C2 Brakes and Steering Installation - Rack 'EM Up

The driver-side lower bracket bolts to the absorber/power-assist location.

The rack was assembled outside the car. The centersection of the rack slides left and right, while the centersection remains tied to the frame. The tie-rod bar bolts to the rack using the metric bolts. High-strength thread locker is an absolute must on these bolts.

To further facilitate the safety issue, a French lock ensures the bolts don't back out. Make sure you put it on before applying the thread locker.

The upper driver-side bracket is tied to the lower bracket with the supplied grade-8 bolts.

The bolts are torqued to 90 ft-lb.

The tie-rods are bolted on at the same time, using the supplied bolts and thread locker.

The passenger side bracket is bolted on.

The rack uses specialized mounts that ensure it stays in place. The driver-side mount is fixed in place while the passenger-side mount has room for adjustment.

The rack bolts up to the new brackets using the supplied grade-8 bolts. This can only be done one way. To get the alignment close, the original steering assembly is measured; then the new rack and tie-rod are adjusted to match. This gets the car close enough to get it to the alignment shop safely.

The adjustable tie-rod end uses special spacers to adjust the level of the tie rods. With the car on the ground at ride height, the tie rod needs to sit level with the ground. This reduces the bumpsteer effect.

There was a little interference with the tie-rod bolt and the rubber boot. This was due to the fact that on this particular car, we had a clearance issue with the A-arm and couldn't use the supplied washer. All was not lost; we simply took a little off the end of the bolt and reinstalled it. The A-arm clearance is due to the loose manufacturing tolerances at the time; most cars clear.

The steering coupler bolts in place quickly and easily. This coupling connects directly to the stock steering column. That finishes it up.