How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

[june3o]

Where can I order high quality yet affordable Z3 rack? I'm plannin on swapping mine.

[Aciid]

Where can I order high quality yet affordable Z3 rack? I'm plannin on swapping mine.

I would talk to BluntTech from this site or, his website is www.blunttech.com. His prices are hard to beat, and the parts are all high quality.

[wannaBMthree]

Just installed my rack from Blunt, very nice product, very fast shipping and great service. Coupled with new M3CAB's and arms Car f-ing handles.

[june3o]

I would talk to BluntTech from this site or, his website is www.blunttech.com. His prices are hard to beat, and the parts are all high quality.

Do you guys know what part number is the Z3 rack?

[Simon S]

Follow up/summary on my experience:

(late model/air bag/m42 car)

I installed a used, plain-jane e36 rack. Trickiest part was grinding clearance on the firewall (see an earlier post I posted in this thread).

AKG spacers and a power steering delete plate were the only other 'special' parts used.

I am running e30 tie rods with no issue.



I didn't find it necessary to bend any line - although the hard lines attach on the 'other side' compared to the e30 rack. This essentially meant that I couldn't get the steering column u-joint assembly out without dropping the rack down.

As a result - my biggest regret is that I didn't swap in a new 'flex disc' or one of those poly units while I had it out - especially now that I'm running without power steering. Grinding out the rivets intimidated me at a time when I was in a hurry to get the car back together.

That said - I love this 'modification'.
Steering feel is now direct, involved, and visceral.

[BoxDriver86]

My thoughts after this swap...'86es non airbag car.

I used an E36 rack from a '98 328is and I ordered the complete hardware kit from Dungeon Motorsport.

I had recently swapped my bad e30 rack to a known good one so I was already familiar with the removal and installation process. I will note this write-up came in handy a few times while modifying the steering knuckle. Here's my notes...

1. In modifying the steering knuckle, the metal got pretty hot and I ended up fusing the rivets to the knuckle itself. Once I was able to get the two parts to seperate, I used a 3/8 drill bit to open the holes up to fit the new hardware. I am not sure if I had put the parts in incorrectly, but I had a hard time feeling comfortable that the new hardware was tightened enough. I did use some red loctite so I'm confident it isn't going anywhere.

2. Make sure you remove the tie rods while on the car! I had left the old ones on the e36 rack when I pulled it from the yard and spent entirely too much time trying to remove them off the car. I ended up putting it in, then removing them.

3. I used the e30 tie rods without issue. However, being it was getting late and I was in a time crunch I did not adjust them correctly and my alignment is jacked (first thing this morning I set up an appointment to correct that).

4. I had a really hard time using the e30 boots on the e36 rack. I'm still not confident that they won't pull off, so I ordered a set of e36 boots this morning since the ones off the donor rack were toast.

5. My new rack is leaking...so yeah that's an issue. *Fixed, forgot a crush washer on the return line*

6. Being the last rack swap took me about 4 hours, I severely underestimated the amount of time it would take me to do this. All in total, 8 hours with issue after issue.

Edit: Now that I fixed my leak and have driven on it for a day or two, I am impressed. Steering is much tighter and far more responsive. The only reason I did the swap was my rack was blown and the e36 rack is all I could find in the yard. Definitely one of the best modifications I have done.

I hope this helps some of you out.


Removing the old rack and installing the new

[Mullet Bullet]

I'm about to undertake this swap in the next few weeks. I just picked up a used 1993 318 rack for $50. I also plan on changing the oil pan gasket at the same time.

For those with a airbag car, did you use a die grinder with a carbide bit to enlarge the bulkhead whole for the collum because that's what I have and was planning on using.

[McGyver]

hey, thanks for the writeup and pictures! i just finished putting in a z3 2.7 rack today after spreading ~4 hours of work over 4 days. (class gets out at 5:30 and light is gone at 6:30) the only issue i had was getting it on the lift for the alignment. it handles like a fucking go cart now!

[iChase]

Helpful write up!
Got mine in within a fulls day work of bullshitting and wrenching with eavery0829.

Profit.

[schuldt]

Ahh i envy you guys. The rack in my e30 is shot and I need to get a new one in asap. It looks like it takes about a day's work? I've been checking out these how to's and looking at prices everywhere - still not sure where the best place is. Thing is, i don't have any mechanical experience - think i can get through it with this one?

[butters]

I have a few questions I'd like to pose in this thread....

First off, how do I identify the racks, M vs. late e36 or ti or whatever other varieties? A buddy pulled an "e36" rack out of an early e30, it has the fluid cooler hardlines nestled in front of it. Does this make it an M or what?

The reason I ask is that from alot of research I've come to understand that for airbag cars, the swap is "bolt-on" aside from expanding the firewall opening, and this was far from my experience.

Thinking it would be easy, I disconnected and removed my e30 rack, and removed the knuckle spacers that the PO used to shorten the e36 knuckle for his/her early-model car. I go to install the rack and it appears the knuckle is far too long, even long enough that spacers wouldn't correct it. wtf mate.

So then I pull the e30 and e36 knuckles off completely to have a better look and decide what to do now that I've removed the spacers. Perhaps I can use the e30 knuckle? Negative, rack splines are wrong. Wait a tick, if the splines are wrong how does it work in the e30? I go to test install the e36 knuckle on my steering shaft, and the splines are completely different... wtf?!?

At this point I'm quite frustrated and not wanting to return to an e30 rack. So.... I decide I need to hybridize the knuckle, with the upper splines from my car and the guibo-u-joint of the e36 knuckle. This makes the assembly the right length, and I have it all installed, however the guibo appears to be flexing more than it should, and acting as the u-joint I lost by removing the upper portion of the e36 knuckle. There is adequate clearance that the entire thing could be straight, but the boot is putting pressure on the steering shaft and misaligning it. I was contemplating going without the guibo.... but F that!

I'm not sure what I did wrong, but now I have an e36 rack (I think) with a modified knuckle and a sure-to-fail steering guibo. I should probably just get the poly guibo to stiffen it up but I'm really bothered by the whole situation.

[RobertK]

I have a few questions I'd like to pose in this thread....

First off, how do I identify the racks, M vs. late e36 or ti or whatever other varieties? A buddy pulled an "e36" rack out of an early e30, it has the fluid cooler hardlines nestled in front of it. Does this make it an M or what?

It could be either. All E36 cars have the fluid color lines on it but I usually chunk those because they can tend to force the engine a little close to the radiator when installed that way.

Check the part # on your rack and check it against RealOEM.com to be sure.

The reason I ask is that from alot of research I've come to understand that for airbag cars, the swap is "bolt-on" aside from expanding the firewall opening, and this was far from my experience.

Thinking it would be easy, I disconnected and removed my e30 rack, and removed the knuckle spacers that the PO used to shorten the e36 knuckle for his/her early-model car. I go to install the rack and it appears the knuckle is far too long, even long enough that spacers wouldn't correct it. wtf mate.

So then I pull the e30 and e36 knuckles off completely to have a better look and decide what to do now that I've removed the spacers. Perhaps I can use the e30 knuckle? Negative, rack splines are wrong. Wait a tick, if the splines are wrong how does it work in the e30? I go to test install the e36 knuckle on my steering shaft, and the splines are completely different... wtf?!?

At this point I'm quite frustrated and not wanting to return to an e30 rack. So.... I decide I need to hybridize the knuckle, with the upper splines from my car and the guibo-u-joint of the e36 knuckle. This makes the assembly the right length, and I have it all installed, however the guibo appears to be flexing more than it should, and acting as the u-joint I lost by removing the upper portion of the e36 knuckle. There is adequate clearance that the entire thing could be straight, but the boot is putting pressure on the steering shaft and misaligning it. I was contemplating going without the guibo.... but F that!

I'm not sure what I did wrong, but now I have an e36 rack (I think) with a modified knuckle and a sure-to-fail steering guibo. I should probably just get the poly guibo to stiffen it up but I'm really bothered by the whole situation.

I have never heard of the E30 and E36 having different splines but I have seen where the knuckles were damaged enough in removal that the inner spline pattern was no good and would not accept anything.

If you have a non-airbagged car then I would stick to using the shortened knuckle.

[svn2002s]

A bit confused with the parts, I ordered (got them already) the parts from post #1, #63.
1.- It shows part No 72-11-1-977-925. According to realoem they are for the seatbelt adjuster on an E36. Where does it go?
2.- Spacer 72 11 1 847 480 is not longer available. Is the spacer offered from AKG it's replacement?
3.- When I got my rack (95 E36 M3) it came with the RPKIT from AKGMOTORSPORT.COM for non airbag cars. My car has an airbag. Are the spacers the same for both applications?

TIA

[RobertK]

1. If you check the diagram the part number is for a 7/16 Nut.
2. Yes, part of that kit is the rack spacer.
3. For the rack, yes, but you will not need the spacer to mod the knuckle. You should only need to mod the firewall where the steering column protrudes.

[butters]

It could be either. All E36 cars have the fluid color lines on it but I usually chunk those because they can tend to force the engine a little close to the radiator when installed that way.

Check the part # on your rack and check it against RealOEM.com to be sure.



I have never heard of the E30 and E36 having different splines but I have seen where the knuckles were damaged enough in removal that the inner spline pattern was no good and would not accept anything.

If you have a non-airbagged car then I would stick to using the shortened knuckle.

I haven't heard of it either. The splines on my e30 are probably half as fine as what was on the rack. 7/90 318i sedan base model.

Cooler hardlines touch the oil pan? I have an M50 oil pan, should I still be concerned? I'm going to be with the car today and possibly reinstalling the motor, I'll see if I can get pics. But, if you're telling me it'll interfere that much, I think I should probably ditch the lines anyway and avoid the headache of trying to make them work.