I need a short tower rack for my '76 coupe so that the PS lines can clear the cats. I know this has been covered a number of times but I'm having a tough time consolidating the information. My understanding is that the ZF rack from 93-96 XJS is the best way to go. These are supposed to bolt right up but I will need a lower column from a Series 3 in order to compensate for the shorter tower. It also looks like I will need XJS 14mm tie rod ends. Now for a bunch of questions:

Is this all that is needed for the swap?
What about bushings?
Is poly the way to go?
I seem to remember something about cutting down bushings and installing them to reduce lateral movement of the rack.
I see there are some rebuilt racks from Detroit Axle available on eBay. Are those ok or should those be avoided?
What about the lower column? Do those get rebuilt? I see only two available on eBay right now.
It looks like SNG/Moss offer the upper Universal Joint (CAC3470) but not the lower one. Is it advisable to replace the upper?

 

I fitted Polybushes on the rack of my 1980 XJ6. There was a noticeable decline in refinement, but the steering became more precise. My personal preference would be to keep whatever the Jaguar development engineers decided on. The rack is supposed to move sideways when the car is steered, with the movement controlled by buffers that look like steel washers with a rubber face on one side. Here in the UK, with our roadworthiness test, some testers don't realise the rack is supposed to move and fail the car. This is wrong and if it happens one must complain.

 

I assume you have a tall pinion tower now.
Then, to swap, you would need the hoses and pump from a short tower car. The tall tower rack has hoses that do a 180 degree turn, and enter from the rear. The short towers enter straight from the front.
I think the later XJS racks (ZF) are preferred for reliability...not sure if the ratio is the same.

Good luck,
Rob

 

[QUOTE=Robert Laughton;2567899]I assume you have a tall pinion tower now.
Then, to swap, you would need the hoses and pump from a short tower car.

IIRC the fitting that connects the high pressure hose to the pump needs to be changed. It contains a valve or pressure regulator or similar. I think maybe different threads too.

Steering ratios changed in later racks (quicker) but there are also a few choices for effort (stiffness of the sensor that modulates the pressure based on steering effort). There's a good article on Dick Maury's excellent and informative website, which he has allowed to persist despite his recent retirement.

RackPinionHeads