Hello there! I'm a Yank who owns a '71 PL510 and I'm hoping someone could answer this question for me. It's become apparent to me that more Australians show their Datsuns love than Americans... It's nice to know there's a forum out there that's actually active!

Anyway, I'm currently tearing apart my car to restore (and upgrade) it. My plan all along has been to purchase the fitting / handling kit from Datsport and drop in an SR20det. This is still my plan, however, I would like to convert my car to rack and pinion steering as well. Doing this would theoretically benefit me in two ways: better steering and turbo clearance (no need for an after market manifold). Obviously the steering portion of the Datsport kit is tailored more around the 1600's original steering...

Now I've read some about fitting a 240z rack and pinion in the 1600 so I guess my question is 1) does anybody know if this method will actually allow an SR to not only clear the turbo but fit, and 2) how hard would it be to not use the steering components of the Datsport kit but instead modify for the rack and pinion?

*shrug*

Thanks!

hey mate,

my 1600 is currently undergoing a rack and pinion conversion - possibly power... possibly not -(from a nissan exa) i'll post up pics, etc, once it's done.

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Gotta spend your $$$ somewhere!

http://www.freewebs.com/pro240c/rackpin ... ersion.htm

my rack and pinion conversion.

it's a lot harder than most people imagine.

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frankenstein projects R us.

The Republic of Western Australia -
Propping up the Nation's Economy since 1901.

Z steering racks mount to the front of the crossmember, about where the SR20's sump goes, so that's probably not the easiest of choices.

Baz's kit uses a 200B (810?) front crossmember which originally accomodated an L20B with the forward offset sump, but the 200B had recirculating ball steering too.

I'd guess the logical starting point would be to go to the wreckers armed with a tape measure and try to locate a rack from a car with similar track width and a forward offset sump.

Cheers,

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Chris [;-{)>

The use of rack and pinion steering with our kit would be very difficult.
One would need to find a very short steering rack for this application.
The lower control arms used in our kit are approximately 100 mm longer ball joint to ball joint than that used on a standard 510.
The inner pivot points of the control arms are much closer together than an original 510. Thus the need for a short rack to keep induced bump steer to a minimum.
The longer lower control arms give reduced wheel angularity moving through their normal travel.
The 810 track Rod is nearly twice the thickness of a standard 510 and it is virtually straight.
This track rod does not flex compared to the original 510 bent track Rod.
With a good steering box and steering brace fitted one would be very hard pressed to find a difference if a rack and pinion steering was fitted.

I see your point re the exhaust manifold. This is a problem on all left-hand drive 510.
K. Beam imports in California have a well priced manifold kits to overcome this problem.
Not sure if it is shown on the site, I have seen pics of the kit & it looks
very good.
http://www.kbeam.com/index.htm

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A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
www.datsport.com

"R.I.P. Baz. 29 April 2022. Thank you for all your contributions to the Datsun community over the years. You will be missed." - OZDAT

you could even use an N13 Nissan rack, or alfa romeo rack.

these have arms that pivot from the centre of the rack, so the steering arm is almost twice as long as the control arm. you'd be surprised how it works and how it works so effectively.

trouble is, they take up a little more room than a regular rack.

give it a shot though.

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frankenstein projects R us.

The Republic of Western Australia -
Propping up the Nation's Economy since 1901.

Thanks for all the info everyone! I suppose if the steering portion of the kit is comparable with rack and pinion then perhaps the best option would just be to look into a modified exhaust manifold... Nevertheless, I would be very interested in seeing a 1600 with N13 r&p! Now I'm curious, perhaps I'll take a look at a wrecking yard...

Baz - When you fit an SR, what harness do you guys typically use behind the dash? I'm considering changing out the entire wiring system (engine & chassis) for that of an S13...

Pez,
we seperate the EFI harness completly from the S13/14 loom.
Wire the body harness seperatly from the EFI harness.
Tried an integrated loom but it was a head f**k.
We mount the ECU & efi fuse box under the dash by the glove box.

_________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
www.datsport.com

"R.I.P. Baz. 29 April 2022. Thank you for all your contributions to the Datsun community over the years. You will be missed." - OZDAT