Steering rack "refreshening"

[drunkenmaster]

While I have the front end all out in peices, is there any work I can/should to do on the steering rack?

I am ordering new bushes and ball joints, and will probably wire brush the surface rust from the rack but other then that?

Add grease I suppose, is there any need to clean out the old grease and how much do I use? What type?

Is there any harm in coating the splined coupling to the steering shaft after wire brushing it to remove the rust?

Also does anyone know what the coloured paint signifies on the steering rack? Some sort of factory marking. I have one rack with a white brush marking and another with a pink brush marking.

Thanks

[gnosez]

They are likely 70's era post-it notes showing that the parts were torqued.

[panchovisa]

Drunkenmaster,

Cleaning out the old grease is a good idea. The stuff hardens and can block freash grease from getting where it need to be. Pull the bellows off (new ones would be good) and run the rack all to one side. Clean off all the grease. Then run rack full to opposite side and clean. Repeat as necessary.

An over looked area is the inner ball joints. They need to be adjusted so that they require a small force to move (check FSM for starting torque). To loose will speed up wear of ball joint, to tight will do the same. Check to see that inner ball joint is still fastened tight to end of rack (note: left-hand threads here).

I've had mine apart and it was somewhat confusing which nut tightens ball joint and which one locks ball joint to rack (was the opposite of what I first thought. You'll figure it out).

Might want to replce small bolt on top of rack with a grease fitting at this time. Don't know of any trick grease, any high quality wheel bearing grease (conventional or synthetic) should be just fine.

There is also a pull force on end of rack to start movement. This is adjusted at pinion (aluminum housing) large nut and slotted screw. Again check FSM.

Dabs of paint were indeed factory check off that all was tightened/adjusted.

[hls30.com]

I am going over my rack too. I have cleaned all of the grime off, and performed a precursory wire brushing. I noticed two(see the picture) 6mm bolts(8mm heads) covering passages that are for grease. After I strip and paint the housing, and relube the bare metal that moves through the rack, I will install two 6mm grease fittings, and load them up with grease. I am replacing the tierod ends, but it looks like someone had either kept the balljoints and rack well lubricated, or had replaced both in relatively short mileage-no wear on either!

Will

[bpilati]

I agree with these guys, my Z mechanic says that there is usually little or no wear on this component.

[hls30.com]

Here is the Rack ready for paint.

I cleaned it, taped off the lubricated parts(tiewraps are in the pictue)

beadblasted the housing, and then treated the housing with metalready.

I am going to clean out all of the old lubricant(to make sure any glass bead that may have gotten in the mechanism is gone) with mineral spirits. Then I will wipe down the housing with laquer thinner, tape up everything again, and paint(POR15) the housing. When the paint has dried, I will prelube the mechanism, replace the 6mm bolts with grease fittings, pump some grease through to make sure the openings are not blocked, install new bellows, and fill each side with grease at its minimum adjustment(so I don't have grease squirting all over when the steering wheel is turned lock to lock for the first time.

When I install it, it will be acompanied by urethane!

Will

[Bambikiller240]

Will:

I was told by the West Coast POR Distributor that Marine Clean and Metal Ready application should be the last steps before application of th POR15. Anything you do to the surfaces after the application of Metal Ready will remove much of the Zinc Phosphate coating left by the Metal Ready.

I'm not meaning to "correct" you, just trying to help by mentioning the instructions I was given when did my floor pans.

You can check on this info with the POR-15 Store Representative, Toll Free at..............."(800) 457-6715 if you have any further questions or need additional products or information".

[hls30.com]

Carl,

please correct me, I would always prefer to have more info! What I didn't post was, I let the metal ready dry on the housing, and did not wipe it off as per the instructions. I let it dry because I knew it would be a week or so before I had everything ready to paint.

http://www.por15.com/uploads/files/metal%20ready%20q%20and%20a%20sheet.pdf

I am using laquer thinner to get rid of any oils I may have put on the zinc coating in handling.

Will

[mperdue]

Hls30.com

Note that some parts of the steering rack are aluminum. POR doesn't really like to stick to aluminum, at least that's what I found when I did my rack. I left it painted anyway but it'll probably peel fairly quickly if it gets worn. I'd recommend using POR on the steel but either leave the aluminum bare or clear-coat it with spray paint. Here's a (bad) pic of my assembly, also with poly and new boots. Damn I miss workign on my z...

[panchovisa]

mperdue, that looks real good.

Will and all, I've found that Coleman camp stove gas works very well to degrease primer or finish coats before respraying. In my former career as a patternmaker there were many times that old oil soaked wooden patterns had to be re-laquered. Coats of paint refused to dry, but wetting down with Coleman gass caused the paint to dry in minutes. It basically is "white gas" with a large percentage of "dryers". It will not soften under laying coats like lacquer thinner.

[hls30.com]

Michael,

I thought I would polish the aluminum to add a bright bit to the lower part of the engine compartment. I also thought about chome plating the steeering rod, and the brackets for the steering insulator.

Treating the aluminum with metal ready (which I did not do) is supposed to make the POR15 stick!

There for a minute, I thought you were working on your Z again!

Panchovisa,

I will have to try some of that stuff-I have Mineral Spirits for that sort of thing-followed by laquer thinner-and you have given me an excuse to visit Bass Pro.

Will

[hls30.com]

I am also going to clean and chrome plate the "hose clamps" that are holding the bellows on the '76 rack that I have instead of using Zip ties-if they aren't too bad off.

Will