Power Steering Rack

I have taken the decision that power steering is the way forward for me.

There is a lot of discussion around whether this is appropriate for a Cobra or not, but I have heard a lot of good things about adding this system, and most that do say they wouldn't be without it. As I plan on doing some longer European trips, I think this will suit our purpose quite well.

The next hurdle is that the system direct from AK is over £1000. This would stretch my budget a little too far, so I set about learning as much about the system as possible.

The rack that it is used in a BMW E46 rack, but the rack width is too short, so the arms need to be modified. I also have the E46 pump, with remote resevoir, to suit.

You can see the rack in situ here

and you can see that the arms are a tad short of the upright

So, we had to figure out a way to extend them. The theory was very simple:

1. Get a connecting nut
2. Get another piece of threaded rod
3. Join them all together

In practice it was not so easy, as M14 x 1.5 threaded rod is like the proverbial rocking horse poo, and I could not find it anywhere!
I eventually managed to find a bar of sufficient length on eBay. I believe it was a replacement part for some sort of puller, but it was perfect for what I needed.
We then fabricated some connecting nuts out of 24mm hexagonal bar to join it together

And now it reaches perfectly!

All we need to figure out now is how to connect the pump to the engine, and we will have solved the problem for a couple of hundred pounds!