Wondering if there is a non-powered steering rack that can be made to work on an xjs.

 

Maybe in racing versions? But if a V12 road car, the gearing would have to be very low indeed to accomodate low speed maneouvering. My P/S hose blew out a few months ago, and it was only JUST possible to steer the car at low speeds, and not great at higher ones.

 

Hi, a non powered rack was an option on the early series 1 XJ and also for the police spec models, however I have never seen one or driven a car so equipped.
I have ‘depowered’ a rack on a lightened 3.6 XJS and the steering is certainly very heavy at walking pace but fine on the go, the ‘depowering’ consisted of removing/cutting off the piston from the rack and welding the torsion bar in the pinion to eliminate any slack. The jaguar racks are similar in construction to the mazda mx5 racks and there is a lot of information available on line as to how this is done.
However if you have a v12 there is a lot more weight over the front end, in my case around 250 kgs heavier than my modified 6 cylinder, so I think the steering would be too heavy for most people and also spoil the luxury feel of the car.