Date:         Sun, 24 Jul 2005 17:09:24 -0700
Reply-To:     jbclem1 <jbclem1@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         jbclem1 <jbclem1@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Steering rack do it yourself rebuilding?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

On my 1983 Westphalia there is a lot of play on the passenger side of the manual steering rack.  I
can move the arm sideways (not in and out) about 1/2 inch.  No such play on the drivers side.  There
must be a bushing that is worn out on that side and I'd like to try to replace it...bushings are
usually cheap, so's my labor-and a rebuilt steering rack is expensive.

Has anyone succeeded in doing this?  I've done some research on steering rack rebuilding in general,
and there are a lot of special tools sold for this process.  It looks like a big deal, but when you
think about it there's only so much in there, at least with the manual steering rack.  And I've
found that you can buy a rack rebuilding kit for 280Z cars for about $60, which consists of these
parts:

 Rack end bushings
Pinion adjustment bushing
Input shaft bearing
Grease seal

The end bushings have to be honed to fit right, and you use a bearing/gear puller to extract the
bushings.

I know this isn't for a Vanagon, but it gives me the idea that at least with one type of car it's
not that hard to do.  I just want to replace the right side end bushing (if there is such a thing in
the Vanagon version), although if I could take the entire rack apart and could find all the parts I
would probably replace all of them.

Is this a Vanagon pipe dream or has anyone tried to do this?  Any ideas out there...

John