Looking for a 86.5 steering rack
 

It's time to replace my rack, who has the best deal going? I have been researching the prices on these racks and they are all over the map from $300 to $1000+ . Who has decent racks for a reasonable price?

I found a place on Ebay called Jag Graveyard that was advertising the lowest prices anywhere at $299 for a 928 rack, but when reading further i found out that they wanted to gouge me out of $169 for shipping. Geez :banghead:

check the big 3?

Big 3?

928 Specialists, 928 Motorsports, 928 International. (I believe)

Ben, ebay fees don't apply to shipping charges. That's why some listers sell items for much less than others and then over charge for shipping and 'handling'.

sent you a pm
v-tach

Just remember the best "deal" may not be the lowest price. The term " rebuilt" can be used very loosely. We have been using the same rebuilder for 15+ years and after selling hundreds of racks we've had almost no returns. It looks like you've been buying from us for about 7 years so I hope that means you've been happy with us as well. We do have that rack in stock and can ship today if you like,

Thanks Mark,

I am aware that "best deal" is more than just price. I will probably end up eating the core charge on this because the threading for one of the banjo fittings is buggered on the valve body, hence the replacement.

We will accpet that core as that can be repaired.

Jim,

If my "stop-leak" effort to slow down a rack fluid leak doesn't work (on the 40K mile car I recently bought) I'll be in the market for a rebuilt rack too. What other parts should one order at the same time when installing the rack?

Harvey

Unless the rack boots are nice and soft it is best to renew them and of course the tierods should be checked for wear since the car will need an alignment after the rack change anyway so it is nice to keep the front wheels pointing the same direction by eliminating the play from worn inner and/or outer tierods .

ben
sent you another PM
v-tach

Having just been through this I should have bought from a sponsor. I needed one NOW, few days before DE and there was one in town; low price no core charge that I bought. I still bought stuff from 928 Int. to make it right and they not only express shipped Jim B was once again available to talk the wrench through some of the fine points.

I've been very happy with my rack from 928Int'l. Their rebuilder will tighten up the guide washers if the play is out of spec -- not all rebuilders do this. YMMV, caveat emptor, etc.

I went ahead and ordered the rack, thanks Mark, Jim, and Tom. As for my boots and tie-rods, they were replaced two years ago when i did the motor mounts.

The story behind this rack job is that when i was doing the motor mounts i had new mounting bushings put in the rack which previously did not have any leaks. When i took the rack to a shop in town to have the bushings put in they used a vice and a chisel to remove the old ones. I expected the "best front end shop" in town to have a press to do this type of stuff but oh well.

After i picked up the rack and was in the process of mounting it i noticed the ends were twisted from being beat on with a chisel and hammer and the rack would not mount up. After removing the rack again and getting the ends fairly level i was able to mount the rack but then ended up crossthreading one of the banjo fittings. I unsuccessfully tried several times to correct the threads meanwhile getting more and more pissed off about how they had treated my rack. Finally i decided to torque the banjo fitting down and hope it didn't leak too bad. The banjo bolt wasn't crossthreaded at too severe of an angle so it sealed up with just a bit of seapage, maybe a couple of drops on the floor over a few days and adding a few ounces of ATF to the reservoir every few months. I probably would have replaced the rack right away but i hadn't budgeted for it and the banjo wasn't leaking alot so what the hell.

Two years later, yesterday, i found a pinhole leak in the pressure line from the pump to the rack. It just so happens that it is the same line that the banjo bolt is crossthreaded. Game Over, it won't seal up again I'm sure. So i have new Banjo bolts, sealing rings, and the pressure line coming from 928sp and the new rack from 928intl. I was planning on finally replacing the rack this coming winter instead of during the summer driving weather.