rocky&bullwinkle wrote:
G'day,
I'm in the process of doing up my 1963 850 and would like some advice as to whether I need to replace the steering rack. The car has done about 36,000 miles and hasn't been on the road since the mid 1980's. I've got the motor out of it and will soon have the subframes out as I get it ready for painting.
I've read that parts aren't available to repair my current rack and as far as replacement goes, the new ones are from a MK2 and as mine is a MK1, I'd also need to get new steering arms from a MK2 due to the tighter turning circle.
I was talking to a bloke the other day with a car much the same as mine and it's done nearly 80,000 miles and nearly everything is original, including the motor, so I'm wondering if mine would be ok as is?
Is there some way of checking mine to see if it's still OK?
Thanks, Rocky
You need to test whether the rack has excessive freeplay...that is, turning the steering wheel does not turn the road wheels...vibration at the steering wheel can also be a symptom.
Don't skimp or play around with your steering rack if you don't have the knowledge or skills necessary...take it to a specialist to overhaul...