Manual steering rack

[Stefan]

Hi
Im busy right now fitting a manual steering rack into my Excel LC.
Ive got it from PNM and its equipped with quaife's quick rack parts, giving me 2,8 turns from left to right.
To be able to fit it I have raised the rack with 25 mm using aluminium blocks, then lengthened the upper UJ (PNM did it), I still had to grind down the chassie member around 5mm so the upper UJ could pass it undisturbed.
All this is done and in position.

The issue now is that I would need to mount the steering outer parts to the steering arms from top, instead of from underneath which is standard, due to the change of angle I get after raising the rack.

-I could need some serious advise regarding steering arms that might work!!!!

Apart from that it looks real good and PNM have been a great help sorting things out, can't wait to try i out....I also took the opportunity and swopped all suspension parts, springs and shocks, including getting the High-Spec brakes upgrade from PNM.

[mds666]

can i ask a question... y?

[chris knowles]

Does seem a bit radical Stefan! Cutting bits out the chassis?

Surely there is room to raise the rack enough to have the track rod bal joints fit the steering arms in the right way?

Anyway, all the best Excel owners put the track ends on upside down





Chris

[Lotus-e-Clan]

MDS666

the answer to why manual rack is:

nos PAS pump = notice that engine revs better for not having to drive the pump and there is less weight (stefan's is a track/road car IIRC). And there are no reliability issues.... as everyone on this forum probably knows, and many have experienced, the Excel PAS system does let the car down from time to time!

steering weight and feel on the move is a personal thing and I prefer manual steering. My excel is not a town car (nor is Stefans) and is not over-tyred (205/50/15) so parking weight is not an issue.


Stefan

As you know my PNM manual rack bolted straight to the chassis with no ally blocks or chassis modification. I wonder if you have been supplied with a slightly different rack?
Has the rack been raised to restore steering arm geometry?

[Pete Boole]

Hi Stefan

The steering arms from an Esprit of the same age will work as the outer ball joint fits above the arm. How has moving the rack affected the bump-steer?

Pete

[Ozzy_UK]

could you not use an electricly driven power steering rack? the Audi V8 esprit conversion which was done to an S3 (cant remember where it was posted now - seloc i think) used an electric one from a corsa...

surely best of both worlds, no PAS pump on the engine sapping power, and still keeping power steering?

thoughts?

Oz.

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Yep electric pump would be my choice if I were to go back to PAS.

The only thing to bear in mind is that more amperage drawn from the alternator needs more torque and power to turn it ...you don't get something for nothing.

I met this phenomena when swopping the mech water pump and mech fan for an electronically controlled EWP and rad fan on my Clan. As the temp rises the fan switches in and the EWP speeds up so the engine revs drop noticeably at tickover...mind you a tuned 1 litre Imp engine with a race cam and flywheel has no torque or power to speak of at tickover!

However I don't notice the extra draw on the Lotus 912 engine when the EWP is running full speed at tickover...more torque then an Imp obviously...but a bit must be sapped away even if you don't notice it via a rev drop.

[Stefan]

Hi

No, sorry can't use the Esprit steering arms.
Im getting new arms from PNM in steel, will try to have the holes welded and then drill them from the top, that should work...

Reason for making it higher is, having an LC i've got a different steering system, on a later SE it's alot easier, you dont need to raise the rack as far as i know.
The max i can raise the is 25mm, after that it will come to close to the engine, also altering the steeringarms will give me a nice angle on the rack...whatever it's called you know, to avoid bump steer.

Nice letting the gran'pa steering go, making place for a proper rack.

[Steve C]

...more torque then an Imp obviously....

Dammit, every time you mention the Imp it takes me on a trip down memory lane to my first car ... that lovely all alloy engine purring away so smoothly and the fun handling once things had been lowered a little and firmed up somewhat! What a great grounding for Lotus addiction!

[Lotus-e-Clan]

they are addictive...but almost as expensive as a Lotus to maintain if you tune them. My current engine has cost £3.5k to build myself, the new close ratio transaxle cost another £1.3K. And you never get your money back but that's not why you have them anyway