rack and pinion

[57wagon]

Hi all, I am in the process of comparing all the rack and pinion companys out there for my 57 and thought id give the experts (you guys) a say. So let me hear it good and bad Whats the best kit out there? Thanks for the info for the rookie Steve

[55fazzi]

57wagon,
"best" is a very subjective term. There are a lot of kit's by various companies/suppliers currently making/selling complete systems for our vehicles. UNISTEER (one of our site sponsors) makes a very highly rated "bolt-on" kit for our cars. Flaming River also makes a highly rated kit. FatMan Fabrication, Dutchman Motorsports to name a few more. Some aftermarket suppliers such as Jim Meyer Racing Inc. and Dutchman motorsports will supply a complete front suspension kit including tubular control arms (including bushings, ball joints and cross shafts) with the necessary additional caster manufactured in, drop spindles, steering arms, disc brakes (including rotors, calipers, pads and stainless brake lines), rack and pinion, intermediate shaft(s) and tie rod ends in a complete kit. If I decide to go with just the rack and pinion I will purchase UNISTEER. Many hot rodders in my area utilize their racks and rave about them. UNISTEER can also supply you with all the chrome or polished goodies to make your new steering system show ready. Hope this long winded answer helped.

Tom

[fivefivechevy]

I'm rebuilding a 55 and have been doing quite a bit of research on rack & pinions. I think Jim Myer "econo kit" and Fatman are front runners. I saw a Unisteer installed on a 57 last week. The installer was VERY disapointed with the fact that mounting brackets would "twist" when rack was stroked.
But, I read posts on this forum by Unisteer that sounded as though they really knew rack & pinion design.

I'm planning on using tubular A frames, stock spindles, sway bar, and disc brakes.

Would appreciate input from other members, before I buy.

[twolaneblacktop]

Ask alot of questions to the company if your running a big block chevy!!!! The oil pan gets in the way of some of the rack and pinion mounting brackets. If you have a small block I think almost any of them are "colse" in quality. In my 55' chevy I run a BBC and went with the Omni brand manual rack and fabricated my own mounting brackets after fighting with a 57' with a BBC and a complete "bolt on" system. Finally got it to work on the 57' after an oil pan change and some cutting, grinding, and a lot of cursing!!!!!

[jimbo]

Check out this thread.
http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1621

[tasue56]

I bought the fatman because it had the best bracket system i've seen no big bars hanging down. a flat plate of steele bolts to the back of the lower control arm bolts keeping up out of the way drill two holes and your done. the only thing that was a problem was the oil pan had to dent to get the correct angle for the rack, hope this helps