[DeTomaso] Pantera Steering Rack Interchange

[jderyke at aol.com]

 I thought this topic had been mined to death by myself and others, but apparently not.... A stock '71-75 Pantera steering rack uses steering rods male-threaded 12m x1.25, which fit female-thread tie rod ends of the same thread (Pantera, some Volvos and possibly other Euro cars of the '70s). Sorry- I've only personally worked with racks up to mid-1975; later racks are apparently different but I can't verify in what way. Pantera steering rod threads also perfectly match 1/2-20 SAE thread Heim joints (called rod ends by some) which will hand-screw onto the virtually identical metric-thread steering rods. It's not unusual to see a Pantera steering rack with new shiny-bright zinc plated jam-nuts that are nearly always SAE 1/2- 20 thread. They hold torque just fine. This is also a sign that someone has been in that rack before.

To use Heim joints in place of tie rod ends for easier bump-steer correction that does not require moving the whole steering rack OR drilling out the stock tapers in the steering arms, a Ford-taper (7 degree) stud with a straight 1/2-20 threaded upper section can be added to each steering arm (from Speedwaymotors.com). A 1/2-20 female Heim joint & jam nut is screwed on each steering rod and the height of the Heim is adjusted up or down the stud with washers as required for 'bump-steering' your particular Pantera. A wheel alignment is necessary any time you move/modify/change ANY steering parts, and it's sensible self-preservation to check the steering at low speeds before running at high speeds regardless of who did the work. I know of at least one 'simple' rack-bushing change that came loose on the road within 50 miles, and entirely prevented the car from turning right! Not a healthy thing in mountainous areas or on 80+ freeways.

A good addition to heim joint replacements is a set of heim-joint seal washers to keep out moisture and dirt (also available from Speedway motors). Lifespan of heims is directly related to the quality you choose: a bottom-of-the-barrel $6.95 heim will last perhaps 1 yr (maybe less with no seals in bad weather areas) while sealed aircraft-quality units will likely outlive most owners. I have them on our car now so we'll see. Steering rods can be swapped out of a rack if you know what you're doing and have the proper tools (NOT Vice-grips or pipe wrenches!), since the friction knuckle they attach to on the rack-gear accepts other rods with different outer threads and lengths. The half-ball socket/washers inside are easily lost as is the rather stiff little spring in each friction-knuckle. Some racks from careless owners/shops have been retrofitted with similar parts from Ford Pinto/Mustang 2 assemblies. No guarantees, though. J DeRyke

 



 
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   I thought this topic had been mined to death by myself and others, but
   apparently not.... A stock '71-75 Pantera steering rack uses steering
   rods male-threaded 12m x1.25, which fit female-thread tie rod ends of
   the same thread (Pantera, some Volvos and possibly other Euro cars of
   the '70s). Sorry- I've only personally worked with racks up to
   mid-1975; later racks are apparently different but I can't verify in
   what way. Pantera steering rod threads also perfectly match 1/2-20 SAE
   thread Heim joints (called rod ends by some) which will hand-screw onto
   the virtually identical metric-thread steering rods. It's not unusual
   to see a Pantera steering rack with new shiny-bright zinc plated
   jam-nuts that are nearly always SAE 1/2- 20 thread. They hold torque
   just fine. This is also a sign that someone has been in that rack
   before.
   To use Heim joints in place of tie rod ends for easier bump-steer
   correction that does not require moving the whole steering rack OR
   drilling out the stock tapers in the steering arms, a Ford-taper (7
   degree) stud with a straight 1/2-20 threaded upper section can be added
   to each steering arm (from Speedwaymotors.com). A 1/2-20 female Heim
   joint & jam nut is screwed on each steering rod and the height of the
   Heim is adjusted up or down the stud with washers as required for
   'bump-steering' your particular Pantera. A wheel alignment is necessary
   any time you move/modify/change ANY steering parts, and it's sensible
   self-preservation to check the steering at low speeds before running at
   high speeds regardless of who did the work. I know of at least one
   'simple' rack-bushing change that came loose on the road within 50
   miles, and entirely prevented the car from turning right! Not a healthy
   thing in mountainous areas or on 80+ freeways.
   A good addition to heim joint replacements is a set of heim-joint seal
   washers to keep out moisture and dirt (also available from Speedway
   motors). Lifespan of heims is directly related to the quality you
   choose: a bottom-of-the-barrel $6.95 heim will last perhaps 1 yr (maybe
   less with no seals in bad weather areas) while sealed aircraft-quality
   units will likely outlive most owners. I have them on our car now so
   we'll see. Steering rods can be swapped out of a rack if you know what
   you're doing and have the proper tools (NOT Vice-grips or pipe
   wrenches!), since the friction knuckle they attach to on the rack-gear
   accepts other rods with different outer threads and lengths. The
   half-ball socket/washers inside are easily lost as is the rather stiff
   little spring in each friction-knuckle. Some racks from careless
   owners/shops have been retrofitted with similar parts from Ford
   Pinto/Mustang 2 assemblies. No guarantees, though. J DeRyke