356C steering Rack

For those who couldn't care less how their 356 left the factory!
Message
Author
Robin Walker
356 Fan
Posts: 110
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:41 am
Location: Wing, Buckinghamshire, England.

356C steering Rack

#1 Post by Robin Walker »

Has anyone fitted a Rack and Pinion steering rack to a 1964 356C ?
Robin Walker
1962 356B S90 Coupe. sold.
1964 356C Coupe RHD
1973 911S Coupe LHD
1983 924 coupe RHD

User avatar
Greg Bryan
356 Fan
Posts: 3692
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:05 pm
Location: San Pedro, CA 90732; Fallen Leaf, CA 96150
Contact:

Re: 356C steering Rack

#2 Post by Greg Bryan »

I imagine anything can be done, but the stock C steering system is pretty good - light and responsive. If the box is worn, there are used/rebuilt units out there and all other parts are readily available.
Greg Bryan

User avatar
Mike Wilson
Classifieds Monitor
Posts: 11491
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:37 pm
Location: SW Los Angeles

Re: 356C steering Rack

#3 Post by Mike Wilson »

I just watched a car show where the guy fitted a golf cart rack and pinion into a home made dune buggy. I imagine it could be done in a 356 but you'd have to figure out where and how to mount it and customize tie rods, steering shaft and coupler, etc.

Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

User avatar
Jacques Lefriant
356 Fan
Posts: 4601
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:50 pm
Location: Washoe county NV

Re: 356C steering Rack

#4 Post by Jacques Lefriant »

Hi
Rod Emory has done it for some of his outlaws just buy one to see how he did it. he won't sell it without the car.
j
 

User avatar
C J Murray
356 Fan
Posts: 9161
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:24 pm
Location: 30MI WEST OF PHILA
Contact:

Re: 356C steering Rack

#5 Post by C J Murray »

There is a real Speedster with a complete 944 front suspension and steering.
'57 Speedster
'59 Sunroof
'60 Devin D Porsche Race Car
'63 Cabriolet "Norm"
'67 911 S Original Owner
'03 Ferrari 575M
'09 Smart Passion

User avatar
Graham Kerr
356 Fan
Posts: 217
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:21 am
Location: West Sussex, England

Re: 356C steering Rack

#6 Post by Graham Kerr »

I've got a 911 SC set up waiting in my garage ready to go into my beastie. But I have to hold fire at the moment as I'm waiting for my rebuilt engine to come back, this should be November latest then install it, run the car to get all the bugs sorted out, then I'm off to Portugal for the '24 Intl meet, so I don't reckon I can start chopping my car about until about this time next year but it's the next thing on my schedule and I'll post all the details. BTW I wont be using the torsion bars, it will have coil overs.
86 SSE Turbo Look 3.2 Carrera
Cole Foster Chop
75 Honda ST70
94 Buell ST2
74 Dax Cobra
18 Macan Turbo
62 356B T6 (modified)

User avatar
Martin Benade
356 Fan
Posts: 12181
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:52 am
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Re: 356C steering Rack

#7 Post by Martin Benade »

You’ll be changing to a rack and pinion, and McPherson struts? They aren’t too tall?
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna

User avatar
Vic Skirmants
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 9279
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:02 pm
Location: SE Michigan
Contact:

Re: 356C steering Rack

#8 Post by Vic Skirmants »

He said "coil overs", not struts. We did that all the time on the later SCCA cars.

User avatar
Martin Benade
356 Fan
Posts: 12181
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:52 am
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Re: 356C steering Rack

#9 Post by Martin Benade »

True, but he also said “911 SC setup waiting”
I believe that’s a strut design.
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna

User avatar
Graham Kerr
356 Fan
Posts: 217
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:21 am
Location: West Sussex, England

Re: 356C steering Rack

#10 Post by Graham Kerr »

Cor blimey lads you got me rushing out to the garage and sorting through all my old crap to find the SC front suspension and having a quick measure up to see where it all might go. My little beastie is well chopped about but it's basically all Porsche which was important to me such as keeping the body shape exactly factory. First thing I shall do is extend the roll cage forward through the front firewall to end up as top support for the coilover shocks which will be placed a fair way into the wheel well. Camber, caster plates will go on, A arms below plus anti roll bar mounts and new floor from under the fuel tank forward. It's all in my mind but I won't know exactly what I will be doing until I get the sawsall out.
86 SSE Turbo Look 3.2 Carrera
Cole Foster Chop
75 Honda ST70
94 Buell ST2
74 Dax Cobra
18 Macan Turbo
62 356B T6 (modified)

User avatar
Martin Benade
356 Fan
Posts: 12181
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:52 am
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Re: 356C steering Rack

#11 Post by Martin Benade »

And the coil over shocks will have stub axles on them, McPherson strut style?
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna

User avatar
Graham Kerr
356 Fan
Posts: 217
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:21 am
Location: West Sussex, England

Re: 356C steering Rack

#12 Post by Graham Kerr »

The Mcpherson struts are going in the bin. There is two reasons to extend the roll cage forward and that is when I lift the car up on my scissor lift the gap between the upper rear of the door and the body itself minimises ie the body is flexing in the middle, it's barely a fraction of an inch but it's not good. where the roll cage would end at the front of the car would be a perfect location for a coil over top mount similar to a drag race car front suspension plus I could install a top A arm then have choices of front hubs. I have been looking at the set up on Lotus Elans which I reckon could fit the bill quite well although I would rather beef up the top and bottom arms to make them a bit more roadworthy. Those Mustang II front ends look interesting but I think they would be overkill on the 356 front end and of course that is getting away from my initial desire to keep things as much Porsche as possible.
Just heard my engine has now been align bored which is the last machining step for it and chromated and is back in the shop for first trial assembly. If all goes well I might just get started on the new front suspension later this year.
86 SSE Turbo Look 3.2 Carrera
Cole Foster Chop
75 Honda ST70
94 Buell ST2
74 Dax Cobra
18 Macan Turbo
62 356B T6 (modified)

User avatar
Martin Benade
356 Fan
Posts: 12181
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:52 am
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Re: 356C steering Rack

#13 Post by Martin Benade »

The mustang II front end, actually 1971 Pinto, is not exactly up to date or noted as sporting. Aren’t a lot of younger Porsches fitted with upper and lower control arms that you could adapt?
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna

User avatar
Graham Kerr
356 Fan
Posts: 217
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:21 am
Location: West Sussex, England

Re: 356C steering Rack

#14 Post by Graham Kerr »

I must apologize because I started rabbiting on about something that was merely in the back of my mind and I hadn't given the subject sufficient thought or research, that being, of course, the fitment of a rack and pinion steering system into the 356. I had half a plan to use a 911 set up, but then my thoughts drifted to A arms and set ups other than those which Mr. Porsche had designed. I reaffirm my desire to keep the car as much Porsche as possible whilst still making fairly severe alterations to the driveline and associated components.
So, in such times, what to do? Answer, go ask an expert, and in my case that is exactly what I did. I have a very intelligent engineer friend who by day restores pre war and post war racing machinery such as Riley, HRG, and Bristol which are just three types I have lusted over in his workshop. And by night, the weekends actually, races in the 2 litre 911 series.
He says keep the McPherson struts but replace the main body of them with my choice of coil over shock absorber. Fabricate and machine location for the lower fitting of the coil over then position the camber/caster plate onto the upright new section of the roll cage extension. The more difficult task will be finding the perfect position to mount the rack which may be a case of offering up a suitable steel lower support and, basically, weld it where it touches. This future positioning should, hopefully, be more or less a forward extension of the lower floor from the K member plus the location for the forward section of the lower A arm should be on a similar plane.
Now projecting the thought process even further forward it would be totally feasible to install four coilover shocks which have connection to an in-dashboard digital system for altering the suspension settings. I have recently been reading about such a system which can be installed into early model 911s, so PASM in 356's can't be far off.
86 SSE Turbo Look 3.2 Carrera
Cole Foster Chop
75 Honda ST70
94 Buell ST2
74 Dax Cobra
18 Macan Turbo
62 356B T6 (modified)

User avatar
Martin Benade
356 Fan
Posts: 12181
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:52 am
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Re: 356C steering Rack

#15 Post by Martin Benade »

I’m not very sure but I think the shaft in a coil over is much thinner than a McPherson strut shaft as the coil over wasn’t designed to handle cornering forces.
Transplanting a suspension system will be a big job, transplanting and reengineering one might be an awful lot to tackle.
A McPherson strut is a coil over, but specifically engineered for the job at hand.
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna

Post Reply