Early RRC steering fix

[jezza89]

Hi all,



I have some problems with my steering on my 84 RRC.

4 bolt steering box

Has 2" springs with standard bilstein shocks, with 31x10.5 R15 tyres



Tends to wander a bit, and has a bit of play in the wheel.



Have checked and tightened the box etc... but last trip I must've caused some damage as well.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/12/540.jpg



Planning to swap out the steering box to hopefully fix most of the wheel play, but any suggestions for the steering rod replacement?

Also given my setup, would castor correction bushes or anything be necessary to help line things up?

[Baggy]

Hi jezza89,

From memory when I was researching info on my 1981 2 Dr steering up to 2" lift does not need any castor correction bushes.

Your steering rod has taken a nice hit ....and besides fixing that, I'd check your ball joints for wear and correct adjustment.

Also don't see your steering damper in photo ....what type is it?

I purchased a 1992 RRC and it pulled badly to the left ..... so badly that it caused my right shoulder to ache keeping the vehicle tracking straight.

Turns out that it had a return to centre steering dampner fitted to vehicle.

The large outer spring on dampener is adjusted on dampener body by a collar that slides up and down the body and held in place with allen key grub screws.

Slid the collar back to centre tighened collar and its fixed the problem

You also will need to invest in a wheel alighment as that can cause your wander problems .....You tube have some do it yourself tutorials on wheel alignment that you can try for yourself.

Cheers

Baggy

[DoubleChevron]

Hi jezza89,

From memory when I was researching info on my 1981 2 Dr steering up to 2" lift does not need any castor correction bushes.

Your steering rod has taken a nice hit ....and besides fixing that, I'd check your ball joints for wear and correct adjustment.

Also don't see your steering damper in photo ....what type is it?

I purchased a 1992 RRC and it pulled badly to the left ..... so badly that it caused my right shoulder to ache keeping the vehicle tracking straight.

Turns out that it had a return to centre steering dampner fitted to vehicle.

The large outer spring on dampener is adjusted on dampener body by a collar that slides up and down the body and held in place with allen key grub screws.

Slid the collar back to centre tighened collar and its fixed the problem

You also will need to invest in a wheel alighment as that can cause your wander problems .....You tube have some do it yourself tutorials on wheel alignment that you can try for yourself.

Cheers

Baggy

Tightening the steering 'box in my old '85 made the steering tighter but didn't remove any slop. The steering damper seems make a big difference to steering wheel shake at speed. Wandering though I'm betting is bushes in the front end.

The '85 I had moved around a lot at speed... you kinda "guided" it down the road. It had lift springs that screwed up the handling IMO. The two '92 models I have track arrow straight and don't wonder at all. The main difference I reckon is they sit close to standard right height.

You must have some huge toe in and tire scrubbing with that bent steering rod!

seeya
Shane L.

[jezza89]

Hi jezza89,

From memory when I was researching info on my 1981 2 Dr steering up to 2" lift does not need any castor correction bushes.

Your steering rod has taken a nice hit ....and besides fixing that, I'd check your ball joints for wear and correct adjustment.

Also don't see your steering damper in photo ....what type is it?

I purchased a 1992 RRC and it pulled badly to the left ..... so badly that it caused my right shoulder to ache keeping the vehicle tracking straight.

Turns out that it had a return to centre steering dampner fitted to vehicle.

The large outer spring on dampener is adjusted on dampener body by a collar that slides up and down the body and held in place with allen key grub screws.

Slid the collar back to centre tighened collar and its fixed the problem

You also will need to invest in a wheel alighment as that can cause your wander problems .....You tube have some do it yourself tutorials on wheel alignment that you can try for yourself.

Cheers

Baggy

Car has an Ironman steering damper, possibly a gas or foam damper? Had it replaced a year or so ago.

Haven't touched any of the ball joints, but most bushes are already polyurethane from previous owner (4 years old at least)

Half of the chassis to body bushes are flogged though. Would this have a significant impact on steering and handling? Can these be replaced using a couple of garage jacks and some stands, or is it better to find a hoist?


Tightening the steering 'box in my old '85 made the steering tighter but didn't remove any slop. The steering damper seems make a big difference to steering wheel shake at speed. Wandering though I'm betting is bushes in the front end.

The '85 I had moved around a lot at speed... you kinda "guided" it down the road. It had lift springs that screwed up the handling IMO. The two '92 models I have track arrow straight and don't wonder at all. The main difference I reckon is they sit close to standard right height.

You must have some huge toe in and tire scrubbing with that bent steering rod!

seeya
Shane L.

Was a fairly rough trip to Julimar forest last winter. Didn't notice any huge problems while driving it home (was happy to be driving it home to be honest!), but it definitely didn't feel right!

[bee utey]

Half of the chassis to body bushes are flogged though. Would this have a significant impact on steering and handling? Can these be replaced using a couple of garage jacks and some stands, or is it better to find a hoist?

Not sure if the body to chassis bushes would have much effect on the steering, but I can tell you they are easy to replace. You undo all 10 bush bolts and the seat belt anchors, then lift up the body with a bottle jack under the side sill and replace 5 bushes one side at at time. A longish piece of suitable wood will prevent the jack from damaging the sill. It is also a good time to fit a subtle body lift, 1/2 to 1", as the steering shaft will just need loosening and readjusting. :)

[Meccles]

I don't like the poly bushes they can flog out radius arms and make whole car harsh. I've only ever used them on panhard rod and even then they don't last too Long. Ask Andrew at LRA what he suggests.

[CountryHonk]

Hi all,

I have some problems with my steering on my 84 RRC.
4 bolt steering box
Has 2" springs with standard bilstein shocks, with 31x10.5 R15 tyres
Tends to wander a bit, and has a bit of play in the wheel.
Have checked and tightened the box etc... but last trip I must've caused some damage as well.
Planning to swap out the steering box to hopefully fix most of the wheel play, but any suggestions for the steering rod replacement?
Also given my setup, would castor correction bushes or anything be necessary to help line things up?
---------------
Hey Jezza - I bought my RRC with 2" suspension and 2" cab lifts which is the best all round clearance improvement for me in that it preserves highway handling and there ain't much I can't do over my local rocks n tracks.

Anyway - it handled like a fkn boat when I got it as the previous owner had not addressed castor etc when he did the lift. And he had 35" mud tyres on it making all sorts of unecessary noise. Doh.

WA Suspensions in Osb Pk fixed it in a wink and the difference was palpable. When I saw the size of the block they made up and installed in there (under the trailing arms or ... not real good with steering) I was not surprised at the marked improvement. That and 6x Khumo LT 75 series tyres and the handling was transformed. Got $800 for the muddies and rims as well.

I'm off to them as soon as I have enough black cash stashed to replace the Rancho crud with all round Bils and Lovells. I've no connection to them but decided to reply here when I saw you were from Perth as they gave me one of the most positive dollar return mechanical experiences I have had.

Cheers
Matt