EBay Rack and Pinion

[Ralphy]

I see many sellers of Flaming River Racks at EBay. Has anyone used or know anything about buying on EBay these parts? One shop that has many units is from Iowa. Are these reconditioned, new or less? Some are more then 50% off from well known speed shops.

Ralphy

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MUSTA...item45f292797f

[rustyBob]

#1 the ad dosent say its a Flaming river rack
#2 it says they are NEW racks( probably 3rd world manu.)
so its up to you.......i have a Flaming River rack on my Cobra
and it works just fine.....I also have a "aftermarket" rack on
my rat rod and i works fine also.....and cost half of what i paid
for the one on my Cobra........

[Ralphy]

Bob your right, about the one I posted. However there are many FR racks. I had seen one once for $99.00. Never though about foreign nock offs.

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_...506.m270.l1313

[Fordzilla]

When buying on ebay, ask the seller all questions before you buy. Pay with Paypal or a Credit Card to give yourself some protection. Buy from someone with decent feedback. I like to call the vendor & talk with them before I buy. Most vendors on ebay are very personable & will answer all your questions over the phone. If they won't, find another vendor. I have bought piles of parts on ebay & have never been burned. (knock on wood)
Regards,

[RICK LAKE]

Ralphy Ralph Here are some questions to ask

1 Are they remanufactured racks or defective ones?
2 what year racks are they and you need to be 100% sure they fit the car.
3 parts avalibility of the rack, inner and outter tierod ends? some rack are sold that are not rebuildable with ends. Had this problem a couple of years ago at the Run&Gun with a bad tierod end. Had to replace the whole rack and realignment of the car. The mounting hole are all different to the frame.
4 Turning ratio on the rack?? lower number is quicker, higher number is slowwer to respond.
Is this a power assist rack with fluid and lines? I have been running a P/S rack for 10years. Very happy with the way the car drives and handles. I do 98% racing. I can run for 20 minutes and not be tired of working so hard when driving the car. Those big soft tires will put a hurting on you after couple of hours driving and manual steering. Alot also has to do with WHO sets up the alignment.
5 Will these people be around in 2 -3 years with parts for this rack if you have a problem???
Conclude with, I don't know what year rack your car takes but anything over 10 years, they stop making OEM parts and only God know what you are going to be able to get if a repair is needed. If you are going to keep the cobra for many years and do alot of summer driving, buy a 2nd rack if it's only $125.00 and save it. Fun driving will wear out the internals of that rack in a good season. It's called a dead spot. When bad it's knocking. Alot of stress on this part from big sticky tires.
The last option is to look at a Appleton or Sweet rack for the car. This is what I am running. They are bullet proof and last many years. I have a power assist one. I can get parts shipped overnight if needed. They still sell and make my rack after 10 years. There are different ratios for steering. You will need to take the car to a race car shop and have brakets welded on the frame for this. You can go manual or power, choice is yours. If hard driving add a power steering cooler under the front end with having some kind of air flow. This is more for racing but hard street racing this helps also. This also extends the live of the fluid and rack. Should go 100K with out and issues.
PS #1 rule remember you get what you paided for. Cheaper can cause large problems down the road. Been there Done that, LOSSER in the short run. Rick L.