[chevynuts88]

Why is this not posted at the top of this page so everyone can see this rather than go to the search mode? Bill s II and other members went through a great amount of work to help us have rack and pinion steering for our novas at a very reasonable price.

 

[Chrisbequick]

That would be nice. I'm doing a search for it right now. Grrrr....

-Chris

 

[the FLYER]

go to his user profile and click on link of his sig area

or ya can just click here

http://community.webshots.com/album/280387281WjLPhW

 

[Greg_R_63]

And of course, it's in the Link Library, under Conversions and Upgrades, right Johnny?

 

[the FLYER]

actually, yes it is !!!

 

[Bill's II]

Chevette Rack Conversion?

Hey Now to all, "Bill's" II here. Thanks for the Kudos.!!! Also any time you see my "Bill's" II on a thread or post, The link to the conversion will be there. This really is a reasonable way to have rack and pinion steering, that [REALLY WORKS] and use over the counter/wrecking yard parts. It steers like a british sports car, positive and reactive to steering wheel movement. In other words don't move the steering wheel unless you want to turn. Sincerely, "Bill's" II

 

[Fastnuf]

Has anyone completed this conversion and have the car running? (It sounds like Bill has) Is there any bump steer problems? The reason I ask is because I rounded up all the required parts and am about to do the install when I noticed the pivot points between the L/H and R/H lower control arms measure 22.5 inches while the pivot points on the chevette rack (inside tie rod ends) measure 25.5 inches. I thought those to dimesions were suppose to be equal or as close to equal as possible. It seems 3 inches is a bit much. Can someone out here who has completed this conversion and drove the car respond to my concerns before I go any further?
Thanks Bill/guys.

 

[chevynuts88]

Ive done it it works great! Did you swap sides on the 74 nova steering arms?.E.G. the left on the right facing forward

 

[chevynuts88]

Don,t worry

If you see it with no weight on and it looks weird [tie rod end angle],see what it looks like with weight on.

 

[Bill's II]

Pivot points Bump steer?

Hey Now fastnuf, Bill's II here. Like Carl mentioned did you swap arms to opposite sides? Also did you bend/twist the tie rod attachment point on the steering arms? You can do it without doing this, but I have found it works better and less chance of bump steer. Also the look is the way it should be, horizontal and vertical alignment are square with the car and the earth. Sincerely, "Bill's" II Note that finally got hired on a new job, and sometimes it takes me a while to get to the site and answer questions. Be patient and I will. Also chevynuts88 has done this conversion and also knows how it all goes together.

 

[Fastnuf]

Thanks for the quick reply guys. Bills2, another quick question for you. I have the 74 steering arms (actually I have 3 sets of them) and was curious why you didn't just use the original steering arms and "flip" them from side to side like you did with the 74 steering arms.

 

[TechGuy]

I noticed the pivot points between the L/H and R/H lower control arms measure 22.5 inches while the pivot points on the chevette rack (inside tie rod ends) measure 25.5 inches. I thought those to dimesions were suppose to be equal or as close to equal as possible.
Thanks Bill/guys.

not true in many cases...

I know of this one Pro-E designed front end that has practicaly zero bump steer where the lower a-arm pivots are 19" apart & the rack inner pivots are
21.5"

 

[Fastnuf]

Mike, Thanks for the reply. I am in the midst of switching to an R&P on my 64 and I am trying to better understand the theory of operation of front-end geometry before I do the swap as opposed to after which could translate into additi0onal costs or worse.

not true in many cases... I know of this one Pro-E designed front end that has practicaly zero bump steer where the lower a-arm pivots are 19" apart & the rack inner pivots are
21.5"

How does that happen? Is it because that particular car has a very narrow range of rebound/jounce? It seems that if the LCA pivot points are not the same or real close to the rack's inner tie rod pivot point, when the suspension travels through it's range (the wider the range the worse it would be), the LCA and tie rod would swing in different arcs causing the spindle to change direction without input from the steering wheel.

 

[TechGuy]

Here's another example......a popular [email protected]%& M#!*(#? II front steer rack suspension...
inner lower a-arm pivots 22 1/4 " c/c, rack pivots 24 1/2".

On a front steer rack, the Ackerman angle forces the outer tie rod to be
farther out than the lower ball joint, so the rack pivots will almost allways
wider than the lower a-arm pivots.

If the tie rod & lower a-arm are close to the same lenght, they will move in
about the same arcs,& have about the same rate of change...this will minimize bump steer.

Example....aftermarket front end made in Northern California has a tie rod length of 13.5" & a lower A-arm length of 13 11/16"...with practically zero bumpsteer.

What rack were you looking at ?

 

[Bill's II]

Chevette Rack Conversion

Hey Now to all, Bill's II here. "TECH GUY MIKE" Thanks for the help.!!!! Myself and many others on Steve's Site appreciate your Expert Advice and Opinions. !!! As to Fastnuf's request the reason's are many on why I did the 69 to 74 Nova steering arms. Alignment and Location of mounting points of the tie rod ends. Also, remember that I used this for stock ride height Chevy II's, however, this works with a One to One an One Half inch drop in ride height. Part of the key is that Rack Centerline and Tie Rod ends are Horizontal with the front suspension ride Height. Sincerely, "Bill's" II

 

[Fastnuf]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Bill's II]

Chevette Rack Pinion conversion/

Hey Now To all. "Tech Guy" You Da Man.!!!! You can answer questions with the math and technical that I Can't do, and this sticky needs your expertise at times. Now to all other's that read the info that has been assembled by "Bill's II" "Flyer" "Chevynuts88" "Tech Guy" I still have some pictures to post along with text. These are courtesy of Chevynuts88, and how he converted the Chevy II steering column for this undertaking. On mine I used a Cadillac tilt/telescoping column. I will also post pictures on how I did this also. In addition I originally used a power rack, I now have a manual rack, I will post pictures of both. What made me write down and give out all this info? "Flyer" "Tech Guy Mike" are the ones that made this possible. The key was a site that gave Good Honest Answers for Chevy II/Nova owners. Another piece was that every site/book/aftermarket system says it will not work. Something that NO ONE knew until NOW; I first did this conversion in 1979. However, I just last year updated and wrote down how and what I did to make this conversion work and be [SAFE] The piece now for me is completing the Resto/Mods so I can feel the thrill of 450 + Horses thundering down the Street/Strip!!!! again. Sincerely, "Bill's" II

 

[Fastnuf]

Did anyone use a bearing to support the steering shaft inside the column where they cut the shaft and column? If so, what was the P/N and where did you procure it from? I didn't notice this information in Bill's write up.

 

[chevynuts88]

bearing support

I tried sending the photos and it said they were already on there somewhere. If you want to see them send me your email address or tell me how I can find out where they are on this website.carl

 

[Fastnuf]

You got mail.
Thanks