Let’s Change Direction

The plan for this blog post is to install the power steering rack. Given the instructions are only a couple of pages this should be a quick job. However, as we will soon see it took an odd turn when I had to learn how to MIG weld.

Provided Parts

When I purchased the chassis from AK I included the power steering rack in the parts supplied. As the length might indicate this comes in a long cardboard package, as shown below.

Power steering rack layout on the garage floor. 

In addition to the steering rack, the kit also includes the power steering hoses (not shown) and the two end ball joints, which are shown below. The slight frustration is that the M10x70 mm bolts which are required to install the rack are not included within the kit, so you need to purchases these separately.

Supplied rack ball joints and purchased m10x70 mm bolts. 

The first step is simple, bolt the power steering rack to the chassis with the m10 bolts. This goes on easily.

Steering rack initially fitted to chassis.

However, before tightening the mounting bolts, there is a little warning in the build manual which says “Take care to ensure that the pipes on the steering rack do not interfere with the chassis”. This didn’t read like a common problem or a big issue, however, when I checked my pipes, they were indeed touching the end of the chassis rail. 

Power steering pipes hitting chassis rail.

I initially considered reforming the bottom pipe so it went over the other pipe, but I didn’t want to open up the power steering system as I wasn’t sure what challenges I would then be setting for my self. My next thought was to quickly file the corner of the chassis down to avoid it touching. I didn’t think I would need to file this down that far, and so wouldn't impact the strength of the chassis in this region. 

Filled down corner, so pipes no longer come into contact.

It was, therefore, a step by step process of filling down the corner a small amount and trial fitting the rack. After several gradual stages eventually I got the part to fit without touching. However, I then noticed that I had filled through the weld and opened up the chassis rail. Bugger!! down another rabbit hole I go.

Filled a hole into chassis rail.

The solution was simple, just weld up this gap. The problem with this seemingly simple solution is that I have never used a welder and do not own a welder. Luckily Mark, kindly let me borrow his welder for a few weeks. At this point I should also point out that Mark then came up with an easier solution to overcome the same problem

Kindly borrowed MIG welder.

After a crash course from Mark in how to use a welder and be safe, I was then left to my own devices to get some practicing in. After watching a few YouTube videos, I was keen but nervous to give this a go. My initial attempts were not much to write about. It seemed as if there are three variables; gas pressure, wire speed and arc ‘power’, which all impact the weld. There didn't seem to be a simple method of this variable alters the (poor) weld in this way, to know what things to change. After a few days of practicing and playing with the multiple settings, I was finally content with my welds. 

Practice welds. 

With the practicing over it was time to move onto the chassis. To secure the ground connector I sanded down the near side radiator mounting tab. To fill in the gap, I added a series of spot welds from the left end of the gap building up the thickness as I went. Then after filling down the corner I had a smooth filled surface. 

Comparison of before and after.

With the welding completed, it was time to prime and paint the exposed surfaces. This was not only the fixed region and the grounding point but also I noticed a large patch of flaky powder coating. Since I was going to be spraying etcher and paint, before going any further I had to cover up all the parts of the chassis which I didn’t want painting. 

Chassis covered up ready for priming.

Several light coats of etch primer later. 

Several coats of gloss black later. 

With the power steering rack now re-fitted it is time to put on the tie bar ends. This was thankfully as simple as stated in the build manual. With the ball joints fitted these were dropped into the front uprights. Since I plan to push the chassis out of the garage and will require some steering, I will not fasten these yet. 

Using the suggested 46 turns, I was able to get the required 47.5 inches distance between the ball joint centers.

Ball joints on rack

That's the steering rack fitted, I guess I need to look at the getting some wheels on the chassis.