2 replies to this topic

[dklawson]

While replacing all the suspension bushes on my car I finally found what appears to have been the source of a "clunk" my car has had since I put it back on the road. It is (or was) the outer steering rack bushes which have perished.

This is an early car, a 1964 Mk1. The earliest cars had felt bushes on the rack and I'm not sure when the switch was made to plastic. Regardless, I don't think anything is left in my car's rack (felt or plastic). I've checked on another board I visit and there don't appear to be any replacement bushings available. A couple of my acquaintances have made their own bushes using pieces of hydraulic hose. Before you say that will never work, remember that the original bush was a much less robust piece of felt. Have any of you had to improvise these bushings and what have you done. At this point I'm planning on machining my own out of Delrin.

The other issue is... frankly I'm too lazy to pull the rack to do this work. To get the rack out, as a minimum you have to pull up the carpets to remove the u-bolts. Haynes wants you to drop the subframe to get the rack out. Again, acquaintances of mine assure me that this is not necessary if you deform the floorboard slightly so the pinion gear can on the rack can clear the floor as you rotate the rack downward. Still... I'm not interested in removing the carpet if I don't have to. One acquaintance of mine says you can hook what's left of the old bearing and ease it out of the rack tube without removing the rack from the car. As above, have any of you had to do this and what was your technique.

Please don't suggest fitting a new, used, or rebuilt rack as those are not options I will pursue. I will fix this rack one way or another and I greatly appreciate your suggestions for parts and methods.

[il-barba]

i have the same problem, i was thinking of taking the car to a mechanic so that i dont have to lower subframe and all

[dklawson]

Well, I'm half-way through this now.

I chose to do this without removing the rack. It's hard but do-able. I also chose to machine my own Delrin bushing. It fits, but I've decided I'd do it differently next time.

I've also decided that if and when I DO do this again, I MAY pull the rack but I've learned there's a method (not factory approved) that allows you to get the rack out without lowering the subframe. That's the way I'll do this next time... hopefully 20 or 30 years from now.