I returned my latest rage rack yesterday and picked up a new steering box and all that goes along with that. i am actually really excited to go back to a steering box, especially after hearing how much a rack will beat ya up. anyone else gone back from a rack?

You can install a small steering stabilizer along with your rack and it takes all the jerking and sudden movement out works great

I had problems when I first installed my latest rage steering rack. I almost took the thing off and threw it in the dumpster. I hated it that much. I could not hold on to the wheel. Every little bump or log or rock or whatever would just rip the wheel right out of my hands.
Finally after trying several things I got it to work very well. I will never go back to a steering box.

i mainly like the simplicity of a steering box. Plus i didn't feel like making custom tie rods, thats too much like work, haha.

VW steering box is great until you hit a rock hard and end up with 3" of play in your steering. I would recommend you install a good steering stabilizer and not the stock one VW offers. The stabilizer will increase the life span of the box. I installed a brand new TRW unit and scaped in in one ride with out using a stabilizer. On the other hand I used a old stock box and it lasted 2 seasons with a stabilizer. The bottom line is use a stabilizer on either a rack or stock or S-10 etc box and they will last longer.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

odyknuck, i assume you are familiar with LA products, i bought the new box she sells up there, it looks a little different than oem vw. what kind of stabalizer do you recommend running? i plan on getting one.

[quote='JeffClay'] what kind of stabalizer do you recommend running? i plan on getting one.[/quote]

Bilstein makes a good one.

Myself, I am staing away from vw steering boxes, If you have one mount 2 extra spares on there with it!

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A broken clock is right two times a day.

Jeff Im not familiar with the unit that Pat sells. As far as stabilizers go there are a lot of inexpensive Rancho kits on Ebay for around $40.00. I actually used a new small truck shock i had laying around on the Red buggy. Granted its not designed to lay down and has different compression and rebound dampning, it worked great for me.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

i have been running a super beetle steering box and put it in the middle,it works awesome

When I first started out i used to run, OME VW boxes with VW stablizers, and i used to bust those boxes all the time. then i switched to the rack and pinion from latest rage and i used a VW stabalizer and it was still ripping out of my hands, I installed 2 VW stabalizers on and it still was ripping out of my hands, but also when i'd run hills, i couldnt turn the wheel fast enough because the stabalizers actually held it back from turning fast so i ripped all of that off and put a GM manual box on with a jeep charokee stabalizer the only problem i was having with that, it was like i was always turning the wheel when going up hills, so i went to a GM power steering with the stabalizer and i even put a howl steering quickener on it, thinking i will get a faster response, but when i tried to turn the wheel fast the hydraulic would not keep up with how fast the box was moving through the quickner and it would turn into a manual steering for a split second or two so now i just got a GM power steering with no steering quickner and no stabalizers, that works great.

damn youve been through some set ups after burnt! any suggestions on what type of vehicle to get the rancho or other type of steering stabalizer for, a jeep of some sort perhaps?

I went with a jeep cherokee stabalizer because it was a simple eye to eye hook up, but it might be too big for a stock VW box, so you might just go to one of those pick apart junkyards, and look at some small SUVs you might even be better off with one that has a few miles on it, so it wont hold back too much when you turn the wheel fast. i know thats what your trying to do when you hit a rock is trying to hold your steering wheel back, but for me when i climb killer or scobby doo, i want to be able to turn the wheel as fast as i can becuase the front end is bouncing back and forth all the time. that was the problem i was having i couldnt steer fast enough, thats why i liked the rack and pinion because you could steer fast, but i didnt like the feedback. it probley took me about 10 years of research and development to come up with a plain old jeep cherokee power steering box with no add ons. now i can drive with one hand and drink a beer with the other.

so what gm power steering setup you using?

you using a gm pump and all? i am about to redo my bug with a cobra frame (thx roy!) and was thinking of power steering.

kyle

I used the power steering pump from a Geo Storm, and I mounted it up with some brackets to the alternator stand. I made a new pully and I used a power steering gear box from a Jeep Cherikee. The belt right now is in conjunction with the alternator belt, but I was looking in the Hot VW book and found a company that makes a double pully for the crank shaft. Cuz when I had the belt going around all three pullies, it squealed a lot. I bought an aluminum power steering resivior from Speedway Motors. Then I went to a local hydrolic shop and had them make a pressure hose to size. And the two AN fittings that go into the power steering gear box that you can buy at Summit or Speedway Motors.

now what have i read about switching the gears in the pump or something to reverse it? maybe i am just crazy. do you have to do anything to the geo storm pump?

thanks for the info

kyle

With the Geo Storm pumps, you don't have to switch anything. Just put it on.

I used a rack with a power steering charlynn tork genarator with a pump off a hundia exel the mounting bracket resavor and all worked great