On the steering rack there is a U-bolt clamped to a bumper looking thingy. Does anyone know what the purpose of this is. What does it do?

It is a factory add-on to stop excess flex of the steering rack. When the rack flexs, the flex is limited when the "bumper thingy" contacts the cross member. I know it has been sicussed before on this site, but a quick search didn't turn up the thread.

I tried doing a search and after the second page I gave up. Does the bumper go in the center of the rack or on the side?

Ed, can you post a picture?

I don't remeber my car having any thing of that sort.

Will

several different views

That's the one. I've noticed that they are all positioned at an end, close to a mount. Can it really stop excess flex from there? Or does it prevent rotational torsion?

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8438&highlight=steering+rack+limit

Thanks Carl and Ed, My rack does not have such a doohickey on it-wonder if I should hunt one down? Course, who's to say my rack wasn't replaced at some point in the last 30 years or so-I will have to get buisy with the club cd, and see if any differences can be noticed between the early ('70-'73) and late '74-'78) racks.

Will

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8438&highlight=steering+rack+limit

Thanks for the link Carl. Unfortunately it still doesn't really answer what it's for. Everyone just guessed and gave assumptions.

Ohh well,.....

Thanks for the link Carl. Unfortunately it still doesn't really answer what it's for. Everyone just guessed and gave assumptions.

Ohh well,.....

In post #2, it seems to me that Carl answered the question. I asked my Z mechanic Elvan about it and he says the same thing.

Actually, I wasn't "guessing". Sorry if I cannot prove the answer as I do not remember (nor do I care to re-read them all for this purpose) which of the many manuals I have read that it was in.

Now don't take this wrong, but IMO what should really matter is that it WAS installed by Nissan for a reason, not by some schlub who purchased it from Grand Auto.

There's one way to 100% confirm the reason it's there. Leave it off and see how the steering rack fails.

Carl, I am realy in a quandry about the rack on my '72, no hints(scratches, marred or worn paint-even on the crossmember) that there ever was such a doo hickey installed!

The question becomes: Do I replace the rack to get one?

Will

In really examining this issue, I have found that while there was a change in manufacturing, there was not enough of issue to have an official recall for retrofitting. That does not mean I want to have a problem that was known about, adn there is a factory fix for. I will be locating and installing one of these doo-hickeys!

Will