rack & pinion steering kits

[Don B.]

I've been thinking about buying a rack & pinion steering kit (power) for my '64 coupe. The steering in my coupe is very sloppy and needs attention. Before spending money to resolve the steering problem with the stock setup, I thought I'd ask for opinions regarding these kits - most of which seem to be designed by Steeroids (Ecklers, Corvette Central, etc.). The local mid-year guy who works on and rebuilds vettes professionally says these are junk. His experience is not necessarily current according to him. My car is not original, so I'm not too concerned about a change of this nature diminishing the overall vehicle value - it should increase it since the performance should improve. I didn't get a definitive answer as to why the local guru doesn't like these retro-fits since they are advertised as increasing handling without any modifications to the car. Please let me know what you guys think.
TNX, Don

[Joe L.]

Re: rack & pinion steering kits

Don-----

My advice: FORGET IT. You can make a stock system be nice, tight, and very responsive. It's just a question of getting all the components right and properly adjusted. There's no magic or "art" to this, at all.

[Don B.]

Re: rack & pinion steering kits

Joe- your opinion is duly noted and is in concert with the thoughts of my local guy Dave.
TNx, Don