How important is that exhaust clamp looking thing on the steering rack of my Z? I tore it off when i was refinishing the rack, thinking some half assed mechanic put it there for whatever reason but I found it mentioned in my restoration book......oops:dead:

This is an interesting question because I have removed mine too, not knowing what it was there for. I haven't seen it mentioned any where and have no idea what it does.

Having said all that, why would Nissan go to all the trouble of making a clamp like that with the little rubber bumper on it if it did nothing?

I look forward to the answer on this one.

Does anyone know??

Alan.

If memory serves me, the clamp and "bumper" on the steering rack was a NISSAN issued FIX for a problem that was encountered on the early versions of the steering rack. It is meant to limit FLEX of the rack which was causing a bind in the steering system. If you still have the parts, you might think about putting it back where it belongs. Safety first, and all that.

My guess is to keep it from rotating under high steering loads, but why in just one direction I don't know...

I agree that the clamp with bumper would stop to a degree the flex and tendency to turn under load. If this was a fix for early model racks I am assuming we are talking about 70-73 240Z's and not the later model rack fitted to my 77 260Z.

I know in Australia we got a different version of the 260 than the US and there are a lot of questions that come from this.

My car is a 2/77 260Z 2+2 GRS30 015866.

I don't understand how I can have 2+2 #866 in 1977, two years after the start of the 015 prefix, the delivery figures don't make sense, but that's a whole new post.

I'm going to refit the clamp anyway.

Alan.

hmm best put mine back on as well, thanks BambiKiller240

oh well, one more thing to sandblast and paint