I had a R&P steering kit installed on my 1955 Sunliner. I researched the origins of the rack and it turns out to be from a 2005 Cavalier made (maybe remanufactured) by Detroit Axle. And like others on here, I'm unhappy with the increased turning radius. But I found a video from a late model Mustang group where a guy discovered a nylon or plastic spacer at the end of his rack used as a rack travel stop. He pulled it off and gained some extra travel that decreased his turning radius by a noticeable amount. I looked at an exploded parts view of the Cavalier rack and saw what looked like a similar travel stop. So I snapped off the bellows clamp, slid the bellows back and sure enough there was a flimsy-looking plastic stop that would provide an extra 1/2 or 3/8 inch travel. The rack only moves about 10 inches, so would that make a difference? I don't know. But in order to remove it I would have to break it off. Excellent GM part engineering. So has anybody gone down this path or discovered another way to reduce our Cavalier U-Turns? Sure would like to know.
I’m leery of having no stops and never liked anything plastic. With that said if you find you like the added radius I would add stops. On race cars with A-frame suspension I have made them using grade 5 bolts (which are usually bent) by drilling a hole in the A Arm and the head of the bolt against the backing plate. The threads on the bolt and nut on either side of the hole make it adjustable.
Thanks for the reply. I have plenty of room before the tire rubs on anything. Breaking the Cavalier plastic stop for more rack travel means the stop is now the metal head of the inner tie rod and whether that would be a bad idea. Or that the extra travel might put too much pressure on the inner seals of the racks hydraulics. I was also hoping that someone had a way of decreasing the radius by moving the outer tie rod connection further up the rear steer steering arm towards the spindle. Drill another hole in the steering arm? But I'm also surprised there's not more comments or solutions for what I thought would be a common problem.
I am commenting on this not based on ever doing this on a 55-56 Ford myself but most everyone I have talked to have the same complaint you do about turning radius. No one has mentioned removing the steering stops. But I have had a lot of experience with those GM steering racks way back when those cars were new and steering rack failures were pretty common. Leaks that would fill the bellows with fluid, morning sickness where the rack wouldn't move freely until it warmed up (sticky feeling) and inner tie rod failures. It seems to me that anything that caused the inner tie rod to operate at an angle larger than the original design (going over a bump at full lock with the stops removed) would just make the original issues worse unless there was some full redesign of that rack since it was first produced.
Thanks for the reply. This rack was made by Detroit Axle, so I'm hoping it holds up better than stock GM junk. I was just hoping that polling the m***es on here would uncover a brilliant solution to this rack problem. So I guess I'll leave it be for now.
I wonder if this would be different compared to the Detroit axle unit https://www.unisteer.com/products/1955-56-ford-power-rack-only-kit
The Unisteer unit looks like a 1985 Cavalier rack with the inner tie rods outside the tube. https://www.gmpartscenter.net/v-198...8l-v6-gas/steering--steering-gear-and-linkage Don't see how this unit helps any with the turning radius unless its' rack has a longer travel than the later cavalier rack. If that's the case it's my bad luck because I tried to get this Unisteer but it was out of stock for months. So the later Cavalier rack was my backup plan just to get the car done.
I have heard that rack and pinion steering arms are shorter than the steering box ones. I've been away from the alignment game for 30 years, but it sounds right.
This company came out with the first of its kind kits for rack and pinion, sadly the founder p***ed away not long after he started his company, the old website had some great pictures but maybe this old post may be of some help. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ners-wurth-it-rack-pinion-kit-worth-it.58985/
You get use to the bigger turning radius, and avoid situations where it would be a problem. I wouldn't change mine ('57) back to original for anything, It's that much better. Had I had it to do over again, I'd go with a Borgenson box. It wasn't available back when I built that part of my car. The Borgenson unit gives the quick ratio steering without losing (gaining?) turning radius.
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