another steering rant

[scum]

i dont like to bag anything on a starion, for a 20YO car i think they do quite well all round. but the steering..... the steering is not worth a bucket of sloppy s#*t! i built a jig for the rack on the weekend and installed it in the car. at first i thought i had something miles out or had forgotten to include some measurement in some calculation. but after a while i started to think otherwise. i then got a friend who runs a rally team to come look at it and we came to the conclusion that where is sits now it the best spot for it in relation to steering geometry. all good except here is where my rant starts.
if i have it close to spot on now then why are my tie rods shorter by 15mm and the distance between the inner ball joints 80something mm closer together and the whole damn thing sitting in a different spot to the standard steering box set-up?!?!?! the answer is simple, the box set-up takes semi-circular motion of the pitman arm and general slop of all the joints into account, as well as the fact the toe-in is about the only thing keeping the front wheels pointing forward. i must say i am disgusted by the whole set-up. i am not an engineer, i have only read parts of books on the subject but it seems the starion steering box was an afterthought, plain and simple. if ppl out there think that there steering 'feels good' then i cant wait to see what mine will be like. i just hope i am right, i keep thinking i have overlooked something but i haven’t. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

[Camotec]

Well when you finish your setup make up kits for everyone else and sell them I would buy one :)

[scum]

where is that lawyer bloke when you need him? what are the legal issues here if camotec screams off the road and into a tree? to put it bluntly, i dont want to make kits. i dont have the time nor the skill. but i am happy to provide measurements, pics and diagrams aswell as parts lists and anything else that it needs. i also dont mind making any odd parts like the custom length tie rods and other things. but i dont make brackets, i hate it and thats half the work. but i still wanna hear from this lawyer - firm - working - guy as to wether your sisters aunt's cousin's nephew can sue my broke ass.

[mrb1]

Scum,
yes the steering is the weakpoint in the car (when I compare to a current model car). Mainly the problem is the "straight ahead" feel though. Once it loads up it feels fine. Remember there all getting pretty old now. I had a new drag link fitted to my car about 6 years ago and the improvement was huge. I also fitted a steering box out of a imported front cut that had a lot less km than my car. I would say mine feels pretty good but not as good rack and pinion. I must say a conversion I had thought about over the years. Good luck with it. Drawings and stuff will be great.
My widebody feels pretty good though, it's 5 years younger than my JA (1982) and has done a lot less km.

[Camotec]

Scum,
lol ok dun make kits, as much as the rest of my family know nothing of what i do to cars, let alone where i get bits from, I would be happy to make it off drawings and specs etc.

Cheers
Ben

[scum]

i dont supose anyone can climb under there car and take a photo of the links? i forgot to do this be4 pulling it all out. i just want a photo of the rear of the crossmember, say from under the drivers seat looking forward. but pic needs to be inline with the car so the joints look right.
cheers.

[Camotec]

I will jump under my beast tomorrow and get you some pics :beer

[SpidersWeb]

Yes Im becoming less fond of steering box setups also.

I do know what you mean about the 'feel' of it. I have gotten used to driving cars with steering boxes, so I still enjoy the Starion (when its working), however I guess all this explains why I fell inlove when I drove a Supra.

Only reason I don't want a Supra, is its too heavy for a 2.0TT engine, and the 3.0 GT 7MGTE engine has a bit of an asshole as the head likes to warp (factory weakness). As far as 80's turbos go, I think the Starion is the best bang for buck.

Would be good to see you get the rack going scum :D btw if you did make kits, you can just force people to sign a disclaimer. Also in NZ, since the Starion did not have rack factory, it would need to be certified by an engineer and receive a low volume vehicle certificate (~$400) - which would mean its safe (they is picky bastards).

[scum]

would need to be certified by an engineer and receive a low volume vehicle certificate (~$400) - which would mean its safe (they is picky bastards).

thats why i have to make it look standard :D