DeTomaso Mailing List: October 97, Message #47
     



From: 	Andy Poling <andy@realbig.com>

Subject: That @#%^&! steering rack

Date: 	Thu, 2 Oct 1997 04:55:51 +0000



I now have determined empirically that one should not install a steering

rack in one's Kitty without adding the brass bushing on the right end.



Some of you may remember that my rack failed (the right tie rod snapped in a

left-hand sweeper - gulp) the evening before I was to go to the Pocono

event.  Well, through some major miracles (and super kindness on the part of

Alan Foster) I had a replacement rack FedEx'ed to me, I installed it and

headed off to Pocono.  It didn't have the brass bushing retrofitted, and I

didn't have time to do it... plus I could always get back to it later (ahem,

yeah - right).  Alan warned me that, without the bushing, the rack would

wear at an alarming rate.



Well, I didn't know just how fast it would wear :-).  Now, after 4-5 hrs of

track time at Pocono and less than 1000 road miles the rack has already

begun to give up the ghost.  I can now grasp the right front wheel and swing

it left and right an inch or more at the tread due to severe play in the

rack (I can also hear the rack clunk when I do it).  Aargh!  No wonder the

damn thing was wandering all over the road... and I was blaming my

home-brewed alignment.



So I have my mechanics calling Jerry Pentaleri to get a set of his mounting

blocks (he said he thought he might have a few spare sets) for a Mustang-II

rack (they already know him because they programmed his EFI) and they're

going to mount a Mustang-II rack in my Kitty (the Mustang-II rack is more

robust, has less free-play in the rack, and has stouter tie-rods, but plugs

right up to the Pantera steering column).  I'll let y'all know what I think

of it.  I already tried to talk Jerry into producing his mounting blocks in

quantity and selling them to Pantera owners at large, but he didn't really

seem interested in doing it.  If you're curious, or can do your own light

machine work, the conversion was apparently featured in an article in a

recent POCA quarterly (along with some of his other cutomization of his

Pantera).



I'll plug these guys again (because they're that good, and good Pantera

mechanics are hard to find in this neck of the woods).  If you're in the

Balto/DC area, I recommend Automotion (on Randolph Rd in Rockville MD

410-770-4880).  Larry Sr has been working on Panteras since the beginning,

and they really know the car.  They also have a DynoJet chassis dyno, and

Larry seems to have a way with Electromotive's EFI (just ask Jerry

Pentaleri).  Tell 'em I sent you...



-Andy



 powerful/fast:                    quick:                           other:

72 Pantera - Rocky         91 Miata - Steve (bionic)            96 A4Q - Rudolf

82 928 - Phantom               97 Miata - Nadia                84 RZ350 - Sting