Flaming River Manual R&P Review

Hey BUBBA is alive and living in Florida.


:crylol:

:rofl:

Hey i'ts either that or drop the rack lower.....which one would you do???:rain:

Get a different pan and do it right.

Ah, you think I bashing hell out of it or something.....just a 2x4 and a couple wacks to flatten out the stamping...

not worth pulling ANY pan over....

as if that's the only abuse this pan has seen....

ran over a damn stupid narrow island parking end in some lot I swore to never enter again, and never have....not once, hell with the shops in there, they too damn stupid to figger out a parking lot hazard, I don't need shop there....any vette would be similarly damaged....

:hissyfit::hunter:
 
HUH :confused: so you are saying its the shopping malls fault that you hit a concrete median.Is that what you are saying.
 
HUH :confused: so you are saying its the shopping malls fault that you hit a concrete median.Is that what you are saying.

sounds like a liberal attitude to me.

All these retrofit racks are junk. Look at the angles on those joints. That's a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't even trust that shit to go to a show n shine.
 
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HUH :confused: so you are saying its the shopping malls fault that you hit a concrete median.Is that what you are saying.

sounds like a liberal attitude to me.

All these retrofit racks are junk. Look at the angles on those joints. That's a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't even trust that shit to go to a show n shine.

Wow...the second time I agree with turtle on something. :nuts:If, by chance, your steering would fail due to those supposedly good u-joints, and your 'Vette does some injury to someone, the lawyers would be all over those u-joints with S.A.E. type expert witnesses. Same kind of warm fuzzy feeling I get thinking about those cast aluminum upper a-arms that some Corvette vendors think are cool. If it looks like shit..smells like shit....you can bet it is.
 
HUH :confused: so you are saying its the shopping malls fault that you hit a concrete median.Is that what you are saying.

sounds like a liberal attitude to me.

All these retrofit racks are junk. Look at the angles on those joints. That's a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't even trust that shit to go to a show n shine.

I did MY rack with all 4 stock shark tie rod ends....figgering the same damn ends that are on every other GM car for decades, so they know how to make the things by now....

then I saw my first pictures and actual install of the Steeroids setup and was not really impressed.....but was very paranoid over my seemingly weaker rack supports, but in fact, they have been fine and any deflection is because of frame twist...and I have that cross support in there too now, as of 3? years ago.....

and as for the median....yes, the way the design modern parking lots anymore simply MUST be due to some stupid lawyer/judge ruling ...no other reason, they are a freeking MAZE anymore to get in and out of.....and NO it's not drainage, or any thing else, just sheer stupidity....
Hell, I remember some long gone chain store built a huge lot up north, and me teaching my first ex to drive in it....must have been 1/4 mile X 1/8 mile of open pavement just painted off......so Sunday Am was driver's ed time....woopie doo......think they use that cheep kind of common sense today??? no no and HELL NO....Super Cheep Wally World down the street closed the old store and opened a new one....damn lot the same size as that one up north, but chopped up laned off and stupidly layed out to the point of almost useless, and a driver's nitemare.....concrete and curb makers must LOVE IT....tons of make work over nothing.....

:bomb::kissass::shocking:
 
I'm curious why you bolt the cradle in verses just indexing it and then welding it in place? I am looking to do a R&P install in my 82 vette but want power steering since I am using a 87 vette serpentine drive.
 
I'm curious why you bolt the cradle in verses just indexing it and then welding it in place? I am looking to do a R&P install in my 82 vette but want power steering since I am using a 87 vette serpentine drive.

When I did mine, winter 01-02 there were no kits on the market, only a couple pix off the internet, and the concept needed validation far as I was concerned, so I had the engine out, car in the air pretty good, and did it by the measure, so needing to ding the oil pan a tad....I got away with two U joints on the input, but had to change headers as whatever set was on the car was not going to work, found a set that did and still on the car....

rack was left as the bolt in as when prototyping and having to take parts over the river to my welder buddy for fabrication, it was the only way to git er dun.....
the brackets I have a infinitely simpler than anything on the market I have seen....must save 50 lbs of metal ...:D:suspicious:
 
I'm running the FR manual rack and like it a lot. As the OP said, it is a little dicey in a parking lot but the response and feel out on the road are super! I just went for a drive in mine after installing the VB&P lightweight upper A arms w/alum. crosss shafts and the lightweight lower A arms and transverse spring. Man, what a difference in handling. I think soon I will be going with the VanSteel offset trailing arms and coilovers. I'm increasing my rear wheel width to 9 1/2" and besides----why the hell not???
 
TT did a write up on this one awhile back. I think he ended up chopping up the brackets and rewelding them, because they didn't line up right.

I've driven an 82 with it, really nice. Light feel for manual steering and no slop, tight turns. I think I remember the ratio being a little lower than stock...? Felt like it anyways.
 
Screwit, I just ordered the Van Steel offset trailinmg arms and coilover kit. I'm going to up grade to 9 1/2" rear wheels anyway so why not.
 
Screwit, I just ordered the Van Steel offset trailinmg arms and coilover kit. I'm going to up grade to 9 1/2" rear wheels anyway so why not.

Sweeet :D

Looking forward to see your thread with lots of pictures of the install :thumbs:
 
TT did a write up on this one awhile back. I think he ended up chopping up the brackets and rewelding them, because they didn't line up right.

I've driven an 82 with it, really nice. Light feel for manual steering and no slop, tight turns. I think I remember the ratio being a little lower than stock...? Felt like it anyways.

It's way up top here, I added it to this post back then (copied from CF)
 
TT did a write up on this one awhile back. I think he ended up chopping up the brackets and rewelding them, because they didn't line up right.

I've driven an 82 with it, really nice. Light feel for manual steering and no slop, tight turns. I think I remember the ratio being a little lower than stock...? Felt like it anyways.

It's way up top here, I added it to this post back then (copied from CF)

Jeezus Christ, Marck, I missed that thread both 'there' and here, as I already have a rack install similar to steeroids.....I remember looking at flaming river site for some U joints, but they are WAY too proud of them, so no go, typical junkyard find/modifications done for like 20 bux....total.....

but looking at that post and seeing WTF you had to do to make things right, I think they need change to company name.....

FLAMING ASSHOLES is far closer to the truth....jeez, and here I thought Steeroids is/was fucked up......

seems like two choices for ditching the crappy stock steering....

Borgeson/similar.....or do your own rack install.....may as well DIY on the rack, the kits don't seem to be worth a flip, and WAY overpriced.....

:censored::stirpot:
 
steeroids is even bigger junk, took even more to get right without flexing and crap.... I'd take the flaming river over the steeroids any day
 
steeroids is even bigger junk, took even more to get right without flexing and crap.... I'd take the flaming river over the steeroids any day

:suicide::sos::crap::bomb: spend a k buck and get that, I'd have it drop shipped right back, United A/L kick it out the cargo door from 30k feet.....

right through their roof....

:clap:
 
You guys would laugh but if you put a square receiver in the middle of this it would look just like the hitch on my ford windstar.

flamingriver.jpg
 
You guys would laugh but if you put a square receiver in the middle of this it would look just like the hitch on my ford windstar.

flamingriver.jpg

Two things I don't like about it, just from a basic engineering standpoint, vs my setup with the GrandAm rack....first is lack of power assist....I"m lazy...second is the grossly excessive weight of that rack support...500 lbs of 1/4 inch steel....:clobbered:....thought these were 'sports' cars, not tanks....

:rolleyes:
 
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