Any low cost steering racks ?

[howiezee]

just got a beat 1988 325ix 2 door ,got to give it a lot of love ! the worst (besides paint ) that it needs is a rack.Anybody recomend a low cost sourse for a rebuilt ? Advance autoparts lists one for 300. that's the best i've seen so far .Also does the 2 wheel drive rack fit ? or the e36 ?thanks guys !

[zedfez]

There really are no cheap options. Regular e30 and e36 racks don't fit without major modification. If you found one listed for $300 I would be extremely suspicious of it, I have never seen one for less than $600. It sounds like you may have priced one for a regular e30.

There are rebuild kits (Elephant Motorsports has one for ~90 bucks, you might be able to find one cheaper), but often times leaks come from wear or scratches on the metal components, and not just worn gaskets. It might be worth a shot, but it is definitely not a sure solution.

Your best shot might be to try and buy a used rack off someone, but even those are not cheap.

[sbblowz]

just buy my whole 325ix for 1500 and ull have spare parts at your fingertips all the time.

[StereoInstaller1]

1. buy a used (shot to hell) rack
2. buy a rebuild kit
3. (you knew this was coming) rebuild it
4. profit!

[vr2jetta]

http://www.bmaparts.com/ShopByVehicl...al+Kit&mode=PA

This is for a 325i, but I dont know if it will work for your rack. I have this bookmarked because I need mine rebuilt too.

[nando]

actually at the cost of $600 for a new ix rack, modifying an E36 M3 rack is pretty attractive. It's not complicated (the mounting ears are just on the wrong side) but not something you can easily do in your garage with hand tools either. I wish I had realized that before buying a new ix rack. oh well, at least it doesn't leak!

[zedfez]

I know the guys at Moonlite Motorwerks are working on a mounting kit that will allow the use of standard e30/e36 racks, but they haven't put it into production yet. Last I heard it was going to be around $300.

[howiezee]

ya leaning toward a kit to rebuild it .a used one is iffy ,local import parts place quoted 400 for a rebuilt one ,they are a good shop so may go that way if I can swing it.any good write ups on how to rebuild ? I googled ,didn't see to much that went in to detail.I mostly would like to know how much wear is ok on the hard parts .swaping seals I can do .

[howiezee]

oh ya zedfez, hi! I'm over in W.Springfield!

[BTP325ic]

get a e36 rack.

[nando]

get a e36 rack.

you didn't read anything anyone said, did you?

[smcdermott326]

At The Euro Depot in NH:
$175 is not a bad risk in my opinion:

http://www.theeurodepot.com/product.php?id=MTg3Nw

Another one that's closer to you but call them to confirm if you go that route: from http://car-part.com:
1991 Steering Rack/Box BMW 325i -6L644062 C 6L644 $200 Regal Auto Parts/Brockton Auto USA-MA(Brockton) Request_Quote 800-507-1041. My concern is that even though it came up under iX, it may be a i rack. The EuroDepot one I would trust more. They do mostly BMW and know very well what they got

[howiezee]

ya euro depot looked good! road trip!stop at Bav auto while i'm up there !my goal is to drive this car up to bav autos show and shine this oct.(usualy take my z3). as another thought ,wondering if the internal parts swap in from say an e30 2 wheel drive or better a quicker ratio e36/z3? either way it looks like I will be droping the sub frame and diging in soon.

[livegood]

Hey- I have a spare IX rack!! Thing's been sitting in my garage for two years now. When I bought my car I had a horrible wobble in the steering wheel tried CAB's, Sway bar links even a rack all to find out that the citgo gas station I was using to pump air in my tires had water in the lines and I had about a half gallon of frozen water in my front tires....

Anyways- I know for a fact the rack is perfectly fine. No leaks either. I believe I have a brand new set of inner tie rod boots to throw in as well. If interested pm. I'll sell for $160 shipped and I'll be back home this saturday to ship it. Let me know!! I know how expensive those racks are for our cars and can also give you advice on the install.

[Liam]

1. buy a used (shot to hell) rack
2. buy a rebuild kit
3. (you knew this was coming) rebuild it
4. profit!

Kind of easier said than done... Takes some special tools n skillz to do it right.