Hello, I've been looking through all of the DIY rack installs and haven't found any showing templates for their homemade brackets? I intended to make my own but with having last minute shoulder surgery it will be a few months until I can crawl around under the car again. I know you can buy them separately but the cost is now over $300 and I'd rather spend $20 at our local welding school and make a stronger bracket. I've read many threads on the Steeroid and Jeep conversions but I like the fact that with the DIY rack you can spend a little at a time and make just as good a system, besides I can't make myself spend $1300 to install a $60 (delivered) remanufactured item (Cardone 22-109/6449) that I bought off Ebay. Thanks in advance.

Kal

 

Kalvin,

Save yourself a lot of fabrication, pain and time and spend about $700 and buy a Borgeson integral power steering box. It comes with a three year written warranty and is made in Torrington CT. Although derived from the Jeep, each box is stripped, machined, has a Corvette-specific mounting plate welded to it and rechecked and re-machined if necessary. The sector shaft is re-splined to suit your original Pitman arm, so all factory steering linkages are used. No bump steer!

It is then assembled to better than factory tolerances and sold with the above warranty. When fitted, you will have a much friendlier 12.7:1 ratio, and a variable boost just like you'll find in a modern car. The further you turn the wheel, the more boost you get, but in a straight line driving situation, you get almost none, and can feel the road a whole lot better than the factory "power" steering ever gave you.

Seriously, is it really worth it to worry about how strong the brackets need to be for an inferior R&P set-up? And most R&P kits are centre take off, so they WILL give you bump steer. The Borgeson box bolts in using the factory mounting holes and uses ALL of the factory tie rods, idler arm, drag link, Pitman arm, etc. Plus, it will clear any factory exhaust and almost all aftermarket headers.

Finally, if you're a good mechanic or know one, the whole job should take just an hour or two to fit, especially if you have a hoist at your disposal. Ring Jeff or Gil at Borgeson on 1-860-482-8283 or sales@borgeson.com if you want any more info.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

 

Great suggestion! Have the Borgeson box for over 2 years now. Bolts in the stock location looks factory and the steering is quick...Aloha's
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Thanks for the votes on the Borgenson box. I've read most of the threads on my options: Borgenson, Steeroids, and the blueprinted factory box but it all comes down to what I can or in my case want to spend. My car is a project or money pit that someone mentioned and I'm only going to spend just so much because it needs so much. I've always done a good job on any project and I can assure you this will turn out safe and cost effective. This is my last project car that I'll ever do. This makes my 4th Vette to own which some may say is a step back from my 07 but when you get to a certain age you start thinking if it's really worth the money-tires, payments, insurance,etc? Come to think of it, it was the guy from Borgenson who convinced me to go with the rack. In his comparisons and or arguments he said that either way you go you would end up with a better system than the factory and he even gave the part # for the rack. Can anybody tell me where I can find bracket templates for the GA rack conversion?

 

Kal
There are several threads on rack and pinion installation, but this one should have what you are looking for. There are no templates to copy, but a good example to follow. Reverse build the install and make your own bracket templates after the rack ends are connected. I'm sure Riggs will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Good luck!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...nd-pinion.html

 

BTT as I'd like to see those beefy bracket plans myself. Not that I need them as I spent the $1300 on the Steeroids kit. Just curious if the others who went the DIY route actually took the trouble to put their bracket plans in a blueprint for all others to copy.