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Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:27 am

My steering box is sloppy/loose, and instead of just replacing or overhauling it, I was wondering what it would take to convert a 73 Super over to some kind of rack and pinion system. I searched these forums, but I could not find any information on such a conversion. There are many systems for sand rails, but I don't know if they could be adapted to a sedan. (especially a super)

Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:45 am

Perhaps a front end swap to a 75' or later SB? Those were rack and pinion.

Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:05 pm

Good idea., I wasn't aware that later models had it. My front sheet metal is in great shape. I wonder if I could swap only the steering components, and not have to weld anything? I'm going to guess that the holes and mounting brackets are completely different.

Has anyone done this?

My goal is to have a stable car at 75-80mph. Rack and Pinions tend to have less slop than worm gearboxes, or is that not true in the case of VW Type 1 steering systems?

Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:29 pm

Actually even a worm and roller VW should be stable at those speeds. If its not something is worn or out of alignment. My Mexibug goes down the road just fine at those speeds-and its a swingaxle.

I saw someone had a Bug in a magazine that had an early Golf rack and pinion in it-not sure how hard it was to fit, but he did it.

Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:28 pm

I know my friend mounted the rack out of a later super beetle into his 73 without any problems. The mounting holes and everything were already there. I'm not sure if all of the 73's were set up that way though. If the pan for mine was accessible I would check it. See if you can find a super in a boneyard first and look at the rack to see where it mounts and check your panhead to see if you have them. If you do it's just a matter of bolting it in.

Mike
59 single, 66 bug, 69 bus, 73 super
Member of the Ddk

Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:36 pm

1- You have to find a 75-79 super beetle rack and pinion some one will part with. Hope it is in good condition and be prepared to pay a lot for it. They do not make replacements and they are very hard to find. Plus tie rods.

2- The frame heads are different. Put a normal 72-74 super next to a rack and pinion 75-79 and you will see that where the rack sits the frame head is over 2cm thinner to accommodate the rack. The 72-74 frame head can be clearanced but this type of welding needs to be done at a pro shop. Either that or you can find a rack and pinion frame head have it grafted on or replace the entire frame with a rack and pinion frame.

3- On 72-72 supers there is a support member for the spare tire well that runs from one side of the car to the other. It happens to be right where the rack will bolt up and needs to be removed and replaced with 75-79 rack and pinion support member.

4- You will need to drill mounting holes and get them very exact or steering and handling will suffer. Then weld in 4 capture nuts into the unibody rails where the rack mounts.

5- The u joint shaft from the steering column is much longer on the 75-79 supers than the 72-74 because the rack nib is farther away.

6- The hole in the body where the u joint shat passes through will need to be elongated towards the passenger side of the car.

On a side note I have heard of but not witnessed others using early manual golf and rabbit racks. These are easier to find but need a lot of modification to work.

Plus putting the rack and pinion on a beetle will not make all the shakes go away. It will help some. The main reason the super has the shakes is that the front end is super light and the control arms only mount to the frame at one point instead of two. Most cars have a type of A arm the super has a I shaped arm and allows for alot of wiggle. This wears out all the bushings and ecet alot faster. Thus the shakes. To make the shakes go away for longer periods an A arm conversion is the key.

Finally If anyone is serious about a rack conversion I will have a completely rebuilt super beetle rack for sale in three weeks. It will go up on my e-bay for buy now at around $400.00. It is out of a 79 vert.

Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:39 pm

Thanks Pirate, that's the kind of information that I needed to hear. I really didn't want to get into that much hacking and fabricating, because I have nice metal now. When I priced new and rebuilt SB steering boxes, that's when I started thinking of alternatives (well, if I have to spend this much $$$, then what if I did xxxx instead?)

The car is "stable" now, it just has that worn out steering box feel to it. I've had worm steering boxes in recent vehicles as well (1994-2000), and they seem to get sloppy within as little as 30,000 miles. The R&P vehicles that I have had do not do that. (at least not within 30,000 miles)

Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:08 am

jeffb89061 wrote: My steering box is sloppy/loose, and instead of just replacing or overhauling it, I was wondering what it would take to convert a 73 Super over to some kind of rack and pinion system. I searched these forums, but I could not find any information on such a conversion. There are many systems for sand rails, but I don't know if they could be adapted to a sedan. (especially a super)
Here is a good thread (with pictures) on Rack and Pinion Rebuild from www.GermanLook.com.

Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:44 am

....there is a screw with a bolt lock on top the steering box to tighten the steering try that ...may help you.... access it through the trunk on the driver side right above the spare bucket next to the strut tower base under a cap you pop out