b'Squaring Your SteeringLets taLk steering Box systems When were building a new front suspension from scratch, and the packaging parameters allow us to fit in a great rack & pinion, like our Sweet Road Racing racksin the correct location for optimum Ackermanthats the best way to go. Thats not to say ANY rack is better. No way. Most OEM racks & aftermarket racks copied from of OEM rackssuck. They dont have the power nor the strength to handle todays cars with 315 or larger front tires. Heck, the super common 79-93 Mustang rack fails in cars with 275 front tires. Ive seen those guys bringing not one, but two spare racks to the track. Most OEM racks are too wide. The C6-C7 Corvette rack & pinion is a good piece. But it is way too wide to work in applications any narrower than the C5/C6/C7. When we put a rack with the pivots too wide in a car the bump steer curve is ugly as #$@*&.Read the previous two pages if you havent already. Yes, you can get one point of the travel to hit your target bump steer numberbut the travel on above or below of that number is funky. We should never run a rack that has the pivots at the wrong width for good bump steer characteristics. Nor is ok to put a rack in the wrong location, where Ackerman suffers. So again, if were designing something from a clean sheet of paper, to be bad ass, like our Track-Warrior front clips or the Speedtech Extreme clips & chassis I designed that use the right width Sweet Road Racing rackin the optimum locationthen great. Otherwise, if the car came with a steering box that utilizes a centerlink, pitman arm & idler arm linkagewe are BETTER OFF to get that system right, than to swap in a weak ass rack & pinion in the wrong location. There is NOTHING wrong with the performance of a steering box systemif we get everything trued-up, equal & optimized. OK, old boxes suck. But the new generation of steering boxes rock! GM, Ford & Chrysler muscle cars did NOT come with good steering boxes in the 60s-80s. We need newer boxes. What we care about, and therefore what needs to be fixed & optimized in our steering, is: Squaring the steering linkage, so the car steers the exact same both ways (they usually dont). Truing & equalizing the steering linkage dimensions & angles so it doesnt drop or arc differently. Eliminating any bind or stiction in the steering that telegraphs incorrect signals to the driver. Getting the Ackerman optimized, to increase the inside tire slip angle to increase front end grip. Utilizing the increased Ackerman to increase caster on the inside front tire for a full contact patch.Eliminate any slop, or delay, in the steering, so the car responds quicker at corner turn in. Relocating the inner tie rod pivot points to achieve the cleanest, smoothest bump steer arc. Performing the bump steer operation to achieve our bump steering goals.Ok. Before we get rolling here on the How-To square & equalize your steering system, you need to know this is quite involved. All winning race teams dont give it a second thought. But realize youre looking at 2-3 days of patience trying work if youre new to this. If youre not up for it, then reconsider buying a complete clip or chassis for your car. But if you are committed to making your car handle, steer & perform at high levels on track, autocross, etc.here are the instructions, in order: Step 1. You need to True-Up your steering box. The box isnt the problem. Its the old, stamped, formed & welded OEM frame rails. You want to use shims & machined washers (no stamped washers) in-between the frame & steering box (Green Dotted line) on the 3 or 4 bolts attaching it to the frameto get the box BOTH level with the earth & parallel to the chassis centerline. Use as few shims/washers as possible, so not to push the steering box inward toward the chassis centerline, anymore than necessary to get the box level with the earth & parallel to the chassis centerline. 388'