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General Information => Upgrades (non engine related ) => Topic started by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 07:32:48 am

Title: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 07:32:48 am
Is it a pretty straight forward job? i don't want to jump to much further into the pit but seems like it would be a cinch with the engine out. 219.99 shipped for all the parts from mjm autohaus. Sure would beat the rack loop im rolling with now..? eh?
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 21, 2012, 11:05:27 am
Is it a pretty straight forward job? i don't want to jump to much further into the pit but seems like it would be a cinch with the engine out. 219.99 shipped for all the parts from mjm autohaus. Sure would beat the rack loop im rolling with now..? eh?

rack, u-joint, boot, tie rod ends, everything?

looped racks SUCK ASS.. im driving one right now, my shoulders are TORN UP.. the manual rack is NIGHT AND DAY different. either hook up power steering, like im about to do, or else delete it with MANUAL steering. either solution is way worth it. i dont even mind power steering, it didnt even take any of my power away. only time i notice it is when im turning hard, at idle..
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: rs899 on June 21, 2012, 11:45:22 am
Yeah- how hard can it be ? 7 bolts right in front of you.  I drove the all manual rabbit pickup today and except for the very slow speed turns, no big difference at all in effort, and much better road feel.  Not really a bad price for the whole kit, if you have the coin.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 11:47:27 am
looks like the ujoint is the only thing they don't have.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 12:16:25 pm
whats the difference in power vs manual u joint?
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 21, 2012, 12:24:08 pm
whats the difference in power vs manual u joint?

ALOT..

you NEED the manual u-joint for it to work.

you can NOT interchange those parts.

manual UJ only works with manual rack.

power UJ only works with power rack.

without the proper UJ, you are up S*** creek without a paddle.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: burn_your_money on June 21, 2012, 01:18:39 pm
Does it come with the boot from the firewall to the rack? I've been looking for one for some time...
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 21, 2012, 01:21:46 pm
Does it come with the boot from the firewall to the rack? I've been looking for one for some time...

auto or manaul?

my buddy has an 83 rabbit we will probably be removing the power steering rack, and all associated parts..
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 01:27:06 pm
hmm well I may just hold off these uj look like they may be tough to find or maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 21, 2012, 02:07:14 pm
hmm well I may just hold off these uj look like they may be tough to find or maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

the MANUAL UJ is EASY to come by. the POWER UJ is SUPER DUPER RARE...
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: CRSMP5 on June 21, 2012, 02:43:27 pm
this for the mk2 or mk1?? mk2 hard as most power... mk1 power hard as most nonpower...

the bunny power rack = odd... it is nothing like a german power set up... cannot say 100% that that uj is different from non power.. they were more of a dealer add on vs factory..
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 03:14:04 pm
mk2 manual ujand boot is what I'm looking for.. Crsmp5 do you know anyone in neoh that might have one I'm gonna be visiting my family in cuyahoga falls soon. got a handle on a refurbished rack on the vortex.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bajacalal on June 21, 2012, 06:45:57 pm
Yeah it's pretty straight forward to R&R the steering rack and these cars are actually rather painless to drive without power steering.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 21, 2012, 06:49:09 pm
Rack will be on its way tomorrow morning. The power of the vortex.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: CRSMP5 on June 21, 2012, 07:23:06 pm
only 2 complete swaps i know of... so no not just a uj..
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: burn_your_money on June 21, 2012, 08:04:55 pm
Does it come with the boot from the firewall to the rack? I've been looking for one for some time...

auto or manaul?

my buddy has an 83 rabbit we will probably be removing the power steering rack, and all associated parts..

MK2
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 22, 2012, 12:08:32 pm
how crucial is the manual rack boot?
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 22, 2012, 12:25:17 pm
mk2 manual ujand boot is what I'm looking for.. Crsmp5 do you know anyone in neoh that might have one I'm gonna be visiting my family in cuyahoga falls soon. got a handle on a refurbished rack on the vortex.

why are you looking for mk2 parts that are made of unobtanium?

its going to be 100x easier to get the correct mk1 parts.

mk2 cars with manual steering are RARE!!! i have 2 cars with factory manual racks tho. i got LUCKY!!

you got it backwards. people use mk1 manual UJs when converting a mk2 from power to manual steering.. thats because the mk2 parts are about IMPOSSIBLE to find..
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 22, 2012, 01:39:26 pm
my car is an mk2. will mk1 stuff work? I have the rack on the way. have about 3 different people saying they have u joints for me. 1 guy just ujoint for 30 bucks another guy maybe both another guy. has both for 75. the stuff isn't seeming so hard to come by after all...
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: theman53 on June 22, 2012, 01:44:56 pm
Either way I wish I would have known the u joint in MK1 was useable in something before I scrapped the GTI.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: rallydiesel on June 22, 2012, 08:25:57 pm
I swapped in a full manual set-up in my old mk2. It was ok but I prefer power steering. I like to be able to do effortless one-handed low speed turns for a variety of reasons.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 23, 2012, 05:02:36 am
biggest reason I kicked power steering is less belts less to go wrong less junk under the hood and its such a mess there's no way not to have fluid on all kinds of stuff in your bay. Im strictly utilitarian with my car I do a lot of long distance driving I've driven up to 50k in a year before.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: theman53 on June 23, 2012, 06:38:19 am
I don't run 195/40 tires or anything, just the old 185 60 14 and have never had power steering in any of my vw's. I dont' think I would like it, as I do have effortless one arm steering at pretty much all times. Sometimes on concrete at a stop, but rolling at all mine turn fine. Maybe they are were all in good shape???
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bbob203 on June 23, 2012, 07:53:56 am
I don't run 195/40 tires or anything, just the old 185 60 14 and have never had power steering in any of my vw's. I dont' think I would like it, as I do have effortless one arm steering at pretty much all times. Sometimes on concrete at a stop, but rolling at all mine turn fine. Maybe they are were all in good shape???

ditto.
Title: Re: Engines out. Manual rack should i???
Post by: bajacalal on June 23, 2012, 09:01:57 am
I have wider than stock tires, larger than stock rims and I still have no problem without power steering.

I sometimes drive an old Dodge truck (not talking about my Cummins truck in this case) and it really needs power steering. 6 1/2 complete turns lock-to-lock and it's still nearly impossible to turn standing still.