Hi,

I haven't rebuilt one either and I have not look at any illustrations on his they are made so I'm intrigued with the progress on this thread!
I will agree it probably doesn't seem all that difficult in the sense it's a just a rod supported in bushings. How the oil works inside to assist movements has me interested too!

I assume that there are bushings pressed in from both ends with the seals to follow behind them on the outside.
The idea that you just press in new bushings seem all right in itself but it may not always work out that way.
I think it's much like football game, you don't know exactly what you are going to run into unless you play!

I surmise this part on how I would do them on a production scale.
The rebuilders probably have what may be referred to as a "line bore reamer" to work the bushings out to a finally size and straightness.

This tool is will actually fit into one end of a housing bore with an expanding ring that fits up on the long Straight shafting.
The cutting end is guided or floated slightly, by a smaller "lead-in" diameter, into the first pressed bushing previously in.
A reamer is only used to remove a few thousandths of material.
It will always follow an existing or established hole or bore. This reamer will be flooded with cutting fluid to pass chips forward and out.
After that, the tool is reversed to fit the now reamed out bushing.
This reaming shaves out the last bushing IN-LINE with the other.

These blades or flutes of this reamer are adjustable and will be set to the diameter of incoming used rack rods. Setup to a clearance tolerance specification.
This feature allows for a rod to be resized for wear overall, let alone in the seal areas.
I will add that, they probably avoid that much work whenever possible.
This item should be very resilient against wear since they are made from good chrome steel or even chromed?
Cleaning them good or a little buffing near the new seal areas will be very sufficient.
Once they set that reamer, it does a whole lot of steering rack bushings!
Wham bam, thank you mam! This keeps it profitable!

You can buy new seals by only measuring the two diameters it fits into and around.
You may luck out and the ok'd ones have numbers!
Most seals today work with many fluids and the Temperature is not going to be big factor here.

The bushings, I would hope are of some standard dimensions as this is a high production item still used today. I expect they will have a thin walls too to keep expenses down, for them, but when pressing they can collapse a tiny bit?
It's for this reasoning I think the alignment of the bushings might be the biggest obstacle for a home mechanics!
I'm sure there can be a workaround, maybe, not even redoing the bushings and just pop in new inner, the if they have them, and outer seals through out?

It's judgement call without a referee but it's an owners decision!
Is working on your car, a sport yet?
):-)


Phil