Rack and pinion dimension database?

I have a Bad Idea that requires a specific dimension rack.  24" center to center, front steer, and as much angle to the pinion as possible.

Searching for a database of rack dimensions is proving fruitless.  Is there one out there for the chassis hackers?

Power steering or no?

Cardone, who I don't recommend actually buying anything from, has rack dimensions on most of their Rock Auto listings.

I'm not near my records but there is a steering rack company that makes new steering racks to your exact needs. Prices weren't terrible ( remember how cheap I am ) 

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

I didn't realize that! Looking through their listings for a couple of BMW's the dimensions don't really line up on the width for what I measured on actual racks though so you would want to confirm in the scrapyard.

Both BMW E46 and E39 racks measured out at roughly 25" (not true, see edits) between inner tie rod end joints with 5.91" of stroke to go with 3 turns lock to lock (all inline 6 E39 racks are like that, only some E46 racks have that ratio). You can add spacers which will increase that inner joint distance by another 1/4" to get slightly more stroke. The mounting is a bit different between the two racks so go with whatever works best in your application and watch out for any of the variable assist stuff.

Edit to add - the actual E46 rack is 575 mm (22.6") and the thread for the inner tie rods is M18 - 1.5. This thread has lots of info on some BMW racks  

Edit again for future Googler's ending up here, I received my RHD E39 rack and they are wider than the E36/46 racks, the rack itself is 620 mm (24.4") and they are around 25.5" between inner tie rod joints. 3 turns lock to lock and 5.9" of stroke like I said above.

I've been down this road too, except looking for a 20" rear-steer rack, which may not actually exist. 24" front-steer shouldn't be too tough to find. Off the top of my head, I think a Mustang or Miata rack would be pretty close.

Cardone and other rebuilders publish dimensions, but they're all over the place. Half the time the "width" dimension includes the inner tie rods, which is useless.

Going to a good u-pull junkyard with a tape measure might be the best way.

If you're looking for rear steer racks, can you use a RHD front steer turned upside down? IIRC I used to have an Escort rack or something that would probably have worked.

Good to know on the BMWs.  Power/manual is unimportant, would prefer manual because it would be less work and less bulk.  The BMW racks look awful bulky but also easy to mount.

Was secretly hoping to get dimensions for a Volvo 740 or 240 rack.  

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I'm just thinking the BRZ rack is non-power and incredibly simple to mount, with partouts galore too.

Miata rack is 24.5" measured without the pivots on it.

I have a Volvo 240 rack in my parts stash. I'll measure it tonight when I am near it and post. be a few hours....

Keith Tanner said:

If you're looking for rear steer racks, can you use a RHD front steer turned upside down? IIRC I used to have an Escort rack or something that would probably have worked.

Sure. If I recall, the closest option I found was a RHD Spridget rack turned upside down, which was on the order of 19" center-to-center according to the internet. Not trying to jack Pete's thread, but if anyone has good ideas, I'm all ears.

Conversely, Pete should be able to use a flipped RHD rear steer rack too.

I really wish there was a good database out there for this stuff.

It's also worth mentioning the Dodge Intrepid rack. I believe it's front-steer, and the tie rods bolt on in the center, about 3" apart. If you have room to mount it, you can make a bar whatever width you need and bolt your inner tie rods to it. You could also build an angle into your adapter to rotate the pinion wherever you need it. Some of the aftermarket companies make retrofit setups with these racks for cars that originally used steering boxes, like so:

In reply to obsolete :

Honda used a similar setup in the early 2000's but it is rear steer.

In reply to adam525i :

Yep, so did GM, on the '80s-'90s J and L bodies.

I've installed one of those setups in a '70 Torino, a kit from Australia that was far better engineered than that one.  The "center link" rode on a linear bearing to keep it stable, instead of just flexing around on a stick in the middle.

After being on an emergency Zoom meeting tonight due to a vote happening tomorrow, it may all be moot as my '84 RX-7 may not be Mod class legal next year.  BUT.  I have an '88 RX-7 front suspension in it for the stronger uprights.  I have never been happy with the handling, since the control arms are much, much shorter, and the roll center ends up lower as well as moving around a lot more.  Driving my (largely stock) '81 confirms that the FC front end handles like poo.  What I would like to do is take a spare FB front crossmember and carve out the underside of the forward oil pan clearance kick, reinforce the resulting hole with a cross-section of whatever appropriate diameter tube, and install a front steer rack.  With Mazda 2 ball joints, I can mate the FC uprights with the FB control arms.  The FB control arm pivots are 24" apart instead of 30" or so for the FC.

So I need a rack with inner tie rod ends 24" apart (a little larger is acceptable, I can redrill the crossmember, which would widen the track) but the quill has to come out at as much of an angle as possible so the steering has a hope of clearing the engine.  Moving the engine to the right is certainly on the table as well, as it's left-justified as installed by Mazda so the exhaust can clear the (nonexistent) right hand drive models' power steering box.

My notes say a Volvo 240 rack is 670 mm (26,3") between the inner joints, but a BMW E36 one is 600 mm (23,6"). The E46 should be similar as noted above.

I would think the BMW may be a winner and it is also nice that they are available in different ratios. 

Gustaf

Thanks!

I also noted that Pinto racks should fit but the mounting would be the lowest point of the car by a lot, and the pinion comes out very close to the center of the car.