Chase, TJNash, Ricksmol - R&P

I have the manual setup. I don't think it is any harder to turn than the stock box but it takes some umph because of the 225 tires I am running.

My rattle problems are twofold. First, there is an intermediate shaft which connects the steering shaft which comes out of the bottom of the steering column to the rack. On my 68 this shaft is about 9 inches long. There are u-joints at each end of the intermediate shaft which slip over the shaft coming out of the rack and the steering column shaft and they are held tight by set screws. I have noticed these set screws tend to loosen every once in a while causing a rattle. Loctite was the solution here.

Second, there is a bearing in a cap that slips over the end of the steering column. The purpose of this bearing is to hold the shaft in the column steady. There should be no play between the bearing and the shaft but mine has a few thousands of an inch clearance. Not much but when that rattle transmits up through the column it creates a bit of a racket. This problem can be solved by spreading a thin coat of silicone sealant on the inside of the bearing before assembly.

Hope this helps.

Tom Nash
68 Coupe, 5.0 EFI, 5sp

I installed the R&P myself. It is not difficult if you take your time. A cheater bar and a tie-rod end separator are necessities. I believe installation on the 64.5 - 66 also requires you to cut a little bit off the end of your steering column (this was not necessary on the 67 and later cars).

FYI - I am still not sure I am happy with this setup. I still have to get the car aligned and I am sure that will help. But as of right now the steering does not want to return completely to center after turning a corner. I am hopeful that once I get my caster and camber set correctly this problem will go away. I am also experiencing some significant bump steer, but I think I may have used the wrong holes to attach the tie-rods to the R&P center link (you have the option of two sets of holes and I think I chose the wrong ones). I haven't had a chance to change this yet.

I would strongly suggest you visit the tech forum on the TCP web site if you haven't already done so. Many people have experienced the same "bugs" I have but TCP's tech guy seems to be able to provide answers to everyone's problems.

Good luck.

Tom Nash
68 Coupe, 5.0 EFI, 5sp