The clamps that secure your rack to the car should have a bit of rubber filling the void between the steering rack and the rack clamp, which locks the rack in place. If missing, the rack will be loose on its mounts and potentially wiggle, as you can see in the video below, which diminishes the tight steering we all know and love. Take a look at yours!
In the video below, I am trying to move the right front tire by holding it at 9 and 3 and the entire rack is moving side to side. Idealy (of course) there would be no movement or lost motion and the rack would be held steadily in place by the clamps.
If you see this happening during your “shake test,” you’ll want to add some form of additional rubber spacer between the rack and the clamp so this doesn’t occur. A piece of rubber from any old inner tube should be sufficient. I suspect these shims often go missing during restoration.
As shown in the photo above, we offer new steering racks if necessary but they don’t wear out often. You’re more likely to find the clamps loose and rack boots worn (click here to purchase new rack boots), but the rack itself will be fine. However, be sure to check and make sure the lack of this bushing isn’t causing your grief before you replace the entire rack. (If needed, you can find the rack by clicking here.)
