“…….What kind of oil pan mods are needed for the rack to work?.......”
Not the best picture, but what I had in the computer.
drag link by
M Patterson, on Flickr
It also refreshed my memory that it would really take. The pan mods would be the minor part.
In order to keep the stock spindles and suspension I’d need a rear steer rack. It would have to sit just about where the drag link goes. That would require installing a crossmember to mount it to. Even though I could run holes in a new crossmember to run the torsion bars thru, where the ends of the new crossmember would need to go are right where the frame kicks up and there is nothing there to attach the crossmember to. Then there is the issue of connecting the steering column to the rack. Where the pinion shaft would be would require the steering shaft to make an almost 90 degree drop straight down from the firewall.
I had briefly considered a front steer rack. The first thing I would need is front spindles that would be compatible with the Chrysler ball joints and control arms. Then front crossmember makes a big forward curve and would end up having to be changed to make it straight to bolt the rack to, which I’m pretty sure would require cutting into the front of the pan which I’m not sure I could do without getting into the oil pump pickup.
At that point doing a front frame clip like 5280Dart is doing to his 57 looks like a much more viable option. He’s doing great work by the way and I’m really looking forward to seeing his car done and his impressions on how it drives and handles.
That being said the clip swap is not for me. It would be easy enough to do especially as he has pretty much blazed the trail. The thing is, I really like the feel of driving my 57 with the old torsion bar suspension. I grew up in the 50s-60s and in 68 started working in a Chrysler Plymouth dealership. It hit me first real test drive I took with the Plymouth that the car had the same “feel” as driving the base (4 speed/manual steering) Road Runners I used to test drive. I know that I could take advantage of the suspension advances of the last 60 years and make a lot better handling and comfortable car out of it. The thing is I think I’d end up losing some of the things I really love about the way the car drives…..and brings back a lot of nice memories for me.
