Mancini Manual Steering Gear

[Detroit Iron]

I bought a 20:1 Mancini Steering gear and did a quick "unboxing" video of it. If you're considering one, this might help you decide for or against. At $300 it's much less than Flaming River or Borgeson units.

 

[srduster340]

Post a follow up when it's installed. I'm considering that box. I have the Flaming River 16:1 box & it's a ***** to turn at low speeds. I'm getting older and want to enjoy my car.

 

[Detroit Iron]

Post a follow up when it's installed. I'm considering that box. I have the Flaming River 16:1 box & it's a ***** to turn at low speeds. I'm getting older and want to enjoy my car.

Will do.

 

[Vertex_Jeff]

I have a PST 20:1 box in my barracuda and really like it. Nice improvement over the old, worn out 24:1 that it replaced.

 

[Dave999]

20:1 was standard on A bodies going to europe and all Australian and south african production.
16:1 was offered as a Track Pack "race" ratio. i.e ratio adjustment in the box rather than a longer pitman arm


16:1 i find it ok with 205 70 R14 on the front provide you are moving when you turn the wheel. there is some difference in turning effort between the 2
so if 16:1 is becoming a bit much i think 20:1 will be a good compromise

Dave

 

[RustyRatRod]

Is the Mancini unit new or reman? That seems mighty cheap for new.

 

[Dave999]

would be interested to know...its probably a Lares Corp box. never sure if they make em and rebuild em in the US or get them done in mexico....


they certainly have a workshop
Plant Tour - Lares Corporation

Lares Corporation is one of the largest manufactures of new and remanufactured power steering gears, manual steering gears, power steering pumps, and steering components in the United States. We employ advanced engineering using the latest production equipment to produce our steering products and have established manufacturing partners worldwide.

i think the Delphi company purchased the saginaw rights and still make or get made sectors and wormscrews... i think the borgeson box depends on that tech as well

would not surprise me if all of this stuff comes out of the same factories sprinkled around the americas.


look at the way edelbrock does AVS carbs
bodies cast by a company in spain (that also makes weber carbs for webcon and possibly solex) that is majority owned by magneti marelli who are partly owned by Fiat....who are part of the group that owns chrysler.... arrrrgh.

Dave

 

[Icetech]

I have a PST 20:1 box in my barracuda and really like it. Nice improvement over the old, worn out 24:1 that it replaced.

I put a 20:1 PST in my 62 and i could barely turn the wheel, and i don't mean when in like a parking lot.. but when trying to turn a corner.. Wish i knew why.. all my old cars where manual and i never had issues at all. This one felt like i was going to bend the steering wheel.. Ended up going with a bergman power setup...

Have had the PST for sale for like 5 months now.. wasted money sitting here

 

[RustyRatRod]

I put a 20:1 PST in my 62 and i could barely turn the wheel, and i don't mean when in like a parking lot.. but when trying to turn a corner.. Wish i knew why.. all my old cars where manual and i never had issues at all. This one felt like i was going to bend the steering wheel.. Ended up going with a bergman power setup...

Have had the PST for sale for like 5 months now.. wasted money sitting here

That's what I like about all the stock Mopar power steering gear boxes. They are all quick ratio. Like 3.5 turns lock to lock.

 

[Icetech]

That's what I like about all the stock Mopar power steering gear boxes. They are all quick ratio. Like 3.5 turns lock to lock.

yeah.. i loved it in the past.. I am now wondering if manual needs a shorter length pitman arm.. too long of an arm might explain the hard turning... And by hard i don't mean.. i'm old and a panzy.. i mean 2 arming around a corner at a light... it was insane... i only put 20 miles on it and said screw that

 

[RustyRatRod]

yeah.. i loved it in the past.. I am now wondering if manual needs a shorter length pitman arm.. too long of an arm might explain the hard turning... And by hard i don't mean.. i'm old and a panzy.. i mean 2 arming around a corner at a light... it was insane... i only put 20 miles on it and said screw that

I thought the quick ratio arms were longer, not shorter. But then, I'm no engineer or genius so heck if I know. lol

 

[Icetech]

I thought the quick ratio arms were longer, not shorter. But then, I'm no engineer or genius so heck if I know. lol

Yeah, i just read that actually... soo.. no idea. Literally everything i have done on this car has had to be redone at least once if not 2-3 times.... i used to throw **** together and it worked no matter what, I'm cursed in my old age

 

[Dave999]

quick ratio arm is longer and combined with a quicker ratio in the box, would i would think, be pretty hard work.

couple that with wide radial tyres with a different backspace and potentially wider track and boy o boy could you make it a monster...

that's why with 16:1 i stay skinny up front about 7" wide from shoulder to shoulder on the tyre

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yeah, i just read that actually... soo.. no idea. Literally everything i have done on this car has had to be redone at least once if not 2-3 times.... i used to throw **** together and it worked no matter what, I'm cursed in my old age

It almost sounds like somethin is wrong with yours. I've driven the 16:1 manual box before and while I could certainly tell a difference from the 24:1, it was nowhere near what I'd call "hard" to steer.

 

[Icetech]

It almost sounds like somethin is wrong with yours. I've driven the 16:1 manual box before and while I could certainly tell a difference from the 24:1, it was nowhere near what I'd call "hard" to steer.

yeah.. when i got it it's crazy tight in the center of the travel (just trying it out of the car) to the point i could barely move it by hand, and loosened up off center either way.. pst said that's how it's supposed to be.

No biggy now... i love the bergman setup, it takes some getting used to though it's crazy responsive

 

[Icetech]

sorry OP for slight hijack... but it's what i do

 

[Dave999]

a power box with a shed load of positive castor set and an appropriately shimmed saginaw pump would probably be an excellent compromise, as long as you could get the right feel without the notchyness of too little pressure (i.e too much shim in the presure regulation valve)

 

[Dave999]

they are very stiff when new in the middle of the box. PST are right. but you should not feel it at the edge of the steering wheel.

we are all too young to have done this most have only manually turned a worn out box off the car... a brand new one is a shock.

built a couple up and one ended up with a mate in the club, got another guy who is a mechanic to fit it... both telling me too stiff in the middle off the car.... all done to bang on factory spec... he was a happy customer eventually.... not worth it these days... can buy em new

Dave

 

[RustyRatRod]

yeah.. when i got it it's crazy tight in the center of the travel (just trying it out of the car) to the point i could barely move it by hand, and loosened up off center either way.. pst said that's how it's supposed to be.

No biggy now... i love the bergman setup, it takes some getting used to though it's crazy responsive

I think PST is fulla crap.

 

[Icetech]

I think PST is fulla crap.

well i have read it in other places also that on boxes the middle is usually tight since thats where it rides 90% of the time.. dunno... I'm gonna list this for sale on fbbo and maybe here in a bit.. marketplace isn't working..

 

[Dave999]

yeah the worm is a linear screw like a bolt with fat threads the ballnut with teeth just runs up and down it
the sector has teeth with best engagement in the middle, square edge to sector tooth at same hieght up each side of the ballnut valley, as the sector turns the teeth are no longer sitting in the valleys in the ballnut parallel with the screw so they are a looser fit 1 side of tooth higher up the valley wall than the other...

the sector teeth are splayed to compensate somewhat, but only so much you can do when one part follows a straight line and the other rotates.

same in a power box. but you have hydraulic pressure keeping them in contact harder on 1 side so you don't notice as much.

in both cases robust rather than refined Truck/tractor rather than super car

refined would be rack and pinion steering....

Dave

 

[RustyRatRod]

well i have read it in other places also that on boxes the middle is usually tight since thats where it rides 90% of the time.. dunno... I'm gonna list this for sale on fbbo and maybe here in a bit.. marketplace isn't working..

Seems to me since it spends most of its time around the center of travel, that's where most of the wear is and it would be actually looser there. But what do I know?

 

[Dave999]

exactly why it is set stiff.... stop the teeth on each part chattering a witness mark into each other. the only steering damper on a mopar is the rubber bush in the idler

 

[Icetech]

exactly why it is set stiff.... stop the teeth on each part chattering a witness mark into each other. the only steering damper on a mopar is the rubber bush in the idler

Dave the steering guy Thanks for the explanation

 

[RustyRatRod]

I know in the service manual for my 75 F250 it says to turn the wheel 90 degrees either way and then make the steering gear adjustment. They want it off of the center. Says if it's adjusted in the center, it will be tight taking turns.