Rack and pinon retrofit

[Tedzbug]

i had a 1302 .......... now i have a 1303 w/ R&P steering


It is very tight with ZERO dead zone in it. you can move the steering wheel only slightly and look at the tires and they still move.

[andy1303]

Help!

I've got a friend half way throught the conversion on my 74 1303, which doesn't have fixing bolt holes. When we offer the rack up with the UJ arm it just touches the bottom of the steering column. We've cut out the support on the bottom of the spare wheel well and clearanced the top of the spine. Is the 75-on column longer?

Any help/comments are appreciated.

Andy

[The Pirate]

If I remeber right there is a diffrence in length yes.

[vwbao]

Originally Posted by JIMP

Hello all,

sorry for the late answer but i was extremely busy.
About PJL54Oval's post-

fotos 1,2,3 fixing of the rack on passenger's site with the modification to accept the std 1303 steering shock absorber
foto 4 the hole needs to get bigger as in the std hole the shaft should hit the body tin (as Steve mentions)
fotos 5,8 fixing on the driver side with the lock stop visible and the wheel-body clearance achieved with it's help
fotos 6,7 In every way a tight fit!!!
fotos 9,10,11 ixing on drivers side

About Supa Ninja post-

It's a standard 1303 75' rack, reconditioned and modificated in the points of fixing the absorber and the lock stops. The car is a 1973 1303 (with steering box). For economy reasons, the rack is exactly the same as the Audi 80 or VW Passat (same lenght, diameter, working direction order, fixing of the steering arms) less the fixing points themselfs (which very easily can be converted to fit) and the drive axle fixing channels (requires a slight different shaft, also easily obtainable). Didn't check the drive ratio though between the to


About Steve C post-

The procedure for me was as you mention on your post. Two points though to mark: My car had already the depression on the body AND the holes WITH threads for the fixing exactly below the cross brace that has to be removed, so it was relatively easy for me to do it. BUT in a second 1303 car (probably with 1302 chassis?) none of the above were present so I had to fabricate them. The nuts worked the same way as you and the chassis job went in the second way you mention: First I cut the entire spare wheel well, I cut the chassis and rewelded (with interior strenghtening) to fabricate the depression and then I rewelded the well. So those minor?? details in my opinion should be considered before starting anything. About the lock stops, on the passenger side is easily obtainable as there is a cap of about 20mm which can be drilled and tapped. For the driver side the cap is made of thin tin, so I had to replace it also with a thicker cap to be possible to tap it to accept threads. The locks are 10mm allen bolts without head. So the only way to do it right is to have the rack dismantled.

As a general feeling, the steering is very strict (not any suspision of dead movement) very fast from side to side (don;t remember exactly but for sure less turns comp. with the box) and very light on the still turning: with a 225 tyre A LOT easier than a good box with 165 tyre. No info though on the street because the car isn't running yet. Hope to find out soon!

Friendly

Jim

PS - I did my best with my English, hope you get what I writed!!

hi, its not clear from year of the passat,audi80 to use for rack and pinion converssion, can you please give more details? just want to ask also which of the three rack and pinion is more sensitive and light to steer the vw1303 rack R/P, pasat or the audi80? hope you could help us.thanks

[DORIGTT]

I'm using the rack from an Audi 4000 / VW Fox / VW Quantum.

It has center-mounted rack ends, end-mounted input and is available with power steering if I get old and feeble!

[Eatoniashoprat]

Where would one go about buying a r&p? I'm in the middle of nowhere canada and not a lot of super beetles around.

[JIMP]

Hello all

vwbao, if you want I could send you some photos, to see which are the differences between the stock one and the Audi one. Actually I couldn't tell you for sure which model exactly is but its something about the years 78-80. Just give me a mail address to send you the pics and you could go after it with the pics in hand.

About what dorigtt said, if what he describes is the smaller aluminum bodied assembly (from the European VW polo), I think you could go this way much easier, because is a lot smaller and thus easier to fix it. Actually there is a German company that has this conversion (with TUV included) ready as a bolt on kit, as soon as I find the link I will post it

Friendly

JIMP

[vwbao]

Jimp, here is my email add vwbao@aol.co.uk thanks alot!

[vwbao]

hi, is it okay to use a power steering rack and pinion even your not using a power steering?thanks

[vwbao]

here are some rack and pinion pictures from JIMP. thanks JIMP!

[The Pirate]

One of those is a beetle rack the other is a ????? I have no idea. What is it?

[JIMP]

The reconditioned one is the original, the other with the tie rods it's an 80's unit from some Audi (80 or 100) or Passat. Sorry for not being exact, but at three different reckers that I was, each one named it as he liked. Anyway I was with a rack in one hand and just was searhing after another one identical, that way it was easy!

Friendly

JIMP