Bob's Resource Website (2007)
1956 Hawk rack & pinion Steering
Jim Turner disc brakes, 1-1/8" sway bar, '75 GM Van tilt coluum (smoothed
down with no shift lever and no gear indicator) pushing an '85 Sky Hawk rack
& pinion and American Daisy Spoke Alum. wheels W/3 bar KO's wraped with 205
65 R15 Goodyear rubber.
This uses a center steer (stock length Stude tie rods that hook to the center of the rack) rack & pinion from a '85 Buick Sky Hawk. I first put one on the 500 Caddy powered '53 Stude Cp. about 4 years ago and I thought it was my unique idea but I have seen other Studes with a similar setup using this same R&P, but all installations so far have been different. These R&P's are designed for the tie rods to mount on the front of the rack. But I move the R&P as far forward as I can (so far in fact I have to fold down the flange on the back of the lower control arm) and build a bracket that curves around the bottom of the rack and mount the tie rods on the back of the rack. This makes the steering shaft from the rack to the column a lot easier to do and also gives more room for the oil pan.