PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => General Help- Ask the Experts... => Topic started by: adam.e.wood on November 08, 2012, 12:49:13 PM
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I was wondering.. I lowered my steering rack for clearance for the v8 and i was wondering if a mustang bump steer kit would work fit on the pinto manual steering rack.
Also i was wondering if there is a correct way to extend the steering column shaft hence the rack being lowered apprx 2 inches.
Any help would be great. Ill try to get my work log up asap to get everyones opinion on my project ;D Im sure i will catch some sh** for it
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Pretty sure I can guess your car right off without pics! Is it orange with running horses on the side and a lets just say one of the best V8 swaps out their? LOL
As for the bump steer I havent really seen any kits for the 74-80 cars only the earlier models.
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Yep thats the one! You have any idea if a early early model mustang kit would work? believe its 79-93
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Adam, I don't know what you mean by a bump steer kit, but I did the same thing you did in 1980 to my 74 Pinto when I put a diesel engine in it. All the front end shops told me they had no idea how to make the car steer. I woke up one night from a dream, no kidding, and got up and sketched out what I thought would work. I got busy building my thoughts and made that car steer perfectly, only set toe-in initially by measuring front and rear of the tires, but it worked and didn't wear tires for the next 50,000 miles I drove it.
That patent is for sale....LOL... way too long to try to describe here. If you want to chat on the phone sometime, let me know and I would be happy to share my fix with you. I will tell you this, it took a lot of welding and parts, but it was safe, and it worked.
Dave
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A-ha! Google is my friend! I see now what a bump steer kit is. Adam, what I learned about front-end geometry was that the tie rod has to follow the same arc as the lower control arm. This keeps the front wheels from both turning to the inside as the front suspension travels downward. I guess that is bump steer. I wasn't smart enough to call it that back in 1980, LOL.
Seeing what is available today, I would venture to say, based on my experience, is that if you lowered the rack straight down 2 inches, that would lowed the inner tie =rod ball by 2 inches, so lowering the outer tie-rod by the same amount with the new shiney gizmo's they call bump steer kits, I think you would fix your problem.
Don't take this as your fix, I would certainly want to know more about your car, but what I see here:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/compeng-bumpsteer-9404.html (http://www.americanmuscle.com/compeng-bumpsteer-9404.html)
and look at the 1 customer photo, is in essence what I accomplished on my car. Interesting what 32 years will do for the auto aftermarket. We called those things hime joints back then.
Dave
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Yep thats the one! You have any idea if a early early model mustang kit would work? believe its 79-93
Ive heard talk that the Mustang II/Pinto manual rack was the same as the 79 mustang manuals rack but if thats true or not I cant say but If it was me Id call like comp engineering or whatever supplier you were going to buy the bumpsteer kit from and ask them the thread size and pitch ( One the side that threads onto the rack) to see if it would screw on to your steering rack and ask them the length of them from the end to the center of the heim joint.
Then just measure your stock tie rod ends to see if they are about the same length and if they are then get the bumpsteer kit and install it.
As for the rack to column Best bet would prolly be a steering joint that fits onto the end of the column and turns it into 3/4 DD rod and one that comes off the rack into 3/4dd rod then you can juts get the 3/4 DD rod cut it to fit the space in between the 2 joints and put it together. Pretty much a setup like this http://www.flamingriver.com/index.php/products/c0005/s0014/FRUJKT1SS (http://www.flamingriver.com/index.php/products/c0005/s0014/FRUJKT1SS)
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Pretty sure I can guess your car right off without pics! Is it orange with running horses on the side and a lets just say one of the best V8 swaps out their? LOL
As for the bump steer I havent really seen any kits for the 74-80 cars only the earlier models.
may i ask how you heard of my car? Theres been a lot of rumors going around about it so id like to know. Haha ive had a lot of compliments from ppl ive never met. trying to figure out how the word is bein spread so fast
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Seen it on Starcityracing .com and well yours and the first LSX pinto (Turbocharged white one thats been smoking alot of cars during that past few drag weeks) are the only 2 I have found that have had LS swaps in them. I found your by google searching "5.3 swapped pinto" That forums the first one on the list.
An from what Ive seen on there in the pics looks like good work and should be super quick. I keep a good look out for just that swap and read as much as I can cause I been thinking about pulling the 2.3turbo out of my bobcat and swapping in a 5.3/th350 setup and go single turbo and then just use my 2.3T in my ranger.
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Some more info. Was going to lower mine & decided to raise the engine & make new engine mounts.
http://www.fordpinto.com/general-help/lowering-rack-oil-pan-hump/msg127472/#msg127472