VL - VN power steering rack modifications

[GRPAVL]

I need to run a VN power steering rack as the 304 extractors will hit the pipes if I dont. I have both a VL and VN rack and they appear the same width etc with the pipe output being different of cource.

Can the shaft that connects the steering rack to the column be swapped between a vl and a vn power steering rack. The reason I ask is because my VL rack has the round shaft (that extends 29mm) and the vn rack has a square shaft (that extends 41mm). This causes the shafts to not line up.

VL Shaft

VN Shaft

Conflict

Help

Q

 

[VK SL 3800]

You can swap the top uni on a VN-VS shaft with the VL one. so you have the VL spline into the column and square drive into the rack.

 

[GRPAVL]

so get teh vn-vs intermediate between the firewall and teh power steering rack basically

 

[GRPAVL]

I went and got a VN V6 shaft today to experiment with. Sitting it side by side the uni to uni section is longer however it would work if you changed the top uni section from the vl shaft to the vn shaft (as mentioned above). It would be about 10-15mm longer overall but as you dont need to run the lower splined connector to the rack itself it really makes no difference.

From what I can see the universals dont have any retaining rings externally but I cant see how they come out so i took them to a driveshaft shop and was quoted close to $200 to swap the head over by and that seems excessive to me.

You also cant cut/weld any steering items and after fowarding the pic and talking to LVVTA (our low volume cert guys in NZ) they said nope. That left me making with up some sort of a round splined sleeve to a square plug (or cutting two in half and welding together to make one). Once again LVVT said nope and at $150-200 for an engineering shop to make me something I might as well just change the unis.

ahhhhhhhhh

 

[GRPAVL]

Then i had my last brain wave.

Having hacked and swapped stuff on toyotas for the better part of the last 14 years (more because I could as it worked out cheaper in the long run) I suddenly thought why not just swap the housings on the racks themselves.

So I removed the VL power steering rack top hat section and pipes that run to the middle of the shaft and did the same for the VN power steering rack. (see attached 1).

Next I spent about 30-45 mins measuring everything I could from diameters to heights and widths of the exposed bits and I cant see why you cant just swap the top hat sections over. so i did (see attached 2).

Everything seems to fit back nicely and now I have my original VL power steering rack with a VN top hat so that the pipes go out the back and away from the v8 extractors.

I havent tested it yet but plan to go and see a power steering man next monday (busy week this week) about a rebuild kit for new seals and orings and im sure he will tell me it isnt a problem either.

fingers crossed.

Q

 

[GRPAVL]

got some time today and shot through. No issue just removing the VN top hat (which has pipes out the back) and putting it on a VL power steering rack. You will need the pipes as well that go to the rack but its a 5 min swap that allows you to use you original rack with extractors

bonus.

Q

 

[GRPAVL]

Figured out today that the above post wont work as the VN rack runs a really funny looking pipe fitting and its not compatable with the vl steering rack fitting. That was when I took it all to PG Hydraulics and asked them what was going on.

In about 2 minutes I was shown what a VL/VN/VP-VS power steering rack looks like and what I bought.

It appears the VN rack i bought was actually a VP-VS rack. The difference being the input shaft on the VN is round and the vp-vs square. So i took it back to where I got it and asked for the right rack (which they didnt have) so now im on the hunt for a new rack.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Jxfwsf]

As you've discovered VL & VN racks are the same.
I'm running a VL rack in my VN and just had to massage the pipes out of the way of the exhaust.

Now this is speculation and I'd have to wait until sunday to rip a rack out of a VP to confirm the part numbers and measure somethings:

You could maybe take the pipes and cast iron part that all the pipes go into the off the VP rack and put it on the VL rack (I know this can be done on VL to VN and vise versa)
Just make sure they're clean and it's done in a clean environment, you don't want dirt on the teflon seal rings.

 

[GRPAVL]

Yes the cast bit from the VN can be swapped over to the VL rack. Done all the measurements and that wouldnt be a major issue.

The pipes from the cast bit off the VN can be used and as you say the seals replaced if needed.

The problem is in the rack itself.

The VN pipes have the seal section at the end which the vl rack wont accept as it runs the standard brake pipe style connection.

You would need to have custom built pipes with VN fitting at cast end and VL fitting at rack ends. I was told you arent allowed to cut and weld/braise the two pipes together being that its a steering component.

hence why i just ended up going to find the right rack ... which also worked out cheaper than any other option ($170 to swap the uni's on the intermediates over, $125 for custom pipes, $450+rack for a rebuilt rack, or $10 back in my pocket for the vn rack itself at the wreckers).

Q

 

[Jxfwsf]

hrm, they must've changed more then, the 87 and 91 racks i had side by side were pretty much identical except for the obvious, only reason i didn't swap the parts over was due to wear in the VN bit, the teflon seals don't look to be an easy replacement, even pedders when queried said they send rack away to get that bit done, could get me the seals no worries if i wanted to give replacing them a crack.