looking for steering rack recommendations

[Jason]

The inner tie rod ends on my steering rack are a bit loose. Looking at the cost of new racks from DMCH and Delorean Go it seems like it's worth the time/hassle savings to just get a new rack rather than rebuild the old one. Is either rack better than the other? Are there other better options?

Thanks.

[82DMC12]

The inner tie rod ends on my steering rack are a bit loose. Looking at the cost of new racks from DMCH and Delorean Go it seems like it's worth the time/hassle savings to just get a new rack rather than rebuild the old one. Is either one better than the other. Are there other better options?

Thanks.

I'm not sure if anyone state-side is rebuilding racks anymore. Many years ago I got mine rebuilt by Grady and he did a fantastic job.

Today, DMCH and etc sells an aftermarket rack for a price low enough that rebuilding isn't worth it. DPI lists a BULLIT rebuilt rack but I don't know what the ETA is on them. Grady used to rebuild racks but I think he got out of the business because of the work involved and the competition however he does still have some hard to find parts like the passenger side rack bush. Actually the passenger side rack bush (the plastic part that goes into the end of the tube) is the usual way the rack fails. If you take your passenger side boot off and you find the rack bar has play in the tube (bushing probably turned into dust) then you can repair it with a new bush. I just did this for mine a few months ago. I took my rack completely apart it, cleaned it, greased the bar and pinion, and refilled with new oil, new boots, and replaced the tie rod ends with DPI ends (both DPI and DMCH have the tie rod ends with an allen key hole on top to aid in torqueing them down).

I think general consensus is a rebuilt OEM rack is better than the current DMCH rack but for how cheap the DMCH rack is, it seems to be good enough.

[Mark D]

Grady also has the plastic cup type bushings to fix inner tie rod play. I think they were only a couple of bucks when I rebuilt my steering rack. It's not a difficult job to do, just a little messy. I stripped mine completely down and had it powder coated as well.

If you have the time and patience to rebuild, it's much cheaper overall, and I think the OE racks are a little more robust than the new ones from DMCH. There are a few threads on here with people reporting rack issues.

Pics from my own rebuild here if you are interested:
http://dmctalk.org/album.php?albumid=160

This thread might also be helpful:
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15300-New-steering-rack-DMC-or-PJ-Grady-Same

[PlutonimicX]

I may be wrong but DMC's and DGo's steering racks look the same minus DMC's bar appearing to be chrome. I got DGo's steering rack and it was a pain to fit and I still haven't figured out how to get the U-joint to clamp down on the splines on the steering rack.

[ssdelorean]

I'm not sure if anyone state-side is rebuilding racks anymore. Many years ago I got mine rebuilt by Grady and he did a fantastic job.

Today, DMCH and etc sells an aftermarket rack for a price low enough that rebuilding isn't worth it. <<snip>>

I think general consensus is a rebuilt OEM rack is better than the current DMCH rack but for how cheap the DMCH rack is, it seems to be good enough.

Just because a product's price point is cheaper does not mean it is better. Go for quality over price. See signature for reference.

[82DMC12]

I may be wrong but DMC's and DGo's steering racks look the same minus DMC's bar appearing to be chrome. I got DGo's steering rack and it was a pain to fit and I still haven't figured out how to get the U-joint to clamp down on the splines on the steering rack.Got any photos of this issue?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Just because a product's price point is cheaper does not mean it is better. Go for quality over price. See signature for reference.

I should have been more clear. What I meant was, if someone has the repro DMCH steering rack which is only $199, it makes more sense to replace that one again than to try to rebuild it. If you have an OEM rack, rebuilding it would be preferable. It's not that hard and I don't think the pinion or bar are likely to be bad - it's mostly going to be the tube bushing, the cups and springs, and re-grease the ball bearings all of which anyone can do at home. The U-joints definitely go bad and we have a few options for them now too.

[Jason]

I should have been more clear. What I meant was, if someone has the repro DMCH steering rack which is only $199, it makes more sense to replace that one again than to try to rebuild it. If you have an OEM rack, rebuilding it would be preferable. It's not that hard and I don't think the pinion or bar are likely to be bad - it's mostly going to be the tube bushing, the cups and springs, and re-grease the ball bearings all of which anyone can do at home. The U-joints definitely go bad and we have a few options for them now too.

For me it's a time thing (I've got other projects going on now), and trying to minimize how long the car is off the road. I assume I could change out the rack in an evening. Getting all fiddly with the rebuild could take a lot longer. So if the new racks aren't junk I'd prefer to go with that for now.

My current rack, if I remember correctly, is a rebuilt one from Grady, probably at least 15 years old. Which replaced another rack from Grady (could have been NOS), which replaced the original.

[82DMC12]

For me it's a time thing (I've got other projects going on now), and trying to minimize how long the car is off the road. I assume I could change out the rack in an evening. Getting all fiddly with the rebuild could take a lot longer. So if the new racks aren't junk I'd prefer to go with that for now.

My current rack, if I remember correctly, is a rebuilt one from Grady, probably at least 15 years old. Which replaced another rack from Grady (could have been NOS), which replaced the original.

Totally understand, I think my rack was out for about two weeks while I was waiting for parts and the time to put it back together.