260z Power Steering

[jamo240]

Well done Wally...you've achieved a sensible interpretation for all of us...and I agree with the interpretation too...that first ruling was ridiculous!

If you are in Melbourne I can show you how I did mine, and give you some ideas.

There is a good Subie wrecker down here if you are having trouble up there. I used a Liberty rack I think...it has identical turns lock to lock once you shorten it to get the travel the same as what the std 240 rack is (approx 11mm off each side of the rack)....Rob at RC engineering (down here in Vic) can do the turning without stripping the rack. Supasteer in Bayswater has the Lexus rackends that you need to get the right overall length, and you can carry over the std subie tie rod ends as they have the right thread to suit the Lexus rack ends, as well as the same taper as the std 240 steering arms. Rob can also do the welding to the valve assembly if you want to go that way. If you choose not to, it is a bit of a challenge to modify the rack without putting big divots in it to clear the fluid pipes...your engineer may baulk at that. Rob has access to a very good welder who did mine, and he has made up mandrels to ensure the valve body does not deform during welding.

Anyway, happy to help you if I can.

Cheers mate.

Jamo

[wally57]

Jamo,

P

[wally57]

Jamo,

Picked up a pretty good WRX rack yesterday in Newcastle, would like to have been able to do the mod the way you did it but my rotary valve assembly is either cast iron or cast steel so it may be an issue getting it welded properly, and if it looks the slightest bit sus the engineer will jump on it. RTA rules here in NSW say you are not allowed to weld any cast steering components. I am not questioning the safety of rewelding the ears, if I could do it with the iron/steel housing and it looked as clean as yours does I would do it and clean the weld up so it could not be seen once it got a coat of paint. The Lexus rack ends you mentioned. I assume they are soarer is that correct.

Wally

[jamo240]

Hey Wally...yes, they are soarer from memory...let me know if you want me to get a set, and I'll pick some up next time i am over that way. I had a bit of a hard time finding them at Repco, but the super steer guy seems to have plenty of them.

Yes, the WRX appears to have the cast iron/steel body, whereas Liberty is aluminium. You can do it without re-orienting the valve body, but the clearance are tighter and you will have to chop up your x-member a bit...but, given the regulatory thing, I guess you're stuck.

Cheers

Jamo

[KatoKid]

Wally.

If you haven't seen it then check out my thread http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,7174.0.html, there are other options so suggest you check with your engineer before deciding.

[rb25240z]

Wally, I know its too late now but I thought I could give people more info about the mx5 conversion since I did one in my car a few years ago. The rack mounts do have to be modified to a more square shape to fit the rack. The drivers side engine mount pedestal has to have a bit of a notch cut out to clear the steering shaft. The inner tie rods need to be shortened and re threaded by from memory 80mm a side(been a while might not be 80mm). Also flat areas need to be re machined to allow a spanner to be used again. The shortening only cost me $100 at an engineering shop. N14 Pulsar tie rods are then fitted on the ends. The rest, steering shaft, pump, lines etc I guess would be the same with any conversion. I have used both a Rb25 and Cosmo pump and there is no noticeable difference. Also I don't remember the rack being off center, if it was I think I would have started again with a different rack.
Driving the car the turning circle is great better than most cars. The steering is light when driving slow but could be a little heavier at freeway speeds. At first I found it a little twitchy at speed but don't notice it anymore. I have heard of some cars that have a switch that gives less assistance once you pasted car park speeds which could be good but haven't looked anymore into it.

Also from my experience every engineers has a different interpretation of the rules and what one says cant be done is not a problem with another. Over the years I have been told ,no a RB25DET is too powerful for a 240z by one engineer then next engineer on the list asks why just a RB25? If your going to all the effort, why don't you put something bigger in?
Don't get me wrong you still have to meet all the rules, power to weight etc but there is room to move.

[perrin_07]

out of curiosity, what is the rough price for a conversion? great to hear the different prices for different models.