   Julian
   > CC: julian_kift at hotmail.com; detomaso at poca.com
   > From: thomas at hax.se
   > Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308
   > Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 10:56:20 +0100
   > To: MikeLDrew at aol.com
   >
   > I rebuilt the rack in #9321 (1984 GT5) using a brass bushing that
   Mike supplied, and I believe it is the later rack.
   >
   > Later I removed some of the thin shims to reduce steering wheel play.
   >
   > I have Marino's offset poly bushings and it is still a white knuckle
   ride with the 285-40/15 Yokohama AVS-1 tires.
   >
   > I don't think this can be fixed with a new rack alone.
   >
   > Thomas
   >
   > > 22 feb 2014 kl. 08:13 skrev 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-/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
   > >
   > >
   > > !DSPAM:53084e8a24993343511756!
   > > _______________________________________________
   > >
   > > Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA
   > >
   > > DeTomaso mailing list
   > > DeTomaso at poca.com
   > > http://poca.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso_poca.com
   > >
   > >
   > > !DSPAM:53084e8a24993343511756!

   _______________________________________________________________
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