gibbon Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Hi everyone, I was just wondering how plausible it is to remove the power steering from one of these. As far as I understand, they all came out with PS factory, has anybody mucked around with fitting an s30 steering setup? I've got an rb20 powered 280zx and the power steering pump is fouling on my inlet piping, was just hoping to get rid of the whole lot (prefer the feel of non PS anyway). Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleachZee Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Many 1979 280ZX's had a manual steering rack. They unbolt with the crossmember (you need the manual crossmember that the rack bolts to) EZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbon Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 oh, really? for some reason i'd been given the impression that they were all power steered.. hope that holds true down here in new zealand (although odds are that most of ours are japanese imports rather than NZ new anyway) sorry, but its 'stupid question' time - could you or someone else explain to me exactly what parts i need for the conversion? i'll probably have to strip it all out of a donor myself, dont want to leave anything behind. i've really done nothing like this before, so i would appreciate any help cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleachZee Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 the u-join connection on the steering column is the same on all the 280ZX cars. Where it plugs in to the gearbox is where you start gathering parts. The whole crossmember under the steering rack and including the rack and tie rod ends is what you need. Your steering column will slide into this unit and then bolt into your car under the engine. There is a 1979 with manual steering locally in a wrecker... but its not right hand drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbon Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 found one... first guy i asked on the local auciton site has a whole non PS 280zx for wrecking, about an hour north of my house. what are the chances? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughdogz Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 What I did is just remove the PS pump and loop the lines at the rack that went to the pump. It makes the steering kind of heavy, but not too bad. Then get the manual stuff later. So far, I have only have a manual crossmember. I think the mounting flanges are closer together for a manual rack. Anyone know if manual gearboxes came in more than recirculating ball? That giant gearbox would interfere with my turbo for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djz Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Have you still got your Z? I remember it being on Trademe ages ago. My Z didn't originally have power steering, we swapped it over in probably about 2 hours. It's not too hard to do, getting the crossmember out is the hardest part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islanddozer Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Anyone know if manual gearboxes came in more than recirculating ball? That giant gearbox would interfere with my turbo for sure. No manual gearbox just rack for the 79 as posted Related Parts1979 NISSAN 280ZX 2.8L 2753cc L6 MFI (H) [L28E] : Steering : Rack and Pinion Complete UnitPriceCoreTotalACDELCO Part # 3612101 {#88990629} GEAR,STRG (REMAN-RACK & PINION-MANUAL) FRONT PUMP* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 5 business days $215.79$55.00$270.79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tec280zx Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 I just did a power recirc ball to manual rack conversion a few months ago. Heres a pic. Like the others said, you need the manual crossmember for it to work. Heres a pic of the difference between crossmembers. They look close, but won't interchange. The bushing sizes are different too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.