Te71 Rack And Pinion

[machg]

G'day guys, Has anyone done a rack and pinion conversion on a T18 while still running a T series engine? If you have, can you tell me how to do it? I am assuming you would be able to bolt in an AE71 crossmember like you were putting a 4AGE in. Shell = TE71 (same as a T18 at front), engine = 2TGUE, gearbox = T50

Edited July 13, 2008 by machg

[SeptemberSquall]

G'day guys, Has anyone done a rack and pinion conversion on a T18 while still running a T series engine? If you have, can you tell me how to do it? I am assuming you would be able to bolt in an AE71 crossmember like you were putting a 4AGE in. Shell = TE71 (same as a T18 at front), engine = 2TGUE, gearbox = T50

 

a and t crossmembers will probably have different engine mounts

I removed the steering rack mounts from the A crossmember and welded them in place on the T crossmember

you will need to remove the driver side engine to gearbox brace as it will not fit around the boss where the column meets the rack

[trd]

yes. have been there done that. cut your old T18 engine mounts off the x member & weld them to a ke70 x member (this is what we did for a 3T into a ke70)

[fozz]

correct me if I'm wrong but i think i read somewhere in your ride thread that your using a t series crossmember with ur 4age engine. if u put a a series crossmember in it will make it alot easier then customing one up

[machg]

correct me if I'm wrong but i think i read somewhere in your ride thread that your using a t series crossmember with ur 4age engine. if u put a a series crossmember in it will make it alot easier then customing one up

Except I am going back to the original engine now which is a 2TGUE, but I would like rack and pinion steering.

[machg]

yes. have been there done that. cut your old T18 engine mounts off the x member & weld them to a ke70 x member (this is what we did for a 3T into a ke70)

Yep, makes sense. For fore/aft location, would you install engine and gearbox using the gearbox crossmember to get the correct position, bolt up the mounts to the engine, then weld them where they sit on the bare ke (or ae?) engine crossmember?

[SeptemberSquall]

Yep, makes sense. For fore/aft location, would you install engine and gearbox using the gearbox crossmember to get the correct position, bolt up the mounts to the engine, then weld them where they sit on the bare ke (or ae?) engine crossmember?

 

if you were welding engine mounts onto the existing crossmember then yes, that's how i'd do it. the other alternative is to take the crossmember with the factory engine mounts you want and add the steering rack mounts...

[machg]

if you were welding engine mounts onto the existing crossmember then yes, that's how i'd do it. the other alternative is to take the crossmember with the factory engine mounts you want and add the steering rack mounts...

I would probably be more comfortable welding up engine mounts than rack mounts. I'm O.K. at welding (getting better everyday), but I'm not sure if I would trust my life to it, and a rack mount failure sounds a lot more dangerous than an engine mount failure.