418 replies to this topic

[Toranamat69]

Updated the Cardomain page again - page 2 has the new stuff.

Have been tinkering away on the power steer over the holidays even if it has been a bloody million degrees celcius for the last 4 weeks in Brissy!!!
My PC is in the hottest room in the house - hence why I am a bit quiet recently.


http://www.cardomain.com/ride/480776/2

I have finally sus'd out why there is a bump steer problem with the Cortina rack that CRS could never get rid of - I may or may not be able to solve the problem.

Does anyone on the forum know anyone with the Cortina setup in an LX or have any pics? I want to confirm my suspicions on this one.

The further I get into things, the more I like the WRX rack - the testing will tell all I suppose.

M@

[Heath]

I think i've heard of using Cortinas steering racks etc but I'm not sure of the compressor that you would use. Correct me if I'm wrong but I expect there is a lot involved. We could do with some more tech articles (not attacking anyone here, in fact i'm happy to help out with anything you need)

By the way, wrong section mate.

[Toranamat69]

G'day Hurricane,

I though the other power steer thread had a lot more info in it but we must have lost all that on the old forum.

To sum it up - the only power steer kit anyone has put on the market for the LH/X/UC was the CRS kit which uses a TE/TF cortina power steer system (rare as rocking horse poo). You send off the x-member, steering rack, steering arms and they mod them for ??$400??? You work out the pump using HZ setup and make custom lines.

Basically they mod your drivers side engine mount, ream out the steering arms to suit the Cortina tie rods, mount the steering rack on the Torana front end (and I think they must also swap the rotary valve around and mod the hydraulic lines accordingly on the rack).

Last time someone I know checked with CRS, they were jacking up about doing the conversion because they could never cure the bumpsteer in it - they will not give any more details. They may or may not do it for you.

I now have a Cortina power rack to muck around with if you look on my cardomain page - I believe the bump steer issue is as follows.

You can't get the rack centre line to line up with the Torana's X-member centre line.
The only way I can think to fix this will end up with the cortina rack having to be widened between the inner balljoints from 620mm to about 645mm.
This being the case, the Wrx rack one is 650mm between inner balljoints and I recond I can mod one to 640mm and the racks are far more available, much lighter and they have a fair bit quicker steering ratio compared with the Cortina ones.

I am only fairly early on in this process - if you can wait a bit longer, I may have it all worked out for you - otherwise, start looking for a Cortina one and start hassling CRS.

M@

Edited by Toranamat69, 10 January 2006 - 05:58 PM.

[Toranamat69]

ToranaSS, yes the WRX are front mount like the LX's - they will result in a steering ratio of approx 17.5:1 which is nice - the Cortina ones are the same ratio as the standard Torana racks - I also reckon (but yet unconfirmed) the impreza rack should be identical to the WRX one but with a ratio closer to 22:1 if that is what you prefer.

The LX Torana's inner balljoints are spaced at 625mm - this is what I was trying to get as close as possible to. You can compensate for the wider inner balljoints by raising the position of the rack. I am not sure how much clearance a 308 has to the steering rack - it would help even if you raised it 10mm. My engine sits about 9.6mm above the steering rack so I have no where to go.

The different steering arms help to fine tune the bump steer but unfortunately if you cannot get the inner balljoints right, you will never get the bumpsteer right.

The tie rod does not necessarily need to be parallel with the lower control arm. It can be but it also depends how high the rack is mounted.

M@

Edited by Toranamat69, 11 January 2006 - 12:56 AM.

[ToRunYa]

THANKS GUYS! i'm in the shite now!, got busted under the hubbies scoobie with a tape measure and now he thinks i gonna rip it apart (i wasnt honestly!)
I'm now banned from the tool box lol

[ToRunYa]

had the tape measure stretched out and he pulled on my legs and dragged me out and here i am, laying on the garage scooter, tape measure in hand, trying to look innocent (i'll give it a week and try again lol)

[enderwigginau]

Any update Matt?

Grant..

[Toranamat69]

G'day Grant, I am just waiting for some parts and measuring tools from the US and I can get back into this.

I still have a bit of cleaning and prep work to do on the control arms before then but I still have a week at least to clean the old paint off and get them looking good.

Probably be about 2 weeks before I have some control arms to bolt back onto the subframes and start testing stuff out.

M@

[enderwigginau]

BUMP

[Toranamat69]

G'day Grant,

Still here, jusy updated the cardomain again with a few more bits. almost ready to start doing some real constructive stuff.

I am now looking for a pair of HQ to HZ stub axles (even a loan would be good) so I don't have to measure the ones on my car.

Also looking for one LH or LX upper control arm.

M@

[enderwigginau]

Did you wanna pop out to the club meeting on Monday nte and we'll ask everyone?

Grant..