Mk1 Quaife quick rack

[Clarky_X]

Anyone done the Quaife quick rack mod on a mk1? Can you put a knowledgebase article up or give me any guidance? I've ordered one, but how easy is the kit to put into the std rack casing?

Is a bearing press needed or any other specialist tools I need before it arrives?

[cartledge_uk]

Have you got the RHD version?

There is one that is around that I know of (used to be mine) but has not been fitted yet that i'm aware of.

When you get it fitted, can you do a knowledge base article please

[Clarky_X]

I have ordered a new rhd one from quaife but they are made to order. Should have been here this week but now put back to 9 april. So about 5-6 week lead time.

[kaiowas]

Not fitted one but I'd be interested to see how it turns out as I've considered doing it to our track car.

[aw11rally]

Cogboy and myself fitted a quaife rack on our rally car. It was relatively easy to fit, the worst bit was the 20yr old grease in the rack that looked like chocolate.

Cogboy had to have a taste, as it happens it may look like chocolate but doesn't taste like it.

The job itself is relatively simple, the only problem we had was removing the bearing on the pinion shaft, we tried using a bearing puller but managed to pull the bearing apart. This meant removing another rack from a donor car and using the bearing from that as Toyota no longer stock them.

We used two big screwdrivers, two big hammers and some synchronised percussion to remover the bearing on the spare pinion.

Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours.

Cogboy will post a more detailed account later.

[Clarky_X]

I got a reply back from Quaife about the kit and they said it just comes as the rack and the pinion, nothing else, no instructions or owt. So looks like I'm on my own. I'll do an article as I go along, had the rack out before so that's not the problem, but it is the bearing I'm worried about as I don't want to knacker the one in the car as it is my daily driver so I need it running on the Monday following the job.

I'll have a look on ebay for a puller and see if there are different sizes, unless anyone knows what size I need if there is such a thing.

[Clarky_X]

Right, that wasn't very successful. A search for bearing puller just resulted in mostly a load of 3 jaw pullers like I've already got. And I can see how that probably wouldn't work as the jaws aren't big enough so would only puller the inner race out and spill bearings all over my drive as I guess the outer race would be pretty tight in the rack casing.

The only other sort of puller was the bar pullers, but I don't know how they work and in any case, I'm guessing they need to go round the back of the bearing which would be inaccessible inside the rack.

I guess the usual way for this would be trash the old bearing getting it out and use a press to get a new one in, but I didn't inspect the rack that closely when I took it out last time.

Sorry this post is not much use to anyone reading later. Hopefully someone can come up with some tips.

[AndyA]

If you do damage the bearing getting it out, you could try taking it to a local bearing factor who might be able to supply you with an equivalent.

A lot of bearings are standard sizes, so even if MrT don't list them anymore, doesn't mean you can't get one that will work.

This is just an idea, as I don't have first-hand experience of this particular job, but thought it might help as I've managed to get bearings for other cars this way in the past

Andy

[scomr2]

At a guess you are going to need a press and tube with an inner diameter very slightly bigger than the pinion to get the bearing off without damaging it.

Safest bet would be to buy a scrappy steering rack to have a practice on before trashing your main one.

The bearing will have a code on it that will allow you to match it with something a bearing supplier recognises.

[aw11rally]

A screwdriver and hammer on the inner race got the bearing off no problem. We couldn't find a bearing puller that would work either.

[msherry21]

I fitted one to my mk1.6, didn't have any problems at all and no special tools, at the most a vice was used. It was that long ago I can't remember. One of the easiest job I took on with that car though.
cheers,

Michael.

[Fab4MR2]

Here's a link from Club4ag that covers how to replace it on an ae86 which is pretty much the same thing, and it includes pics, and other useful info.

http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=15662&page=1

[cogboy]

Cogboy and myself fitted a quaife rack on our rally car. It was relatively easy to fit, the worst bit was the 20yr old grease in the rack that looked like chocolate.

Cogboy had to have a taste, as it happens it may look like chocolate but doesn't taste like it.

Actually it looked more like Nutella, but it tasted considerable worse than fully synthetic gearbox oil. From experience, I wouldn't recommend eating either.

Cogboy will post a more detailed account later.

Probably not. It seems to have been quite well covered

[PW@Woodsport]

Something of interest for you folks wanting to improve the steering on a Mk1, fully adjustable too ... sort of makes a quickrack redundant.

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=134255

[Clarky_X]

Paul, thanks for brining this thread back to the front page, I'd forgotten about this and steering rack failed the MOT and my Quaife rack only just turned up after going through quality check. 4 week lead time turned out to be 8.

Anyway, how much your power rack 1. set you back (or a customer actually) and 2. weigh?

Quaife rack is about £150 inc VAT. Plus then either follow the instructions or find someone to fit.

Incidentally, thanks for the tech post with photos, I am printing it out now. But I will not be attempting myself, looking at it I would be tempted to do it, but the car failed MOT and I am on holiday from Friday to Friday so am going to get a local garage to do it. I went and spoke to a couple today, one garage said they couldn't do it because they couldn't get hold of the pre-tension information they needed to do it (lightweights) and the bloke I'm taking it to said he'd have a go. But thanks to Paul bringing this thread back to the first page I am printing the instructions out for him so he should 1 get it done quicker and 2 have less risk of trashing the thing.

Anyway the car needs welding doing as well for the MOT. Plus front and rear calipers, exhaust gaskets and headlight, but that's another story.

[PW@Woodsport]

Anyway, how much your power rack 1. set you back (or a customer actually) and 2. weigh?

Well just to be clear, it's just the column that's powered, not the rack, that stays the same. I have spent about £130 so far in parts, that was for the Corsa column and the "mod box". The rest is just my time making A fit B and attach to C, which the man at home could do without too much trouble if he has decent skills, i probably have 6 hours in the project.

The new column weighs around 5 or 6kgs more than a stock Mk1 column due to the motor and other things, but considerably less than the Mk2 PS system i had installed on my first attempt.

Ah good old Mk1 rust, it's the one thing that may well eventually kill our cars, i hope you get yours sorted!

[Clarky_X]

The rack is now done. I don't know how the bloke did it so can't comment on that, but I printed out the photo how to linked in this thread and he got the bearing out OK, but put a new one in anyway as there was wear and play in the bearing. He said the steering is now heavy (well then he said, lets say direct) but the car is not quite done yet. He found more welding needed doing. Someone had filled a hole in the drivers floor with fibreglass and undersealed over it. So he's chopping all the crap out and welding it proper. Front pads and new hand brake cables that were seized and it should be done Mon/Tue.

[Clarky_X]

The rack is now done. I don't know how the bloke did it so can't comment on that, but I printed out the photo how to linked in this thread and he got the bearing out OK, but put a new one in anyway as there was wear and play in the bearing. He said the steering is now heavy (well then he said, lets say direct) but the car is not quite done yet. He found more welding needed doing. Someone had filled a hole in the drivers floor with fibreglass and undersealed over it. So he's chopping all the crap out and welding it proper. Front pads and new hand brake cables that were seized and it should be done Mon/Tue.