[DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308

doug351c doug351c at gmail.com
Sat Feb 22 23:38:40 EST 2014


Dave,

How did you shim your steering column?  I cannibalized the just-right sized
feeler gauge blades as shims and it worked like a charm.  I did this in both
my 70 MACH1 and my Pantera and it makes a dramatic ipmprovment in sterring
response.  I didn't feel it prudent to defeat the collapsible column
feature.

Doug Braun
blue 73L #5505

-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com]On Behalf Of dave
londry
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2014 2:07 PM
To: detomaso at poca.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange Ferrari 308


Julian
I know you've already done this  ---- but just in case.

I chased tramlining and bump-steer on my 74L for 2 years.
(with a rebuilt rack - my rebuild, Mike's recipe)

80% of it went away when I shimmed the sliding joint in the steering
column.
Looks like most of the rest is clearance at the front bulkhead; the
whole column is moving laterally there.

The slop in the sliding joint gave an amazing imitation of bump-steer as
the load came off the front wheels.
dave

On 22/02/2014 9:43 AM, Julian Kift wrote:
>     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!
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