Ta22 Steering upgrades/mods

[79GT]

hey guys,
have been reading a fair bit on the RnP conversion for the 28s and 23s, but very little mentioned in regard to the ta22's. it is possible that i have just completely missed it, and if that is the case feel free to direct me to where i should be looking.

otherwise, if anyone has any knowledge in this area, or have improved their ta22's steering input would be greatly appreciated.

cheers in advance guys.

Jamie

[Stock_22]

Don't know if you have seen this, it might be of some use:

http://www.toymods.net/forums/showth...=TA22+steering

[79GT]

cheers mate, i didnt come across this thread. cheers. my bad everybody.
i swear it didnt come up on any of my searches. Jamie

[79GT]

other than a RnP setup, has anything been found to improve the steering of the 22, or is RnP the only next step.

power steering box's, newer box's that fit the stock steering set up. ??

Jamie

[MWP]

Have you tried tightening up the standard steering box with the adjuster screw?
Doing so can make a huge difference.

[79GT]

hey yeah, have tried this, but am still in the trial an error stages of what is to tight to the point it doesnt turn back straight with out a tug, (and feel each cog move around) to too loose. found it is super sensitive. am still fiddling with it though. just wondering if anyone has come up with a better system, that isnt quite as extreme as RnP

cheers

[LeeRoy]

In an old car like the 22 suspension and steering problems are not necessarily able to be recorded as being a single thing. In most cases youll find that ball joints, tie rod ends, bushes, steering box, shocks, springs, and alignment will come together as a whole.

My advice would be to check everything and if something is worn replace it. It's good practice to replace anything with even the slightest amount of wear because when you put one new component in while leaving other old components in, the life of the new component can be greatly shortened.

While your steering box may be far from tight, it may not be the singular thing causing you problems.

Rack and pinion is also a better (geometry wise) steering system which is why people upgrade to it. However, if your thinking of doing this, you need to ask yourself whether the costs involved outweigh the benefit.

[79GT]

yeah i see your point. so does that mean that other than keeping all the steering components in good nick, nothing more can be done to improve the steering system of the 22. other than a complete RnP upgrade.

What about the power steering angle....

Jamie

[Stock_22]

What about the power steering angle....

I have contemplated this idea before and decided not to bother. Reason is, is that at carpark speeds the lack of power steering is a shit, but take the car for a run in the hills or just for a cruise and you'll appreciate just how well these old cars handle without power steering.

edit: What tyres are you running? Because that is the first thing apart from suspension components you should look at upgrading.

[merc-blue]

Jamie
Toughen up the car is light and doesnt need P/S

IF the whole front end is accurate teh steering isnt that bad.
RnP conversion is a PITA but can be done talkes alot of "engineering" to get it to work well though

[79GT]

well that wasnt quite necessary was it.

i am just trying to explore options, i am not saying the car needs power steering, just wondering what has been done and what people have toyed with, and what outcomes they have experienced.

i am not saying the steering is bad, but isnt the whole concept of modding older vehicals is to make them "better".

Jamie

[79GT]

stock 22, sorry didnt see your post, yeah i see your point and i do agree. i dont see my steering as bad, and i will definately be giving all my ball joints and arms close inspection.

i am running 205/60/R13 90% tread. i dont see my wheels as an issue, but having the wider tyres could be putting slightly more load on my steering components at carpark speed, which i guess i hadnt considered up untill now.

[Stock_22]

stock 22, sorry didnt see your post, yeah i see your point and i do agree. i dont see my steering as bad, and i will definately be giving all my ball joints and arms close inspection.

i am running 205/60/R13 90% tread. i dont see my wheels as an issue, but having the wider tyres could be putting slightly more load on my steering components at carpark speed, which i guess i hadnt considered up untill now.

Wider tyres do put more stress on steering components in cars such as the first gen celicas. In the last couple of pages in the classic celica dedicated thread there was a whole discussion on wider tyres with advantages/ disadvantages etc. However, you do not need to go larger to get better steering response/ handling. Upgrading to some toyo proxes or bridgstone adrenalins etc are by far the easiest and best bang for your buck upgrade on these older cars.

[79GT]

mmm i will have to have another look at that thread, seems topics have changed since last time i checked it out. that the only downfall with those HUGE threads i swear.

unfortunately as the tyres are so new and i am a poor student, i dont see me investing in a new set of tyres just yet. i simply replaced the tyres that where already on the car, (the wider tyres do look sick though.

Thanks for your input. Stock 22
Jamie

[merc-blue]

Jamie,
I didnt mean to offend.
The amount of time and money you will spend on doing a RnP conversion properly you will have had far more oppertunity to improve the car, in areas that would really help.
for instance rear discs are easyer and cheaper than RnP.

If you have fresh idler arms, drag link and a properly lubricated and adjusted box your steering should have very little play.

When it comes to updating/building TA22s i have been everywhere. and looked at everything in the most intricate detail. until i decided that a TA22 was never going to do the laptimes what i wanted, with the money i had (which was quite abit)

I used to run 225/50s on one of my TAs with worn out steering and it used to jump around the road all the time. but at low speeds it could still be parked with reasonable ease,
I put a whole new steering assembly and rebuilt a steering box and it came up bloody good.
If you want a suitable rack for RnP i still have about 10 various racks in my shed from when i was looking at all the options apart from getting a custom rack components built.
I have a mazda PS rack that would work but you would need too do fabricate your own crossmember and rack positions.
I could do it for you but my labor rate is excessive