15 replies to this topic

[benmoffat]

Hi,

Can someone help with this please. Dont know how Im ever going to get this car done, seems every step Ive got a problem and have to rely on you peeps here!

Im trying to put my steering rack onto the frame, I dont have the plastic strips because they seem to be out of stock everywhere and also Ive read on here that alot of people are running without them anyway, but Ive got this big gap.

Is that how thick the plastic strips are? (Ive never seen one) The bolts are as far in as they can go as there is no more thread available. I was thinking I would pack it out with something else but should it be packed on the back against the subframe, or under the bolt and should it be this far out?

Thanks

Ben

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[minimender]

Hi,

Can someone help with this please. Dont know how Im ever going to get this car done, seems every step Ive got a problem and have to rely on you peeps here!

Im trying to put my steering rack onto the frame, I dont have the plastic strips because they seem to be out of stock everywhere and also Ive read on here that alot of people are running without them anyway, but Ive got this big gap.

Is that how thick the plastic strips are? (Ive never seen one) The bolts are as far in as they can go as there is no more thread available. I was thinking I would pack it out with something else but should it be packed on the back against the subframe, or under the bolt and should it be this far out?

Thanks

Ben

Can you pack the nuts out with a slightly larger nut or would that look ugly when its finished?

[benmoffat]

I could do, I havent done that as I would have thought the thread on the bolts would be the right lenght. But if it is supposed to be tight against the subframe then I will do that. Thanks.

[Pitcrew6464]

would definatly get the rubber strips on that one buddy

[benmoffat]

Ok, do you think I could use thin aluminium or something like that. Also someone mentioned about using old inner tubes.

[rustandoil]

The standard plastic strips are very thin and quite hard material, when i was looking for some it was suggested that they could be made out of a plastic cola bottle

The missing strips will certainly not fix your gap problem, looks as if you will have to put extra washers or a spacer on the U bolt.

[ibrooks]

I'd also suggest you compare the U-bolts with an original one as there should be enough thread to have at least two threads sticking through the nyloc or the nylon isn't doing it's job.

The steering rack is attached to the Mini subframe on the GTM but it uses an alloy saddle against the subframe which might solve your problem. I don't have any piccies but I do know that the MGF uses a very similar system (on one side) and that they often come up on ebay so try looking there for examples (and maybe parts to solve the problem).

Iain

[rustandoil]

I'd also suggest you compare the U-bolts with an original one as there should be enough thread to have at least two threads sticking through the nyloc or the nylon isn't doing it's job.
Iain

I reckon they are standard or original U-bolts i certainly didn't receive anything special with my front sub frame.

Just too add i haven't had the pleasure of this job yet .................

[benmoffat]

They are standard u bolts. I got them from Moss Europe, you dont get any in the kit.
I guess its just because the rack is not bolted to the shell anymore, its bolted to the subframe instead so they dont quite fit.

Thanks for the replies

[RED HOT]

I had a look at mine the weekend and mine pull right through and have loads more thread on them than yours do; I don't currently have the rubber pieces either so it's not down to that. Just to add they were the standard items that were removed from the donor car.

[ZCars Steve]

they should be the standard items we buy ours from minisport.com the may be from a different manufacturer

[KTM kid]

Hi Ben, I have just replaced mine with a new rack and had stripped the threads when taken the old one off. your steering rack seems slimmer to both of mine!!!! is the rack standard or a race part? If you wish for a photo I will post one as I do not have one in my albums, As yours seems different. where did you get the U bolts from?

[tomjohnson]

Hi All,

What was the outcome on this problem?

I've just fitted my steering rack and have the same problem, both the rack and U bolts are new from MINISPORT but there is the same gap as on Ben’s.

Looks to me as if there should be some sort of rubber bush around the rack to take up the gap or the U bolts should be treaded down further?

Anyone out there got the answer?

Cheers Tom

[rustandoil]

Just run a drill through the holes in the subframe and make sure the U bolts are free to slide through, do this with the rack out of the frame and you can make "doubley sure" that the U bolts slide through along their un-threaded portion , once the rack is re fitted you will find that the U bolt thread will be too long and you will need to put a couple of washers or a spacer to stop the nut bottoming out on the end of the thread.

Hope this helps

Edited by rustandoil, 25 September 2011 - 06:17 AM.

[tomjohnson]

Think I'll run a die nut down the U bolts to make the thread longer, I’ll also cut two strips of 3mm rubber and wrap them round the rack so it’s not metal on metal and also to protect the powder coating.

Tom