Has anyone tried the TCP rack and pinion kit? I was thinking about upgrading the steering for better control (this is a daily driver). This kit is kind of pricey, and I think was designed for Mustangs, but a couple have been installed in Mavs. Just want to see what kind of mods are necesaary to make it fit, and if it is worth it, do you like the feel of the steering, ect. Thanks
Two major things to consider when doing a rack & pinion swap. 1. Mavericks are "rear steer" vehicles, meaning that the steering mechanism steers from behind the pivot point of the spindle. This requires the use of a rack/pinion taken from a similar style vehicle, like a Dodge Omni. A "front steer" rack will not work unless you have removed your strut towers and can run the steering shaft up to infront of the spindle pivot point. The MustangII and Pinto style racks are front steer racks. 2. In order to keep "bump steer" to a minimum the rack needs to be a certain length. Flaming River told me to measure the distance between the upper control arm pivot point and the lower control arm pivot point and the rack length (main body) needs to fall in between those two measurements. The measurements for a Maverick are as follows: Upper Control Arm - 26.5" Lower Control Arm - 16.5"
I talked to the guys at TCP quite a while ago, and they did put a rack and pinion in a Mav, but according to them, they didn't like the turning radius - it wasn't small enough, and they needed to do some more work to get it to work like they wanted. Here is a pic. Maybe if someone talks to them again, we can find out more if they have done anything else to it. -Corbin
Thanks guys. I had talked to the guys at TCP, and they are still 'thinking about it'. They told me that a couple of people had put them in mavericks, and I was hoping perhaps one of them might be on the board.....it's a nice looking set up, but if it won't fit, then its no good.
