So from my understanding of the power steering rack, and what I have read on this site all you need to do to convert to manual is weld the quil.

But what part is the quil and what part do I weld it too. I took apart one of my extras and am woundering what to weld. Here is a pic.

Lupe. I have read that you know how to do this. Any help would be great.





And no i dont want to spend 200 dollars sending it out to marval. If some one could just take my pic and make a mark were to weld that would be awsome.

 

 

Here's a thread that talks about turning a Miata power steering rack into a manual rack (very similar) but it doesn't say anything about welding...

http://flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php?x=1

 

Yeah I dont know if that is the same as ours. I need to take the shaft out to see if I need to get rid of that seal.

 

Why not just loop the line??? Many people have done it with no problems.

 

I want full manual. I dont want the extra lines. And I already told our local mod that he can have my lines.

 

looping the line will work but welding the quil makes it much easier to steer. looping still has fluid holding it up but its an improvement over just having the ps belt off.

last time i talked to them it was 160 and they do an amazing job! it comes back spot free and painted... i think its money well spent

 

I remember years ago on the digest this was discussed and someone tore theirs aparts, found the weak link and welded up the quill. That info may still be on the Scud site. Looping the rack still does not address this weak link, welding does.

tom

 

Yeah, so what do I weld?

 

To be quite honest, I don't know exactly what the quill shaft is. From what I've read, welding the 'quill shaft' has to do with removing about 3 degrees of play that is built into the factory steering shaft. I would assume that you can feel this play by simply twisting the shaft. I'm pretty sure this is the place to weld:




Welding the quill shaft will NOT convert your power rack to manual steering. You still need to remove the seals inside the rack itself. Again, I haven't done this before, but according to a few forum members here, it's very similar to the process described at the Flyin Miata website, which is linked from this page:
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-gen-archive-72/how-de-power-your-steering-rack-right-way-440198/

Hope this helps,
-s-

 

Thanks. Thats exactly were I was thinking. But There is no play there at all. If I didnt know better I would say its one piece.

 

If you put the gear in a vice (with wooden blocks) you can turn the top-half of the quill with a little effort and see it move. Inside is a smaller rod that is softer and allows it to turn.


Here's a finished pic. Keep the weld in the pockets, so the valve body still fits on.

 

You don't need to replace the valve body. There's no point. The quill shaft is exactly that. It's kind of a slang term.

 

the picture is a lil dark... pretty much you welded where those lil studs are sticking up? the area that has the scoop out right?

 

Not were they are sticking up but on the sides, go up to the pic with the red circle on it.

 

yeah i know i was talking in relation around the radius of that area...

 

Thanks for the input, NewbernD and Railgun! It's nice to hear from people who've actually done this.

-s-

 

Ok I am thinking about doing this also because I can't find a manual steering rack for my 86 gxl. Just a few questions.
A) isn't the manual steering rack and the power steering rack have different ratios?
B) Would this welding the quill work for a fc?
C) What do you about the molding for the hoses? Just put plugs in them or what?

 

I put plugs in mine, but it wouldnt really matter as there will be no power steering fluid to leak out. You just grease the gears and thats it.

 

k so you dont put any fluid in it then? just grease up the gears on it and weld it eh. Is my quill in the same spot on a fc as a fd? And the quill is on the part that connects my rack to my steering column right.

 

Don't know about the those. I know they're different than the FD, but between the (non)power variants of the same gen...I wouldn't think so.

Will be the same thing at about the same point. There should be no difference in the design. Even if there is, it's pretty easy to see what point moves from the other.

I hacked all the fittings off and JB welded them closed. Sanded everything down and painted flat black. Just one option. You could just plug them. Some put breathers on them. But I wouldn't leave them open. You risk getting crap in there and scoring the hell outta the rack.

NO fluid. Lotsa grease on the bearings, gear and all over the rack. And don't forget to clean and reapply to the tie rod joints. You hack the washer on the rack off and therefore wouldn't hold any fluid anyway. That's the whole point of doing it. Even if you drain it, you're still pushing against the washer.

The quill is the pinion in layman's terms. And yes, it's the probably in the same spot.