SC Steering Rack DIY Bearing Replace

[KTL]

You'll want to pull the rack to regrease so you can get the old crud out. The old grease dries to a crust and also leaves oil in the rack housing, due to the separation of the grease ingredients over time. Sure, you can certainly glob some grease into the rack by pulling the cover plate that holds the puck in there, and moving the rack side to side to spread it out. But without the puck in there, you're not keeping the rack teeth against the pinion shaft. So you have to go slow/careful so you don't jump a tooth.

Somebody could EASILY make new pucks on a lathe with whatever metal they choose. Bronze oil impregnated bearing material would work. T-6061 aluminum alloy bar stock would work too. Both are softer than the hardened rack, but still hard enough for the purpose. You can see by the pictures posted that different puck materials were used over the years. I know from when I did my rack, the puck is an alloy material softer than the rack- soft enough that there was a nice groove worn into the puck

[Tar356]

Quick question.....

When turning the rack by hand (out of the car) should there be a slight stiff spot when it rolls across "center"?

Thanks.

[KTL]

No hard spot on center. The rack has no idea where center is. It's the same cut of gear teeth meshing on every tooth, so the movement should be smooth across the entire range of operation.

[Tar356]

Are the teeth cut the same depth all the way across? I was wondering if there might be more lash on center??

I have two racks(one early and one late), and both feel the same.

The 356 steering boxes are like that. The worm gear is cut shallower on center than at the ends, so when the wheels are at full lock either side, there is less lash.

[avt007]

In the end I did the easy thing, and bought a used rack locally for $75. I checked out the puck before I bought it. Now I have a useless rack sitting around, but it is the best solution.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by KTL

...The old grease dries to a crust and also leaves oil in the rack housing, due to the separation of the grease ingredients over time. ...

FWIW - grease = oil + clay (binder)

Grease manf. (Chevron) told me their grease has a 5 year shelf life. When the car is driven (and cornered) the movement of the rack components tends to mix the grease, so it should last longer than 5 years.

ANOTHER good reason to drive the car and not let it sit and moulder away...

[TxSquash]

Tim,.. or others who have disassembled your rack. I've taken the rack all apart as per Tim's photos with one exception. How do you get the #6202 ball bearing race off the pinon. I've got a new bb-race from NAPA. Do I need to drive the bb-race off. If so how about drilling a hole in a 2x4 slightly bigger than the pinion, setting the pinion in and driving it down and pull the bb-race off. Is this the way to remove the race, & how to install the new. Will placing the new race over the pinion and driving it on with a slightly oversize deep socket work.

I'm spooked after reading the difficulty of getting parts for the rack, and sure don't want to mess up my pinion shaft. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[casor]

TX - heat the inner bearing race with an acetylene torch and use a puller snuck in between the gear teeth - or a pair of screw drivers and two guys banging on them together. All this stuff is hardened steel and you won't hurt it with heat provided you do not quench it with water or something - let it cool to ambient naturally.

I honestly forget if mine was difficult to remove, check back through posts. If I were an issue I would have remembered it being so.
Rob

[irl]

bump for a great old thread

[KTL]

Yeah we really beat this rack regreasing topic to death, didn't we? But it resulted in quite of bit of good information documenting how-to recondition the steering rack!

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by KTL

Yeah we really beat this rack regreasing topic to death, didn't we? But it resulted in quite of bit of good information documenting how-to recondition the steering rack!

+1. I have mine out on the table right now, ready to disassemble. Wondering about that above post on getting the bearing off the shaft....

[Jaybird12]

Did anybody have difficulties finding the needle beating? My supplier is stumped.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by Jaybird12

Did anybody have difficulties finding the needle beating? My supplier is stumped.

MSC Industrial is where I got mine from. MSC Industrial Supply Co. | Find Power Tools, Hand Tools, Machine Tools & More

FYI the upper shaft bearing (inside the smuggler's box) uses the same bearing. Press it out of the rubber holder w/ your fingers and reinstall a new one. #1712 I believe.

[19-911-65]

As noted before the bearings and seal are off the shelf products...can even pick them up on Ebay... I replaced mine with Fag.

[Nickshu]

Wow is that a 1965 rack? Certainly different than my 82. Is that a shock type steering stabilizer there?

Sent from my Samsung tablet using Tapatalk HD

[19-911-65]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

Wow is that a 1965 rack? Certainly different than my 82. Is that a shock type steering stabilizer there?

Yep!...dated 14/65 with a NOS Boge "steering Damper"

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by 19-911-65

Yep!...dated 14/65 with a NOS Boge "steering Damper"

Cool. Trying to figure out how it works...is the rack free from the suspension crossmember?

Sent from my Samsung tablet using Tapatalk HD

[19-911-65]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

Cool. Trying to figure out how it works...is the rack free from the suspension crossmember?

Bolts on the cross-member with two bolts.

[Flieger]

Can you post a photo of how it attaches to the inner tie rod end? In the second picture you posted it looks like the damper is fixed at both ends, which it would not be of course since it would do nothing then.

[19-911-65]

Originally Posted by Flieger

Can you post a photo of how it attaches to the inner tie rod end?

One end of the damper is affixed to the housing of the aluminum steering assembly. The other end of the damper is affixed to the passenger side of the "rack/shaft" as the passenger side eye bolt is screwed in and locked into the end of the "rack/shaft".

As the steering is turned the "Damper" is doing its job against the stationary housing and the linear movement of the "rack/shaft"

It does look a little odd in the pictures...