DeTomaso Mailing List: January 2001, Message #26

Fred,

Thanks for the quick response and great info on the newer style steering
rack; it prevented me from doing anything stupid.  For others who run into
this newer type of steering rack, the dowel pin that retains the lock ring
on the tie rod nut is 0.157" diameter by 0.30 long and is very soft (i.e
easy to drill). Since the lock ring is about 0.15" thick, the dowel pin
protrudes into a blind hole into the steering rack shaft that is about 0.15"
deep.

I used your suggestion of drilling the dowel pin out and was able to do it
out without harming the tie rod nut, the lock ring, or the steering rack
shaft.  This rack has 23,000 miles on it and the nylon spherical joint
showed no signs of deformation or wear so I opted to continue using it (it
may even be a superior material by preventing severe mechanical shock from
beating up the rack and pinion gears).  After installing the new bronze
bushing in the rack, I reinstalled the tie rod nut and lock ring at their
exact former locations (easy to see because of the now empty dowel pin
hole).  The action of the assembled tie rod arm felt exactly the same as it
had before I disassembled it.  Now came the problem of how to replace the
now destroyed dowel pin.  What worked well for me was to tap the empty dowel
hole using a standard tapered point #10-24 tap followed up by bottom tapping
the hole using a #10-24 tap with its tapered tip broken off (because I
couldn't go buy a bottom type tap on New Years Day!).  I then applied
Loctite Blue to a #10-24x0.25" set screw and installed it into the now
threaded dowel pin hole.

Doug Braun
blue 73L #5505

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	F. & D. Terry [mailto:gt5s@erols.com]
Sent:	Sunday, December 31, 2000 12:01 PM
To:	Doug Braun
Cc:	Multiple recipients of list
Subject:	Re: Newer Style Steering Rack Repair Question

Doug,
The lock rings on the later steering racks are retained by a dowel pin
that is driven into a blind hole and then a cross peening is used to
retain it. You can only remove this dowel pin by drilling it out which
requires that you be absolutely on its center when you drill. I have the
feeling that the late model racks were not intended to be disassembled.  You
will find that the spherical joint on the end of the tie rod is made of
nylon and not as good as the early type. I replaced my late rack with a NOS
early one when I found what was inside.
Fred T.
-----------------------
Doug Braun wrote:>
> I've replaced my original steering rack with one I purchased from Ford in
> 1984 and now want to install a bronze right hand bushing.  Having
performed
> this mod on my original rack, I am well familiar with the flimsy lock ring
> that has to be un-peened from the longitudinal channel in the tie rod nut
at
> the end of the rack.
>
> My problem is, the newer rack has a different type of lock ring and tie
rod
> nut.  The tie rod nut doesn't have the channel in it and the lock ring is
a
> true cylindrical ring 0.33 wide x 1.12 diameter and quite stout compared
to
> the older style lock ring.  Both the tie rod nut and lock ring have a
0.13"
> dia hole in their sides (presumably for a special spanner wrench) and both
> are the same diameter (1.12").  To keep them together, the manufacturer
> punched a quarter inch wide cross shaped indentation at one point around
> their diameter where they meet to stake them together.  Has anyone else
> disassembled this newer type of rack?  Does the punched area need to be
> ground out first or should I just try to force them apart with the dual
pipe
> wrench method?
>
> Both the old and new racks are made by Cam Gears Ltd. and both have the
> 21465 part number on them but the date code on the original in 1972 and
the
> newer one is 1983.
>
> Doug Braun
> Blue 73L #5505
>