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Tips
Tips

Bugeye steering

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I

ichthos

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Hello,

I am still plugging away at restoring my 60 bugeye. I am hoping to finish it this summer. The last major thing I have to work on is the front steering/suspension. On the steering rack I am going to have to replace the tie rod ends, put on new gaitors, and clean and paint it of course, but is there anything else I need to be concerned about or that I should replace? The kingpins seem to be snug and move smoothly, so I don't think I will have to work with them. I am not a mechanic, so any tips would greatly be appreciated.

Kevin
 
When all ready to go back in add 1/4 cup of oil. heh.
 
While you have the rack off the car and the tie rod ends off, check the inner tie rods, they should be nice and loose and usually are as long as there was oil or grease in the gaiters.
Run the rack back and forth by hand feeling for any grinding or flat spots BEFORE
and after you take anything apart, keep track of any and all shims and the direction of the shims on the bottom of the pinion, there is a slight offset on the cap and shims.
Count the turns when removing the outer tie rod ends, each one should be 15 full turns, if one is 20, the other should be 10 but for proper rack centering and a real close toe in alignment both should be 15 give or take 1/2 a turn to make them point the right way.
Do not tighten the small end clamp or zip tie until you make the final toe in adjustment on the car that has been driven around the block to settle everything in and make this adjustment with the car on the ground.
 
If you take the rack out note that there is a spacer on the passanger side between the car and the rack mount clamp.
 
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