How to properly convert power steering to manual steering.

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In this video i drop my shop light in oil, i then squirt oil across the shed... also we convert our power steering rack to a manual one :)
The Nugget project is supported by the legends at RG customs, Ryan Lee Graphics, Delta V Technologies, Get Parts, Uneek Bending and Luxe Performance.
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[@xkrazykorbin4684]

Can confirm this works on older preludes and accords! Kind of a happy medium between power steering looped and a true manual rack

[@TheNuggetProject]

Excellent! :)

[@JohnErnstP76]

Great little segment well explained the weight saving surprised me.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Thanks John :) I should have filmed a bit better when working on the rack but it's hard when I'm trying to get the stuff done in a small time frame.

[@user-gy2dr7ff9u]

I've built up a few competition cars and any time they have had power steering it has been the first thing to go. Not for power or anything, I just hate the vague feeling of power steering. Lucky for me though most of the cars have been so old there have been manual racks available for a straight swap. Haven't seen it done this way before so cool to see something new.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Yeah for sure, i was amazed how early i could feel the understeer creeping in with it disconnected, I was on it so much faster!

[@danbee6407]

Well said. My RA64 Celica's PS is wayy too aggressive. Couldn't feel the 'edge' of the tires at all. A pair of scissors solved my problem for 50k miles. Now it's time to do it right :P

[@MrGearhead514]

Do you own a workbench? Put that stuff on a table and save your knees. Been doing this my whole life and now have 1 knee replacement. I am getting the other knee done next year. Great work on the video, just get it off the floor. 😉😊👍

[@TheNuggetProject]

So this vid was done at my dad's house, he rebuilds old motorbikes and his bench is full of engine rebuild parts, so short answer, no haha, I've got a bench at the new place where I just moved the car to and will be doing a lot on there.

[@loganritt3805]

very nice glad to see a proper video for this conversion, wonder if it works on skyline steering racks.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Cheers mate, yeah it should they are all much a muchness, obviously some of the parts will be a bit different but they essentially work the same way :)

[@scoobiedude]

Do you think the Soarer would be to heavy for this? Great video man! Made the process look fun!

[@rossmclaren71]

Wow nice job mate ! 👍least you won’t have arms like Popeye !😂

[@TheNuggetProject]

Haha it's still going to be pretty heavy, luckily the federals are about at sticky as a teflon pan so it's not like I'm out there on hoosier slicks ;)

[@builtbyjuz4419]

Bloody good idea, building a ls powered vs ute at moment so manual rack isn't an option, only way to do it is with a vl manual rack but there very rare and expensive, mite have a go of this myself

[@TheNuggetProject]

give it a go hey, she'll be a heavy one to handle in the carpark haha, once you're going though you'll be right, make sure you eat your weetbix! :P

[@Rob-md6ml]

Pretty sure you're meant to weld up the pinion to reduce the torsional compliance. This way is fine but feels 10x better welding it up

[@TheNuggetProject]

Haven't had any troubles so far, four years of beating the snot out of it on track and the streering still feels great :)

[@schmoholio3000]

Matty, I have mixed feelings about this video....you missed the chance to get puntastic and also there's a reference to be made to The Simpsons. Love ya work on the car and I apologize for failing you as a Boss Man and not pushing the "Pun Factor" more in the work place. Enjoy the pending lock-down and catch you next time you're in South Oz!

[@TheNuggetProject]

Haha. I know right I really could have used rack to my advantage.... ahh well. You definitely catch up once I'm.allowed in your state!

[@simoncutajar6757]

Great video. Just wondering if a stock manual rack can be swapped in for a power steering rack?

[@TheNuggetProject]

It sure can bud but as I've mentioned before manual racks have more turns lock to lock which for racing means you have to turn the wheel more to turn not quite as Racey. Check out my other vid on if power steering make you slower it explains a bit more :)

[@howey1975]

Nice job. What's next job on the list?

[@TheNuggetProject]

Good question! I'm doing some basic stuff tomorrow, oil changes, alignment and general stuff, as for major stuff I want to do a full livery on the car, as well as an air duct in the passengers window for driver cooling, and who knows from there. I'd really like to get another set of wheels with decent tyres for hill climbs and track days

[@jameslovett6751]

By the way mine and my father are known as nugget. Great coincidence lol

[@jameslovett6751]

I have a 2008 citroen berlingo diesel van., do you have any idea which ps belt I need now that I have taken the power steering pump out. Can't find the right size belt to run the other pulleys, now the pump pully us off

[@TheNuggetProject]

Haha sorry mate wouldn't have a clue. Use a piece of rope to measure up the length and then take that measurement to your local post store along with how many ribs it is,

[@jameslovett6751]

Ahh thanks. Do the ribbs matter as well? What happened was that the rack ram rod snapped which somehow has made the pump pully snap off from inside the pump. I've disconnected the ram from the rack. The steering now turns, there I no belt connected through the other pulleys though now due to the pump pully movements, all I need is a shorter belt which will bypass the pump!

[@DanielB1234]

Are you my brother that I've never had

[@TheNuggetProject]

Coming on pretty strong there Daniel....

[@nic1586]

cool is this a lot easier to turn than just taking the ps belt off

[@TheNuggetProject]

Na not really, just more predictable and works properly as you aren't trying to push fluid around the rack and pump when turning, not to mention weight saving

[@Makal.0w0]

Does anyone daily drive without power steering? What’s it like? My whole power steering system needs to be replaced and it’s really expensive. Deleting it would be cheaper and make it easier for me to run inter cooler piping, I just don’t want to screw myself over.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Mate I can tell you now I wouldn't do this to a daily. This car is a dedicated race car that can never be registered and even with its small wheels in the pits you have to muscle the steering wheel, it would be shit with a heavier car with a bigger engine.

[@tdwebste]

Do you have follow up video? Describing the steering feedback with manual steering.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Hey bud Na not really but if you have a look through my channel there is a video I did on if power steering makes you slower, I go through the speed comparison between having power steering and not and also about how it feels and handles definitely worth a watch :) But I can tell you now it feels MUCH better! Especially with the car being front wheel drive you can feel the car starting to under steer much earlier than with the power hooked up plus much more feedback in general through the wheel. Hope that helps bud :)

[@tdwebste]

@@TheNuggetProject Thx, i grew up with manual steering rear wheel drive cars. I didn't race, but feeling the steering tightening up in curves and loosening as grip is lost. Just feel so reassuring on high speed roads. Thx, i have seen kits that just re-plumb the steering. Anyway thoughts. Thx so much for the reply. I appreciate a car i can feel.

[@joestro7826]

@@TheNuggetProject could you recommend a company the makes a good manual steering rack? I have a 98 Toyota celica and am yet to find one. Thanks

[@TheNuggetProject]

@@joestro7826 I wouldn't have a clue sorry bud! In general manual racks are more turns lock to lock over power racks so you could just convert a power rack to manual like I did

[@shreveportmanteau5868]

Rather than cutting off the plunger disc thing couldn't you have just taken off the oring and teflon ring and then it wouldn't have been air tight or rubbed against the walls of the housing?

[@TheNuggetProject]

Yeah mate probably could have but since i was converting it, it only took another couple of minutes to cut the plunger off as it's just another part that doesn't need to be in there, so it might as well come out. getting it apart is the hard part, so once you're in there it's easy enough to just get rid of it :)

[@lucasgrech1721]

What did you do you for oil in it after as a lube?

[@TheNuggetProject]

No need for oil mate :) just used some quality grease on the rack and the pinion gear, job done!

[@rotohcf1400]

Can something similar be done to a power steering box, not a rack?

[@TheNuggetProject]

I have no idea sorry mate, never had one.

[@Maxdamilli0n]

Have you had a chance to drive it yet? Really curious to hear about the turning effort required. Do you think The steering effort is lower having taken out the seal as opposed to just removing the power stuff and draining the rack?

[@92billly]

I did this aswell from memory it's was a little light after but not much different compared to just looping over the hoses. Also allows a better corner weight distribution (slightly). But I guess it all adds up. Also keen to see Matts experience and thoughts.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Sadly I had a dat at Winton lined up this coming weekend which is the track I've got thr most experience on so it would have been a perfect test to feel the difference, unfortunately my state just went into lock down again and all the tracks are once again closed for at least 6 weeks.... dammit. So the car is back in the shed and I'll have to wait. But rest assured as soon as I can get to a track I will, thanks for commenting and getting involved guys, appreciate it :)

[@Maxdamilli0n]

Mega bummer! Sorry to hear that. I'm weighing the pros and cons of ditching PS. Unfortunately steering effort is really important because all of the races I participate in are Enduros. I'd like to get rid of it but I don't want to make the car too hard to drive for 2 hour stints. Hope you at least get to knock out more projects on the car while you wait.

[@92billly]

@@Maxdamilli0n Fair enough. Personally I've done a few enduros and the first one yeah my arms felt a little sore by the end of the weekend. Second time I got used to it and don't feel sore any more. Personally I prefer no power steering because the steering feed back is much clearer and also on high speed corners e.g turn 1 at Phillip island the car feels much more stable/controllable without PS. If your really concerned with input effort, can also try a normal manual rack and or a larger steering wheel diameter.

[@TheNuggetProject]

Hey guys if you havent already make sure you like the nug project Facebook page, I'm launching something in a couple of days I'd love you to be involved in, this kind of chat and experience is what I'm after :)

[@samharris6871]

Is this the same procedure if you are converting from manual steering to power steering but just in reverse?

[@TheNuggetProject]

Unfortunately not mate, if your rack is manual from factory you can't power it as far as i'm aware, and once you do this procedure to manualize a power rack it can't be undone as you've cut the plunger off the rack

[@samharris6871]

@@TheNuggetProject ok thank you

[@millermmsdj]

Curious why you removed power steering to go with manual steering?

[@TheNuggetProject]

Short answer, much better feel, which allows you to control understeer etc much easier, plus a significant weight saving, longer answer check out the video before this :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIqVZXewhNSjrLMsi=Fwvs2Yyz4qkrH1k2

[@Force1Com]

Is there a way to change the gearing in these things?

[@TheNuggetProject]

In the steering rack? Not sure mate, power steering racks are always less turns lock to lock than manual racks from factory, but as for changing the ratio, I'm not sure.

[@Force1Com]

@@TheNuggetProject yes, I meant changing a power steering rack to be more turns lock to lock, because I can't find a manual steering rack for my car

[@TheNuggetProject]

You want MORE turns lock to lock, random... I don't know mate you'd have to speak to a power steering specialist and see what they can do for you

[@Force1Com]

@@TheNuggetProject yes that's what I was thinking. Anyways, my car is pretty heavy in the front and I don't think the current ratio is good for non power steering. It puts a lot of stress on the column. More turns would make it a little easier to turn, like a manual rack should be. Shouldn't really be that random, just not lazy and entitled where I feel I need power steering.

[@Force1Com]

@@TheNuggetProject plus on my car, 93 camry, it uses the power steering pump to turn a hydraulic cooling fan for the engine, which is way past random, lol. I'd kind of like to get away from that, and this power steering rack has also been replaced before and is leaking again as well.

[@sausagebuttiesdw94]

Is there any real benefit to fully stripping the rack rather than just looping a pipe?

[@TheNuggetProject]

Hey mate, looping the pipe will work for sure, the benefit is, but removing the seal, cleaned it out and greasing it properly means you get a proper manual rack feel, if you still have the seal in there every time you turn the steering one way or the other you are pushing either remaining oil or air around the system and can get a non natural feel from it, by taking this all apart you're getting proper feedback from the tyres without any intervention of the parts left in the sytem. It's not much and most people just loop the pipe but i like to do things properly and it cost me absolutely nothing but some time in the garage :)

[@sausagebuttiesdw94]

@@TheNuggetProject it's something I'm looking at doing as it's the cars not gonna be used for round town driving much and will make the job a lot easier, I think I'll loop it for now then at a later date do the full thing, cheers for the info

[@TheNuggetProject]

@@sausagebuttiesdw94 Yeah absolutely, just loop it and take your power steering belt off (as long as that doesn't run your alternator and stuff as well) and that way you can at least get a feel for what it will be like and if you want to make it permanent :)

[@sausagebuttiesdw94]

@@TheNuggetProject it's having an engine swap and I'm planning on not having power steering as it's going to save me quite a bit of work and not really necessary, but it seems like the strip down will be better suited till I've got some more important stuff done first

[@TheNuggetProject]

@@sausagebuttiesdw94 Yeah absolutely! whats the plan for the swap? also later on you can always run an astra electric power steering pump, really popular for swaps, can put it just about anywhere and make up custom lines, you can control the power to make the steering heavier or lighter and don't have to worry about trying to run accessory belts to a manual pump. My mate Benrys with his LS2 powered S14 runs one and it's awesome :) just an idea for later on once ti's all in and teething issues are sorted!

[@CORNERSUNDERATTACK]

Not sure why you just didn’t pop the tie rod end off the hub rather than unwinding the whole rack end out of it? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TheNuggetProject]

First time I've pulled apart a steering rack, probably a million things in my videos that could be done in a more efficient way but I'm learning as I go most of the time :)

[@martinrafaello9797]

is there a difference in steering effort from a disconnected belt vs fully depowered steering?

[@TheNuggetProject]

Hey mate, whether it can be felt or not i'm not sure, but technically yes, as when you just take the belt off the system is still full of power steering fluid, when you move the steering from side to side that plunger is pushing fluid around the system so you are fighting the fluid, when you fully remove that plunger and all the oil you are converting to a full manual rack and not fighting against any of those things :)

[@martinrafaello9797]

@@TheNuggetProject so you haven't driven the car since you depowered the PS?

[@TheNuggetProject]

@@martinrafaello9797 sadly about a week after i did the conversion covid restrictios hit and i haven't seen the car since, been in storage at my old man's house over an hour away, i can't get through the metro border crossing. The restrictions are easing and border should be opening up next weekend so i'll be keen as to get back to the car and i've got 3 track days booked in before xmas :)

[@martinrafaello9797]

@@TheNuggetProject that's good, can't wait for them vids. maybe next year you can come up to Sydney motorsport park.

[@TheNuggetProject]

@@martinrafaello9797 absolutely! It's on my list for sure!

[@leondelord6141]

too many ads

[@TheNuggetProject]

Not my choice bud that's up to KZbin.