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I'm fitting my manual Flaming River Rack and Pinion steering.
Had some clearance issue with the cross brace and the oil pan. So I modded it and have close to ½" before any interference with the pan. No problem.
NOW- I've tightened everything down and my clearance evaporated- I've got less than a 1/4 between the top of the rack and the oil pan.
I'm looking at slotting the cross brace mounting holes ,,,
What should I shoot for- as right now I'm at a little more than an 1/8. What do you think would be a comfortable distance-running stock rubber type motor mounts???
Took some off the mount to get some extra space-
Plenty of clearance on the mounting /crossmember bracket-
But here's the problem- no room for the rack- right up against the pan-
I have a power steering unit in my 78 with a ZZ383. No pan clearance problems. What engine / pan setup do you have.
Also make sure you check that the tie rod sleeves can reach properly. The power steering unit is off centered by ~1" so the passenger tie rod won't reach the spindle.
I have the steeroids power rack on mine and I have about 1/4" from the bracket the tie rods are bolted to. I have lowered the engine a little and this is why it's so close. I have solid motor mounts so no engine movement. There has been no contact between the bracket and the pan. I don't know if this helps.
Probably not the cleanest solution, but I would just dimple the pan to get the clearance needed. Guys putting small block Chevys in Jags do it all the time. You just need a qtr inch total. Imho
How much ground clearance is under the rack mounting? If you lower the rack mounting tabs lets say 3/16 to 1/4", keep in mind that the tie rods would need to get longer. That would give the clearance needed. Also eliminate the engine movement as much as possible. Energy Suspension poly mounts don't move much. Don't know if they make them for BMW engines. T
I like watching your progress, very detailed work.
Last edited by terrys6t8roadster; Sep 25, 2018 at 06:13 AM.
I have a power steering unit in my 78 with a ZZ383. No pan clearance problems. What engine / pan setup do you have.
Also make sure you check that the tie rod sleeves can reach properly. The power steering unit is off centered by ~1" so the passenger tie rod won't reach the spindle.
It's actually an all aluminum 327- but has 4 more cylinders! Pan is a custom made aluminum dry sump with windage tray.Mine is a manual- but using an electric assist on the column.
The way the tie rods are done- I have plenty of reach
Originally Posted by v2racing
I have the steeroids power rack on mine and I have about 1/4" from the bracket the tie rods are bolted to. I have lowered the engine a little and this is why it's so close. I have solid motor mounts so no engine movement. There has been no contact between the bracket and the pan. I don't know if this helps.
Mike
I'm gonna call Flaming River Tech - and see if a 1/4 will be enough
Originally Posted by platinummaker
Probably not the cleanest solution, but I would just dimple the pan to get the clearance needed. Guys putting small block Chevys in Jags do it all the time. You just need a qtr inch total. Imho
Unfortunately my pan won't dimple!!!
Originally Posted by Metalhead140
BMW V12!
Can you raise the engine slightly without causing a lot of other issues? Or solid engine mounts?
Can I say tight....the firewall- bellhousing- transmission- dry sump lines have all be carefully measured. Solid mounts are a thought- as the motor really doesn't vibrate much.
Originally Posted by terrys6t8roadster
How much ground clearance is under the rack mounting? If you lower the rack mounting tabs lets say 3/16 to 1/4", keep in mind that the tie rods would need to get longer. That would give the clearance needed. Also eliminate the engine movement as much as possible. Energy Suspension poly mounts don't move much. Don't know if they make them for BMW engines. T
I like watching your progress, very detailed work.
I have plenty of ground clearance- and fortunately plenty of length with the tie rods. HA- the motor mounts are standard Chevy!!! THANK YOU!!!
Thanks for the ideas-
A couple of good ideas- and I'm trying all of the above.- except dimpling the pan!!! I tried clearance the rack as much as I felt comfortable with- notched and took some more off the mounting feet. A also cleaned up the casting lines and polished it up- supposedly will make it stronger... I also ran the rubber bushing on the belt sander to thin it out Then made a new bracket out of SS to fit tighter. I'll test fit and then see about slotting the mounting hole to drop the cradle down... Then look at different motor mounts- poly maybe solid motor mounts...
Here's the pan- cant dimple it!!!
and this is the engine-
The tie rod lengths are no issue-
Here's the original mount- and below it the second one I made up
Here's where I "notched" the rack -and below where I took some more off the base mounting foot
Cut off and lower the rack mounting brackets. It's an easy job for someone with your skills. I don't know what kind of mounts are on your car but, I would think that you would need a little more clearance than you have with the amount of movement under load.
Cut off and lower the rack mounting brackets. It's an easy job for someone with your skills. I don't know what kind of mounts are on your car but, I would think that you would need a little more clearance than you have with the amount of movement under load.
Yes- BUT I didn't want to re-engineer the Flaming River guy's work. This rack and pinion has some relatively short tie rods- moving them too much could change the bumpsteer. I'm not a suspension guy and figured the rack was designed to be right where it was.
I did end up elongating the mounting holes a bit and now have almost a ½" worth of clearance.
How close -is too close....
