The 510 Realm

There has been some discussion and interest here and there about RnP steering options for the 510. I've heard of MR2 and 240Z mods that almost work but not quite as well as they need to. I discovered this company Unisteer that remanufactures steering assemblies and they can also custom assemble a rack if you fill out their form with some dimensions (see attached). I have no idea the cost, but could this finally be a solution for this issue?

Also, I came across a well documented write-up that a guy put together on how he custom-assembled a RnP on an old Pontiac. His application is different, but the method should be usable.

Thoughts?

The unisteer custom rack could be a great option if feasible. A group buy could possibly be done to reduce cost. Something that caught my eye the other day was a ford festiva manual rack. The festiva is a pretty narrow car with rear steer...I wonder if it would work.

there would seem to be many french and italian cars out there that are very narrow. even possibly a japanese, british or austrailian car with the steering linkage in front of the axle could work. anybody in europe on this site? i'd be willing to drop 200-300 on a new/reman rack and then do all the mods to make it work. my steering box is getting worked and i think everyone else's are as well. maybe the time has come for this to happen on a large scale.

Yeah, but getting parts from overseas is a headache in and of itself

I highly agree. I am getting tired off the feeling of the steering box, i have messed around with the adjusments and it still just doesn't feel as solid as i would like, and all the horror stories as well. Looking at the form it seems pretty easy to fill out. I wouldn't really want to, but i am sure someone with more experience wouldn't have any problems. Send it in get a quote from them and then look at the group buy if possible i would be down.

I have plans on redoing my rack setup. It works well but there is always room for improvment. I also want to raise the engine and crossmember so I can lower my car more keep us posted on rack widths.

Im all in for the group buy, if anyone is into it??

I agree something domestic would be better. Or custom. From what I understand the geometry on the MR2 units is not quite right. Too wide or too skinny, I don't know. But if we are going to find something right, I would be interested in the group buy. I can swing by DGR and find out what he uses. I'm down near there often.

this is turning into a real possibility

im in.

Anybody ever try a CRX rack? Those are pretty narrow also.

So, what all do we need to figure out?
1. Center to center length, outer tie rod to outer tie rod, say at 0 deg.
2. Distance traveled from centered possition to lock left and lock right.
3. Will we use a different steering column or universal joint setup?
4. Angle of input shaft on rack.
5. Mounting.
6. What motors will this work with. ideally L series, KA, SR etc.
7. Ratio.
Just thinking out loud. Any input?

This is great! I'm stoked about the interest in this.

brknrekord wrote:So, what all do we need to figure out?
3. Will we use a different steering column or universal joint setup?
4. Angle of input shaft on rack.
5. Mounting.
6. What motors will this work with. ideally L series, KA, SR etc.

Just thinking out loud. Any input?

3. I think keeping the stock column if possible would be best to keep the component list down - as close to bolt-on as we can get it

4. On the Unisteer form there are boxes to check pinion angle for 90 degrees or 18 degrees - can anyone explain how those options affect us? (I just about wrote down my guess, but I'm trying to avoid the confusion of bad information)

5. If mounting a different than stock crossmember is advisable, then it needs to be more readily available than say, a 240Z member. If the stock 510 crossmember can be altered to work then I think that should be the way to go. Or perhaps it would need to be a custom fabbed item by a fabricator.

6. What components would interfere with a RnP setup? Exhaust? anything else?

Maybe a rule or two should be invoked:

Anyone interested in contributing to this thread (myself included) should get very familiar with how both steering systems function and the geometrics involved to avoid ill-informed comments and subsequent confusion as was the case with a topic on this forum regarding which are the best struts to upgrade to.

If you know of links to good online resources please post them.

Lets try to keep the hear-say to a minimum. If you've heard of a possibility, try to explore it and report your findings as fact as opposed to guesses and third hand information. Its tough to weed through all the poor information to find the truth when everybody throws in their suggestions willy-nilly.

I think the first thing we need to do is get some facts "on paper" about the stock system. This spot will be used to make a list of known findings (dimensions etc) about the 510 how it relates to this project.

Please PM me with your findings and I will add it to this spot for ease of future reference.

Lets start with some dimensions of a stock 510:

My front suspension is completely torn down for strut/brake upgrades.
I would prefer to have it mount to a reversed crossmember in my case. KA going in. Some people are going to want it for other engine app's. I also dont want to pay for a fab'ed xmember. This is all my personal opinon ofcourse.
So, maybe we should just figure out a unit that works dimentionaly and then worry about mounting later considering this is where our differences will come into play.

Yes mine would also have to be for a reverse xmember.

As far as mounting the rack, it should be pretty straight foward.
i think the main concern would be width, making the rack pivit at the same points as the LCA.

when i get home i will check on my car,which is now just wating for the rack to be installed.