Ugrading a foxbody steering rack?

[a1yola]

Upgrading a foxbody steering rack?

I recently discovered that my passenger side inner tie rod has significant play and instead of just replacing the tie rod I think I want to upgrade the entire steering rack. The original 91 steering rack is tired and I'd like to have a get something that provides a firm feel and feedback when on the track.

What is a good steering rack to upgrade to and what all is involved in the upgrade? I've heard that the 03 cobra rack is great but I haven't found info on what needs to be modified, purchased, etc. Any and all info is appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[86Fbody]

03 rack is what I would suggest, I believe it bolts right up, or did for my dad and I's car, though it had a Maximum K member. If you haven't looked into one yet I would greatly consider one if I were you.

 

[a1yola]

What cars did you install the 03 cobra rack on to? From the little info I was able to find during my search about the 03 cobra rack, I read that it will bolt right up but may require different inner/outer tie rods. Not sure how accurate this info is though...

 

[86Fbody]

This was on an 86 Fox with 93 spindles I believe.

 

[MFE]

After ratio, the things that define the rack's feel are mostly the torsion bar and the spool valve inside, and there is no combination of the two in any foxbody rack that comes close to what was put in SN95 racks. 03/04 Cobra rack is probably the best combination of function, price, and availability. However, you'll need to find an actual one, or get a reman. If you get a reman, you have to order the specific Cardone part number 22-2000. That gets you the correct T-bar and Spool Valve that create the Cobra Rack Feel, even if it comes in a housing without the correct cobra rack part stamping.

It really is a night and day difference, but truth be told, any SN95 V8 rack (or anySN95 rack for that matter) will be an improvement over any Foxbody rack.

However, you're not done yet. You'll need to swap over to Fox style tie rods, which are shorter and carry SAE threads, OR, cut some length off the ones that come in the rack, and update your outer tie rod ends so they'll match the metric threads of the SN95 tie rods.

And you're still not done. You'll need an adapter shaft like MM sells to mate your Fox steering shaft with the completely different input shaft design on the SN95 rack.

And you still may not be done, you may have to loosen and move the steering column to the side and/or clearance the fat part of the shaft to clear your headers.

 

[a1yola]

Great info MFE, thank you!

If buying a used 03 rack, what are certain stampings/markings to look for on a "real/correct" cobra rack?

I do plan to get an MM solid steering shaft, but with this modification, would I now need to get one for an 03 cobra or still the foxbody solid steering shaft?

As for the tie rods, my car currently has the MM bumpsteer kit. Would this work or would it need to get replaced with something else? Will the bumpsteer kit I have bolt directly to the 03 cobra inner tie rods (that are already on the 03 rack)?

Thanks!

 

[MFE]

If the tie rod ends/bumpsteer sleeves are currently installed on a fox rack, they won't fit the SN95 tie rods, you'll need new SN95 metric-thread bumpsteer kit sleeves if you intend to keep the tie rods that come on the SN95 rack, and you'll need to shorten the tie rods.

You need this specific steering shaft for an SN95 rack in a Fox car: http://www.maximummotorsports.com/S...Power-Steering-Rack-1979-93-Mustang-P461.aspx

And the rack housing on a genuine 03/04 Cobra rack will have the letter SPR ZF stamped into it in dot-matrix from the factory. More info here: http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?680429-Terminator-Steering-Rack-(How-to-get-it!)

However, since the housing itself is totally interchangeable with about a million other racks put in these things over the years, remanufacturers aren't picky about which housing they use for which application. They're also not picky about which T-bar and spool valve combo they put in Fox racks, which is why I no longer recommend getting reman'd racks unless you take it to a rebuilder yourself. Chances are too good that what you get out of a mass rebuilder will feel like Town Car on ice. But the Cardone 20-2000 has the right bits.

 

[a1yola]

Thanks MFE! Do you know how much the SN95 tie rods would need to be shortened? Is this required for geometry/fitment purposes or because the wheels will just stick out of the fenders too much?

 

[MFE]

The tie rods will bottom out in the sleeves before you can get rid of the excessive toe out. I forget the required cut, something like an inch or 1.5 inches. You're probably better off installing Fox tie rods in the SN95 rack, which is what I did.

 

[a1yola]

Thanks for the info! Now I have to search for one...

 

[a1yola]

If I can't source a decent priced 03 cobra rack, what sn95 rack should I look for? I recall the stock rack on my 98 cobra feeling really nice after I installed an MM solid shaft and Momo steering wheel. If I can get anything close to the feel of that with my fox then I'd be very pleased!

 

[superjojo]

very interesting, my question is, if i put a 03 cobra rack on a gt 03, does the stock steering shaft fit on it ??? i am very interested
by this mod, and and just check at my garage, the 03 cobra rack is less expensive than a gt rack !!! do you think the ford remanufactured part is ok or i will not have the correct part inside ????

Super jojo

 

[blacksheep-1]

If the tie rod ends/bumpsteer sleeves are currently installed on a fox rack, they won't fit the SN95 tie rods, you'll need new SN95 metric-thread bumpsteer kit sleeves if you intend to keep the tie rods that come on the SN95 rack, and you'll need to shorten the tie rods.

You need this specific steering shaft for an SN95 rack in a Fox car: http://www.maximummotorsports.com/S...Power-Steering-Rack-1979-93-Mustang-P461.aspx

And the rack housing on a genuine 03/04 Cobra rack will have the letter SPR ZF stamped into it in dot-matrix from the factory. More info here: http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?680429-Terminator-Steering-Rack-(How-to-get-it!)

However, since the housing itself is totally interchangeable with about a million other racks put in these things over the years, remanufacturers aren't picky about which housing they use for which application. They're also not picky about which T-bar and spool valve combo they put in Fox racks, which is why I no longer recommend getting reman'd racks unless you take it to a rebuilder yourself. Chances are too good that what you get out of a mass rebuilder will feel like Town Car on ice. But the Cardone 20-2000 has the right bits.

Absolutely correct I was going to mention this but was beaten to it.

When Ford started using the mod motor they changed the spindles, so you will need the sn95 pre modmotor tie rod ends. I sort of did the opposite of this song and dance when
I put 99 spindles on a 92 fox. So ..as I recall, you can use the cobra rack, but you'll need the pre modmotor tie rods, or you can swap out the spindles and nothing changes because the mod motor spindles will work with a pushrod motor. Then you can slap on some cobra "R" brakes to go with it.