Rack & pinion conversion: advice needed
 

I have an 89 c1500 2wd and want to improve the steering. The box needs replacement anyway and most likely the linkage too due to excessive play. I've been looking for a while to have a rack and pinion but not sure which one to choose. Just looking for someone that can advice me what to look for (and what not). I'm not looking for a direct bolt-in and I'm taking bumpsteer into account but if I'm starting with a wrong rack....

Should I just use a rack of a recent truck, a Mustang III rack, .... I've also been looking for the Flaming River racks but they are too expensive taken into account that I need to have it shipped to Europe and pay all the extra taxes. Going to a junkyard and pull a rack isn't an option either, unless I could use one from an European car. I only know one junkyard that has US cars and prices there are comparable with new prices....

Once I get started, I'll open a project.

Thanks!

I can hardly believe I would be the first one on this board doing this. No one want to share their experience?

A guy named Bellflower here on this forum has done it. If you click on my name and go to my page and hit the "visitor messages" tab, you will see a message from him with a link to a photo bucket account. The information he offered is scarce, but the picture looks good. I want to do a rack and pinion swap in my 95, but it looks like it will be a big R&D project to spec the right parts and fabricate brackets... it certainly won't bolt right in.
This winter I plan to see if a later model truck steering box from a 4x4 will bolt in. If it will, I'll figure out what I need for a steering shaft and give that a try. I have a 2005 GMC Sierra 4x4 with a steering box and the steering is WAY better than the older 88-98 Chevy's ever were.
Your C-1500 must be a rare sight in Belgium.

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. I think I already saw that picture somewhere in a build thread.

I was not expecting that it would be a direct bolt in. Fabricating brackets and welding will be required. I already some research and read about bump steer and so on. For now that seems the easy part to me, I'm more worried about the clearance of the steering shaft and my headers and how to connect the Ford rack and the GM steering shaft.

Mustang II, is that 1973 - 1978?

Anyone got a thought about a 93 Thunderbird rack? Any good, any bad?

I can get one for cheap (a few beers....)