How To Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap

[SkinnyVT]

Is it really necessary to use the BMW bolts, nuts and spacers? It seems like everywhere I find them it's going to take over a week to get them to me. I tried to look them up elsewhere, but I don't know the size of most of them and can't find a cross over :-\.

No, it is not necessary to use BMW spacers and bolts. For the spacers to mount the rack in the subframe I just stacked washers on the top and bottom so that I could position the rack higher up to correct some of the geometry that changed when the car was lowered. The bolts for the linkage I used M10x50mm with nyloc nuts from the Depot. Spacers for the linkage I turned on the lathe so that it would compensate for the difference in ID between the two halves, but you could just get some scrap aluminum that is ~13mm thick and drill a 10mm hole in it (doesn't even have to be cylindrical).

[Spinning Tires]

or. if you dont have an airbag steering column and there is just a short splined shaft sticking out of the firewall you can just cut that shaft an inch or 2 shorter and you wont have to worry about taking the joint apart and putting spacers in it

[Surtr]

OK, thanks. I'm kinda confused as to why washers can't be used as spacers on the steering knuckle, too. I guess I can come up with something.

[Nic01101011]

OK, thanks. I'm kinda confused as to why washers can't be used as spacers on the steering knuckle, too. I guess I can come up with something.

hey - is your car an airbag car?

ill be doing an e36 swap in the near future as well.

[Surtr]

hey - is your car an airbag car?

ill be doing an e36 swap in the near future as well.

No. I saw you looking for a z3 rack when I was searching for rack stuff. I thought you'd have done it by now. Are you sticking with z3 or doing a different one?

[Nic01101011]

it was a pain finding a suitable rack, I found a guy parting a 95 M3 in Sac. Ill be picking up the rack next week

[Surtr]

it was a pain finding a suitable rack, I found a guy parting a 95 M3 in Sac. Ill be picking up the rack next week

I think I ended up with a Z3 rack, but prolly not the one you're looking for. I can't find anything about it. Somebody else asked about it a few pages back.

Does anybody know what part # 32131140828 is from?

Edit: I guess it's from a Z3 M and it's the same 3.2 LTL as other E36s.

[SkinnyVT]

OK, thanks. I'm kinda confused as to why washers can't be used as spacers on the steering knuckle, too. I guess I can come up with something.

My only concern with using washers on the knuckle is that it might introduce some additional flex.

pics of my solution:

[Surtr]

My only concern with using washers on the knuckle is that it might introduce some additional flex.

pics of my solution:

That's pretty sweet. Mind giving the measurements of that? I'm going crazy trying to figure something out before next weekend :-\

[SkinnyVT]

That's pretty sweet. Mind giving the measurements of that? I'm going crazy trying to figure something out before next weekend :-\

I would if I had them written down, I'm not pulling it out of the car to measure. I machined it with the steering knuckle sitting next to me and just measured when I needed to without writing dimensions down.

I believe the actual spacer section is 0.55" [14mm].

[Lof8]

I think its AKG that makes a rack swap kit. It includes machined spacers for the rack and the knuckle.

[Surtr]

I would if I had them written down, I'm not pulling it out of the car to measure. I machined it with the steering knuckle sitting next to me and just measured when I needed to without writing dimensions down.

I believe the actual spacer section is 0.55" [14mm].

Ah, thanks for that. I don't blame you for not wanting to take it out. Now all I seem to need is a rough estimate of the outside diameter.

[SkinnyVT]

Ah, thanks for that. I don't blame you for not wanting to take it out. Now all I seem to need is a rough estimate of the outside diameter.

The OD isn't critical, I just used a piece of scrap square stock and turned it down to be round. I believe my goal was 0.75" OD, but like I said it doesn't matter as there is nothing to interfere with. I also suggest that you take a file to the surfaces of the knuckle where the spacer, bolt head and nut rest as there was a significant seam from the casting process which doesn't allow the pieces to rest flush.

[free]

I just finished the swap without spacing the knuckle. I just cut away some of the sound insulation from the firewall where the column comes out. Then I slide the knuckle on further. I also slid it down further on the shaft coming from the rack. I took the bolt out, slid the knuckle down as far as I could without creating any binding, then smacked the bolt through and tightened it up. I did have to take a little metal out of the upper knuckle because of the slightly greater angle, but it sounds like everyone has had to do that.

I used washers to fill the gap when mounting the rack, and put one of them under the rack to lift it slightly. I used the E30 high pressure hose and reversed it, and it fit with no bending.

All of my techniques/ideas came from this thread, I had no original ideas. Just confirming that this worked for me.

btw - 88 325ic 06/88 build date - no airbag

[vtman05]

taking this on soon

Post on how the none modified knuckle is working for you after some time behind the wheel. Seems like everyone spaced the knuckle for a reason.