418 replies to this topic

[ozyozyozy]

jst got my torana back on the road after 12 month overhaul, which included p/s.
drives awesome. only prob which is more a gremlin, steering feel is too light not enough feed back. differnet flow valves for the pump have been ordered so wait and see.
used cortina rack, response is quicker than standard, still get full lock car feels great thru bumps and turns. time was spent minimizing bumpsteer. also i modified my rack to accept rose joints, not tie rod ends.

[axistr]

Hi ozyozyozy, the main reason I didn't go with the cortina rack was because the rack ratio was very high, I think they were around 22-1. which will give very light steering. You will need to have lots and lots of possitive caster to get some feedback. Dropping the pump pressure low enough to get more feel will make it heavy at stationary or in parking situations, it will have very little effect at speeds above 40kph. The second reason being the inner rack joint centre spacing was 665mm from memory, and the torana rack is close to 630mm dosn't sound much but this is where the bump steer comes into it, they don't line up with the inner upper & lower control arm mount centre lines, but if you have managed to keep you tie rods close to level this will help. Where you will notice bump steer is when you are cornering hard with a bit of body roll thrown in and the rod arms are at different angles combined with the wider inner rack joints. The position of the rack foward and aft is very important which effects toe on turns. If you use rims with lots of positive offset (offset towards inside) it may help in giving more road feel but they don't look very good on torana's. Why did you go for rose joints on the tie rod ends ? No way would the R.T.A let me run them over here. How does you engineer feel about using them or are you only running you torrie for off road use. ? Are you going to get a engineers report for the coversion for road use.?

Hope you can sort it out. Post up some photo's I would love to see your set up.

Axistr.

[ls2lxhatch]

steering feel is too light not enough feed back.

My Cortina rack is not too light with a standard WB style power steering pump, what pump did you use?

You can try the pump from my setup if you want as the steering does not fit with the LS2 so it will not be going back into the car.

[ozyozyozy]

thanks for the tip. the tie rod arms sit slightly down at ride so when cornering with body roll or hitting bumps mid corner the arms go to level. by doing this it brings the wheels to a slight toe out, this is a good thing, as it helps so the car dosent drastically change direction when hitting bumps mid corner. i got a lot of advice from a local guy (steve maitland) here that has worked alot on race cars, he was a big help. i used this p/s pump as it is very light in construction and can handle high rpm and race stresses. it also allows easy change of feel. i am not bothered what its like at car park pace, only road pace.
reason for rose joints is my vehicle will and is used for track work, it was just an easier thing for me to setup and for future maintenance.
i have consulted an engineer he was ok with my setup, coz i need the paper work to satisfy cams, if they ask.
he did give advice to improve design, as a friend intends similar job.
i will try posting photos bit later.

[axistr]

Update, after waiting for the engineers report since feburary I gave him the flick and took the hatch to a new engineer on friday, He was very happy with the Subaru rack and fitment but then said "hay we need to do a report on the whole car" on my rego papers the engine size is listed as 5.3 or 327ci and asked for the engineers report for the 327 chev conversion. The engine number is still the same so there is no telling from the outside what size my engine is, and when I built the engine I got the 383 crank internially balanced so you carn't tell by the harmonic balancer. In my RTA books it states that the maximum engine capacity must not be greater than 20% of the largest size engine fitted to that model from factory, so 308 x 20% 355ci or a engineers inspection and report is needed, there is also a weight factor/ calc thrown in. Also the engine must be of the same engine build date or younger, my hatch is 5/76 so I only need to comply to ADR27.

He asked me to obtain a polution report on the engine and must have a CO level of 4.5% at max idle speed of 800rpm, and a evaperative canister system fitted which I have and works. The chev engine runs a 230 duration cam a @.050 10.5-1 compression 770cfm holley and edlebrock performer R.P.M manifold, how the hell am I going to get this engine to pass the test at idle with the lumpy cam?. so I took the torrie across the road to a mate that does cars and has a four gas analizer, we hooked up the the machine which showed 6.5% @750rpm. so I adjusted the primary idle mixture screw in and the reading droped to .78% and just started to miss slighty due to running to lean, surprise surprise so we richened it up at a steady 1.75% at 800rpm as we recon he wouldn't beleve me with such a low reading. I spent a lot of time designing and building the engine to be efficent, spending money on good heads and the cam to match has made the difference. Just for the record the engine will pass ADR27,27a and 27b but not 27c as the hydrocarbons are just a tad high due to the high compression. great result as the engine makes 513hp, The third item he chiped me on was the rear wheels because the rear rims exceed 8" and the track is incressed by more than 1", so I said I will fit standard rims and tyres "No" he said the tyres must match the performance of the engine, and how much power does your engine make mate and what size is it". Hmm arr um err "it must be a 327 because that's wots on the rego papers sir" and the estimate HP ? arr um Just a little more than a 308 sir." well than you need 8" tyres and rims four in and four out offset, (few) now I just need to get some short term wheels to match the fronts and then take it back for round two.

axistr.

[76lxhatch]

Bugger, didn't see that one coming. At least the engineer seems quite reasonable, sounds like he doesn't really want to know what's under the bonnet! I don't see why you would have trouble with CO emissions on a good engine, raw fuel coming out the exhaust isn't the same as incomplete combustion

[axistr]

Dead right 76lxhatch, I havs some loan rims to fit for this friday for the reinspection. He checked the fuel tank angle, chassis rail extensions, seats, charcole canister system, suspension angles ect, so to only ask for the rear rims and polution test was a good result.

[axistr]

Squarepants, mate still trying I recon I get around five emails a week asking me to supply a kit, I will let you know if and when I'am ready to start production but it wont be for a little while yet as I wont do any untill the system is 100% tested and double checked.

Len

[axistr]

UP DATE, I have now started making a second power steering unit which is almost finished, this time I made the brackets and then made pressing dies to cold bend the brackets with our 60tonne press in one go, my lathe is now set up so I can mill out parts so saving time and every mount bar will be the same. I also made jigs for most other parts so any further brackets manufacturing times can be cut down by around 50%, but the mods to the rack is still very time consuming. As usuall I am waiting for the steering coulplings to be made as I carn't cut internal splines on my equipment, so the mechinest is now holding me up, I orded six coulplings to get them cheaper. I also decided to make six rack mounting cradles in one batch hopping to save time which we have now compleated. Once this second unit is compleated on the vehicle I should be able to supply unit quickly. Rather than being a one off I am loging every part and times so I can get a closer estimate of cost.

Axistr

[Evan]

Legend Axistr!

looks like things are coming along nicely, and obviously your steering is still going strong. Great to see.

Evan.

[axistr]

Thank's Evan the torrie is steering fan f***ing tastic, it makes the car a dream to drive with those oversize rims and tyres, it's like driving a 1996 model car. I have now clocked up two thousand trouble free km with the power steering on.

Axistr

[axistr]

G'day chopper, I haven't finalised pricing but I'am hoping to keep it under $2,500 for the rack modifyed and reconditioned with new tie rod ends,rotory valve fittings,steering column adaptor assembled complete and bolted into the cradle. The price will exclude power steering pump, mount bracket, hydraulic hoses, belt and drive pulleys, but I will be able to supply the pump and brackets ect if needed at additional price but depends on engine type and drive belt system.

I have started making rack cradles because it was just cheaper to do six in on hit and made more sense. I have also started a short list of owners that wish to purchase a rack kit but the first batch of six is now accounted for. Iam not taking any deposits just listings so I know what to gear up for.

Those forum members that would like a power steering kit or owners around Sydney that may want me to supply and fit the complete system, help me by posting on this thread for numbers as this will help me with the pricing. I will have to make quite a few units just to cover the extra insurance so some sort of totals will help me calculate and crunch the numbers. The second power steering rack should be in next month some time and for further testing then get all the legal side finilised and then I should be able to start supply. I just don't know how many units people may wont in the next 12-18 months, in realistic terms. Note: I priced up a brand new rack but the cost was just short of $2,500 then I would have to pull it apart to do the mods, yes brand new rack but it adds up to around $4,200.

Hope to catch up with forum members at toranafest.

Axistr
Lenny.

[Evan]

Hey Lenny.

Let us know when they are ready and the price and ill c where im at as i would love Power steering on my torry.

Evan.

[axistr]

Shall do Evan.

[axistr]

G'day Chopper, yep the pumps from most of the holden engines will do the job, pump pressure around 1,000 psi works well.

Axistr.

[axistr]

Hi Jimma, to answer your questions no it's not a WRX rack as they are a bit to wide in the inner ball joint centres. If a reco rack was supplied to me I would still need to strip it out to do the mods needed for the conversion. The way I have carried out the conversion makes it a direct bolt on fit with no mods to the vehicle at all, not even the steering column. This is a big plus for original SS or A9X owners. I would think any mechanic would be able to fit the rack assembly under 2 1/2 hours plus p/s pump and hoses, then wheel alignment.

[axistr]

Very soon I hope.