Flaming River's standard-ratio,...
Flaming River's standard-ratio, manual rack-and-pinion installation kit for '79-'93 Fox-body Mustangs (PN FR1890FT) retails for $499. Included in this kit is the company's forged, low-profile U-joints and steering-shaft upgrade.
Last month, we detailed the dyno test of our True Street project's 427ci engine, and this month we sought to drop it between the fenders of our Repeat Offender. To accomplish this we had to address some issues with the front end components to make a proper home for the Windsor. This included a tubular K-member, and a new manual rack and pinion assembly from Flaming River.
Flaming River has long been associated with producing high-quality replacement and high-performance steering components for a variety of vehicles, and it has the late-model Mustang market dialed in. The company's manual rack has long been a favorite of racers as it offers more room in the engine bay for bigger engines and larger-tube headers, as well as a decent weight reduction compared to the factory power steering rack, pump, and associated lines and brackets.
We contemplated keeping the power steering on project Repeat Offender, and even looked at the brand-new assemblies that Flaming River offers, but in the end, the aforementioned attributes of the manual rack won out as our True Street endeavor is all about going fast in a straight line.
We'll be dropping the entire...
We'll be dropping the entire K-member, front control arms, and power steering rack for this installment. This job can be performed at home with a set of jackstands and a floorjack, but our lift here at the Tampa SIM Tech Center affords us the ability to get better pictures for the readers.
Before we installed the rack and pinion, we needed to address the shot lower front control arms and ball joints. When we installed the front suspension components several issues back, we didn't realize how bad the parts were, but we're fairly certain it is all factory '85-spec stuff that's long since run its course of usefulness. That being said, we were planning on rebushing the control arms and ordering new ball joints, but an opportunity came up to employ a hand-me-down tubular K-member and A-arms, so we opted to go that route.
The inner and outer tie rods...
The inner and outer tie rods were both shot on our factory rack and pinion.
Said K-member was relieved from associate editor Pete Epple's Three-Valve swap project, as it made way for a new piece from Maximum Motorsports. Other than the paint being gone and having a bit of surface rust, the custom K-member, which was fabricated in New Jersey by chassis-guy Joe Gambino, was a stout piece, and the tubular lower control arms employed spring perches for use with a factory style coil spring. After using a combination of sandblasting and chemical stripping, we had our friend T.J. Gant at Power Powerdercoating cover the tubes with a deep grey powdercoat. It's an almost black finish that gives the piece a unique look without standing out too much.
We also had to trade out the spherical rod ends that hung the control arms, as the chrome was peeling and the spherical bearings were largely seized up. We dialed up Summit Racing for a quartet of black oxide rod ends. The K-member was already equipped with screw-in style ball joints that were in great shape, so we didn't have to worry about those.
We first removed the stock...
We first removed the stock power steering rack, steering shaft, and associated hoses. This was followed by the removal of the coil springs and spindles.
With the K-member and A-arms installed, the Flaming River manual rack bolted up easily. We ordered ours with the installation kit, which includes new rack bushings and hardware, along with new outer tie rods. We also went for the Flaming River steering shaft with low-profile Borgeson joints. This would improve the accuracy of steering inputs, as well as offer improved clearance for the substantial exhaust headers that we will be employing. We mocked the steering shaft up for your viewing pleasure, but we'll revisit the actual installation once we have the headers in the car, as there are some adjustments that can be made to work around the header tubes.
To remove the K-member, support...
To remove the K-member, support it with a floorjack and then begin unbolting the four bolts located at the rear mounting points.
While we would normally weigh everything to show you the weight difference, the point was largely rendered moot, as our tubular K-member is a custom piece, and the numbers wouldn't be exactly what you might see with other brands of tubular K-members. As far as the rack goes, Flaming River says that there is about a 30-pound weight reduction when ditching the factory power steering for its manual rack.
Next month, we'll bring you more of Project Repeat Offender. Our deadline to get the project finished in time for the NMRA season opener in Bradenton, Florida, is fast approaching, and there's a lot of work to be done yet. Stay tuned.
Next, remove the two large...
Next, remove the two large fasteners that are hiding up in the top spring perch location, and then the K-member comes right down.
With the design of the spring...
With the design of the spring perches on the tubular K-member and A-arms, we couldn't just muscle the springs in with a couple of pry bars. We dropped in on our local parts store and rented this external spring compressor, which got the job done. This installation can be very dangerous given the tension in the coils when they are compressed, so call in an expert if you haven't done this before. Depending on your K-member, you may be able to use an internal spring compressor for added clearance. This largely depends on the size of the hole in the bottom of the perch.
While we would be reusing...
While we would be reusing the screw-in ball joints, the rusty spherical rod ends had to go. We replaced them with these 3/4-16 (5/8-inch bore) black-oxide pieces from Summit Racing Equipment (PN SUM-XMAX10). They offer a wider range of movement than the old pieces, and the black oxide will likely last longer than the chrome-plating.
We chased the threads using...
We chased the threads using a Snap-on thread tap before installing the Summit rod ends. This ensured that they would go all the way in without trouble, and that they would come back out easily should the alignment shop need to adjust them.
With the springs in place,...
With the springs in place, the spindles can now be installed.
Following the spindles, we...
Following the spindles, we bolt up our Strange Engineering adjustable front struts.
We can now bolt up our new...
We can now bolt up our new Aerospace Components front brakes. Not that a drag racer running pizza-cutters up front is concerned, but tubular lower front control arms offers added wheel clearance in addition to less weight. Said weight reduction will aid in weight transfer at launch, as it shifts the weight balance of the car rearward before you even turn the key.
The Flaming River manual rack...
The Flaming River manual rack and pinion setup bolted right up without issue-that is other than our custom tubular K-member requiring some very rare 7/16-20 fine-thread bolts that we had to special order.
You'll be relatively surprised...
You'll be relatively surprised at how well the car still turns with a manual rack, especially with skinny front wheels and tires.
One end of the new steering...
One end of the new steering joints fits over the splined end of the steering rack shaft, while the other end attaches to the supplied steel beam using a set screw.
We have a bit of adjustment...
We have a bit of adjustment with the steering shaft, and that is good, as we have some rather large headers to fit in the engine bay. We'll cover the steering shaft installation once we have the headers just a few issues from now.
Our 609hp small-block Ford...
Our 609hp small-block Ford has been introduced to our '85 coupe, and it looks like it will be a good fit. There's probably going to be a small cowl-induction-style hood in the car's near future, especially after we throw on the carb spacer and Quickfuel Technologies air and fuel mixer on top.