I'm going to replace the steering shaft, power rack and pinion, all hoses and pump and get rid of my offset bushings. I was going to get most of everything from latemodel but the racks won't be in till end of feb and have time off from work middle of feb to do this. I looked at rock auto and they were cheaper on everything but of course don't carry the maximum motorsport steering shaft and mm aluminum rack bushings. this is on a 92 gt. any opinions or thoughts? thanks.
I put an 04 Cobra Rack in my car last Summer and it was a really good upgrade. I replaced my hoses while I was in there, unfortunately the Gates Brand pressure hose I got from Rock Auto was bad and had a leak, I ended up just sticking the old hose back on. Depending how much down time you have, you can scrub it all down under there and throw on a coat of paint.
i read your post about the 03 cobra rack last night and thought about it. was there anything else you changed to make it work or was that the only "non fox body" part?
In order to do the swap you have to use a Maximum Motorsports steering shaft and then Fox Inner Tie Rods. You end up with much better steering feel, it gets rid of that loose on center feel of the Fox.
the mm steering shaft i knew about but forgot to mention it but i came across this post on 4 eyed pride and he suggested using 93 Taurus outer tie rods. Probably same difference but maybe easier? Where did you get the cobra rack? I'm concerned when i take the gt core back they may not accept if they can tell the difference. late model doesn't have one specific for cobra and think i found the right one at rock, autozone was a possibility. thanks for the help so far. here is that post/article for the cobra install i mentioned.
Mine came off a low mileage Cobra, I do recall reading about buying a remanufactured unit somewhere but don't recall the details. The SN95 Racks look identical to the Fox externally, the difference is internal. I didn't like the idea of the Taurus tie rods so I used Fox ones.
ok, I'll just look at autozone, rock and others but put in specifically rack for 04 cobra and hope they send the right one. The fox inner tie rods seems to be a safer bet that way you know they'll fit right. They screw right on to the cobra rack then, no other mods? I'll borrow the tool from somewhere unless I can do it without it. what did you do as far as offset rack bushings or bumpsteer kit? mm says don't use offset but the bumpsteer kits seem to be a nuisance to have adjusted, ie alignments from what I've read. maybe misunderstood some of the things i read.
I can't remember the specifics on how people were able to request the proper Cobra Rack. I looked at a bunch of Inner Tie Rods and they all seemed like junk from China so I ended up buy ones from Pro Forged and they do just thread right onto the Rack with no modifications. I just used urethane bushings when I did it, didn't see a need for the offset ones. Also don't forget to buy some Type F Fluid for the system.
so you don't have any "compensation" for the car being lowered? No bumpsteer kits either? If not have you noticed any difference in the steering before or after being lowered, bump wise? I just wonder how necessary it is to have some compensation due to lowered car and if it was all smoke.
If i go to autozone or other websites i put in 04 cobra like I owned one and then racks come up that say made for my car so I'm safely assuming those are cobra specific racks. late model has a sn-95 rack but it's $300. autozone/oreally's have "cobra" for half that.
My car is not lowered much, I think is about 7/8" lower front and 3/4" rear and I have no issues. I don't recall reading that it was that simple to walk in and get a Cobra Rack, I remember a few guys emailing the companies that were doing the rebuilds to find that specific rack, I have a feeling Auto zone is a regular SN95 rack.
i don't have a radical lowering either so I'll just go with the aluminum bushings and see how the outer tie rods look after installation. i had the same thought about autozone. Unless I do what you did then the chances are i'm going to have a plain sn-95 rack, but that wouldn't be bad either. I'll do some cross references and c what I come up with.
I have a feeling Auto zone probably lists the same part number for all SN95 Racks outside of the V6 models. I recall people having to get in touch with the rebuilders in order to get the correct internal parts.
thanks for the link, i checked it out and it was helpful as far as which racks to get. tired when i tried to read it so I'l reread later today. I did look at cardone and they have a rack with spr zm stamped on it. that's the code for cobra rack and the code in the link I posted about the conversion on that guy's LTD. That may not mean it has cobra internals but the closest thing I've seen yet. Going to email them and c what they say.
Its not that bad of a job just kind of a pita. About the hardest thing is fooling with the steering shaft nub sticking out of the firewall, you most likely will have to pull it out or knock it back up, you will see in the MM directions. If you need any help along the way just ask and I will try to help.
from what I've read the shaft is the hardest part. Ok I'll take you up on that offer. THANKS!
Finalized list: rack from advance auto with the spr-zm code
pump from rock auto
mm steering shaft, alum. bushings, return line hose,
pressure hose from late model resto
inner and outer tie rods from proforged
fluid from autozone or oreillys when i do this. What flavor? still type f?
Also looking at a cobra power steering cooler on ebay, i have just a loop like I'm sure you do or did. If there's anything I missed let me know please. MM got back to me about the bumpsteer kits and said just put on the bushings and I'm good to go.
i have a better handle on it now but buying parts and installing are two different things and I've never done this. I'm hoping all seals o-rings etc are included. Hate parts running during install.
Out of curiosity I looked on Advanced Auto and Autozone and they list the same PN for GT and Cobra so they wont be giving you a Cobra Rack but one rebuilt to GT Specs, its still an upgrade over Fox. There is a small pack of Nylon Seals that you can buy in the Help Section of the part stores, that way you have a back up and could save you from running parts if anything happens.
AWESOME!! kind of had that in mind but was hoping for the best. I used a discount code and went through ebates so that will make up for it somewhat. from what I read finding and authentic cobra rack is getting difficult. but like you said it's still an upgrade so my time won't be wasted. I just ordered everything and just have to wait now. nylon seals are for the rack?
There should be new ones on the hoses but if you loosen for any reason or if they are damaged you need to replace them. They are little white Nylon/Teflon seals.
ok I'll get a pack of those seals just in case. thanks for the tip on the torque I guess a torque wrench needs to be purchased since i don't have one. What did you do for flushing out the system? I know I need to bleed out the air but should I flush out the new everything to get anything left behind out?
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