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Rebuilding a CAM rack and pinion, is it worth doing?

A

Anothernewb

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2016
Can rebuilding a CAM rack be done successfully for an advanced level shade tree mechanic? I JUST got power steering in my 282 for the first time since buying it 3 years ago and the rack is leaking. I don't have a problem buying a rebuilt rack but I like doing things myself.
 
I went through that same personal decision. Reading the Greenbook rebuild section did not indicate anything that couldn't be done by us hobby folks but the thing that swung me to a pro rebuild is the CAM balance adjustment. There is some hope that a re-builder would do that as part of the work. While not all that difficult the adjustment washer is NLA. I cut one from a fender washer but gave up and bought the rebuild. The first rebuild was wildly unbalanced and had to be replaced so you efforts couldn't be worst.
 
Thanks for the input. How does an unbalanced CAM rack behave? Besides the balance issue, how difficult was the tear down and rebuild?

Btw, thanks for your thorough 5.0 swap write-up. It has been invaluable to me and my SBF swapped 242. I bought the car already swapped, very poorly, and your articles have been an amazing resource to me.
 
Send your rack to jorgen. Or find a good zf core and send to jorgen for rebuild. Ive been lucky on findind good used zf racks that were leak free. Your luck might be different.
 
white855T said:
Send your rack to jorgen. Or find a good zf core and send to jorgen for rebuild. Ive been lucky on findind good used zf racks that were leak free. Your luck might be different.
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I would like to avoid having to built another power steering pressure line since my car is SBF swapped and uses a Ford power steering pump. Why would a ZF be more desirable than a CAM? Also the car is my daily driver and I can't have it down for a week or more waiting on someone to rebuild my rack.
 
Anothernewb said:
I would like to avoid having to built another power steering pressure line since my car is SBF swapped and uses a Ford power steering pump. Why would a ZF be more desirable than a CAM? Also the car is my daily driver and I can't have it down for a week or more waiting on someone to rebuild my rack.
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It's better.
 
Anothernewb said:
I would like to avoid having to built another power steering pressure line since my car is SBF swapped and uses a Ford power steering pump. Why would a ZF be more desirable than a CAM? Also the car is my daily driver and I can't have it down for a week or more waiting on someone to rebuild my rack.
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What happens when you screw the pooch on the rebuild of your rack?

That's why you find a core and then send it off for a rebuild. No time loss. Why would you need to have another line made? It use the same fittings. So the line you had made will work for the ZF rack. Alternatively find a zf rack and rebuild yourself. If I were going to do a one an done job, finding a zf rack to be sent off for a pro rebuild would be the best option.
 
Redwood Chair said:
It's better.
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Care to elaborate with something other than the same because I said so my parents used to give me?


white855T said:
What happens when you screw the pooch on the rebuild of your rack?
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Perhaps you missed the point of my post entirely. I'm looking for the opinion of people that have rebuilt a CAM rack and gauge whether or not its worth the effort over buying an already rebuilt rack.
 
Anothernewb said:
How does an unbalanced CAM rack behave?
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Steering constantly pulls strongly to one side, making you think the alignment is way off or running a way smaller tire on one side. You constantly have to hold the steering wheel against its natural desire to spin over to the one side.
 
Anothernewb said:
Perhaps you missed the point of my post entirely. I'm looking for the opinion of people that have rebuilt a CAM rack and gauge whether or not its worth the effort over buying an already rebuilt rack.
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Very few people actually rebuild their own rack because its not worth the trouble. If you want to do it to save a few pennies, by all means, do it.
 
Anothernewb said:
I don't have a problem buying a rebuilt rack but I like doing things myself.
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The point is that the OP wanted to do it himself. I can understand that.

Buy a rack from a JY and have fun rebuilding it. I looked up a parts kit price some time ago and it was not very expensive. Racks seem to have a core charge of $100 so that is probably what you are going to have to pay for one.

ZF and CAM racks are completely interchangeable but the ZF has a better subjective reputation.
 
Anothernewb said:
Care to elaborate with something other than the same because I said so my parents used to give me?
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http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=3087559&postcount=4

I don't think his side by side pictures are hosted anymore, but he took apart CAM and ZF racks and the pinion was thicker at its thinnest point, by a not-insignificant amount. ZF internals looked..."better"....is the only way I can put it now.

Probably nothing worth chasing for a daily driver, but he (fidel aka Lawrence) was looking into quicker ratios and he may have actually installed a 1.5:1 stock care style steering quickener on a 240 at some point. I had one, I think it ended up with him but I don't remember. Now you can buy roll center correcting spacers from https://www.bneshop.com/ that allow for quicker steering ratio and thus more load on the rack. I like the ZF rack for this reason.
 
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