DeTomaso Mailing List: August 97, Message #26
     



From: MikeLDrew@aol.com

Subject: Re: turn signals/steering racks

Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 12:54:04 -0400 (EDT)



All,



We appear to have a contradiction here.  Jack wrote:



 <snip> ...the rack is made by Cam Gears Inc in Europe, and fits

-> the very early '71 Capri (as does the steering wheel & some of the

-> switches & relays). The 1st 200 or so Capris were made in Germany;

-> after that, they came from England and use a different rack.

-> Unfortunately our cars use the German rack, so as a wrecking yard

-> source, it is almost non-existent. J DeRyke



 Then Dave Williams wrote:



>All US-spec '69-'72 Capris used the same rack, made by Sachs in

Germany.  British spec Capris sourced most of their running gear from

the UK, and though it all interchanges as assemblies the details are

usually different.



 German Capri racks are still plentiful in the junkyards.  I gave away

half a dozen of them last year.  The bushing and repair kits are no

longer serviced by Ford USA; I used my last inventory when I prepped my

'71 for a track event earlier this year.



 The outer rack bushing is heavily loaded on the Capri rack and has a

service life of about 15,000 miles in my experience.  I've been running

Capris since 1978.  I've been making my own bushings from nylon or

Delrin lately.



 The ball bearing on the pinion shaft is loaded by the coupler and tends

to die after a while.  Any bearing house can match up a replacement for

it for a few bucks.





>>>I have NEVER before heard anyone say that the steering RACK came from the

Capri, just the steering column, switches, and wheels.  Could it be (dare I

say it?) that Jack is confused on this issue?  I only know hearsay, so won't

argue the point religiously one way or the other.



But, we've pretty clearly established the source of the Pantera rack (Cam

Gears in the U.K., which Jack agrees with), and David, an obviously

authoritative voice on Capri matters states definitively that the

left-hand-drive Capri rack came from Sachs in Germany.  I would think if

Pantera steering racks were plentiful in U.S. junkyards that we'd all have

heard about it by now.



Actually, David, a question:  I've seen the later-style Capri turn signal

switches, with their flash-to-pass switch, and always wondered if they could

somehow be adapted to the Pantera, say, to flash driving lights or something.

 Your thoughts?



Mike





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