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240 Anyone try the VP Autoparts 240 steering rack?

drj434343

drj434343

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2010
Location
Portland, OR
Anyone try the VP Autoparts NEW 240 CAM steering rack?

Like many here, I've been searching for a steering rack option now that rebuilt units have dried up. One mention in 2021 on this forum said VP Autoparts was coming with a R&P offering in 2022, and it does appear their website has this option for a rebuilt core:

https://vp-autoparts.com/en/artiklar/rack_pinion-240-79-93-2-bolt-2.html

$484 plus a $115 core charge. If the core has to ship to Europe, might be easier to just keep it...

After hearing back from Lennart at VP Autoparts, he informed me the above part isn't in stock and would require a core to be sent in which would then go to the rebuilders. He did suggest this CAM rack which does appear to be in stock:

https://vp-autoparts.com/en/artiklar/rack-pinion-240-79-84-cam.html

After a bit more back and forth, I was told this rack is a NEW reproduction rack with zero miles! No cores required. If true, this would be an amazing option even considering the price.

Quality is a big question. The website has little or no info, and incorrectly references a core charge. I haven't been able to get much more info volunteered from my email correspondence either.

Has anyone tried one of these?
 
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Contemplating what it takes to get a custom R&P made boggles my mind; I am very surprised to see this. Did they invest in new casting molds for the housing? Buy old CAM molds? Somehow adapt some standard R&P core to the Volvo specific housing and mount points? This seems like a complex part to spool up suppliers for low volume production.

If this unit is of decent quality, that price seems amazing to me. The prospect of a zero mile rack (CAM or otherwise) for my 29 year old 240 is crazy!
 
hiperfauto said:
I believe these racks are new to the market so there won't be much feedback on them yet. AFAIK CVI is having them made and they sell them for a lot less money but you have to pay shipping from Sweden so I'm not sure if it'll be any cheaper since VP ships from a US warehouse.

https://www.cvi-automotive.se/en/articles/2.23759.41679/steering-rack-240260-with-power-steering
Click to expand...

I priced the same rack out at CVI, and even with shipping to the US, it is $200 cheaper than VP.
 
They?re not repopping the rack & pinion gear new in any quality for that price having looked into that a bit?. :lol:

Finding good ZF cores is getting to be a challenge and directional valve pressure spec to match pump bypass valve pressure spec to boot for a late model car? good luck? :lol:.

I?ve passed on ~80% of the ~100 cores Ive gone thru and sold most of my spares, but I?m holding the last 2 years ZF typ 3 power rack that even came OEM in the USA market 200 series Volvos for my own cars for the most part now?

At this point, honestly, I?d spend the $1k on a new 2.5 turn steering rack and pinion gear for a late model ZF from $ellholm & recombine myself or go home or just reseal & evaluate 30+ year old used cores?

I didn?t find the 2.5 turn ZF rack in a couple 240s fatiguing to drive on the highway Or ?too twitchy? with correct alignment & OE offset wheels & tire sizes in most surfaces?
Little more positive caster might be nice most of the time I guess?
Under 3 turns is shady(ier) in the short wheelbase solid axle tippy ?74 Bronco.
140 with PS are 3 turns lock to lock and turn a little tighter, so I figure 2.5 turns with more precise feel and a little more positive caster in the 240 is ok too, but idk that it?s value-added for a DD other than known good condition gears from a reputable, albeit foreign company (with product more slanted to Kool-aid domesric Motorsport applications rather than easy seamless no fuss long haul DD operation, albeit, ) ?

If they?res a core charge at age 30+, whatever they got for a core is questionable at best & probably didn?t get diagnosed or evaluated properly given the time and expertise allocated/allocate-able on the corporate bottom line by the accountants for 30+yo cars waaay outta implied warranties etc?
?if there?s no core charge snd the price is low, what got lost in translation on the cheap China-pop, nowadays :lol:?
?there?s no free lunch, what do you expect, really?

Sux, but #reality & Jorgen just went outta business, new(er) cars/American market light cars & trucks are disposable plasti-mobile things with electric assist steering if they got a rack & pinion type steering so they work with EV, hybrid or ICE drivetrains with volume discount, fewer parts & leak points for idiot operators/drivers with solid state electronics getting cheaper all the time & lasting the warranty without claims is the ?new normal??

?why would anyone make, rebuild or mess with hydraulic type rack & pinions for disposable/non durable &/or life-critical applications in any volume or quality at all these days?
What is or would be the incentive?

A bunch of cheap ungrateful picky entitled Volvo dorks with cars that came with ~4+ different types /other company/firm (other than Volvo) sourced power racks per year & Sweden & Norway mostly got no fuss durable simple ZF manual racks to the bitter end/stripper model cars over there sans decadent luxury models like us?

?volvo mostly saved money in the late 80s when they couldn?t *really* compete with the Japanese & also had unfavorable exchange rate ~ the bitter end of RWD and cash flow & shop floor space crunch to get toolsdn up for the new faster to snap together quieter, safer, modern fashionable luxury market(ing)-aimed better rust proofed FWD 850 models for cheap light import cars to be sold to the American market on many parts of the last of the RWD cars before killing them off, particularly for the American market including the rack/wind was only blowing 1 way / writing was on the wall for profit margins, new innovations etc for disposable light cars for the American market for Volvo-cars & many euro products/light consumer goods?
 
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Just to provide a bit more info, I also reached out to CVI to ask about the rack on their site, and specifically asked about whether the pinion and rack gears were freshly cut. A Mikael promptly answered that the rack is entirely new.
 
drj434343 said:
That's the rack that FCP sells, but I haven't been able to find a "buy" button for that rack for a while.
Click to expand...

I cited the company that rebuilds...send them an email, or call them. Awhile back, I cited a rebuild kit, but it would only be good if rack's internal surfaces are good.
 
Cwazywazy said:
Is this actually new? for $450? If so then yea count me in.
Click to expand...

dl242gt said:
But I didn't see where a core is needed so they must be brand new. Maybe?
Click to expand...

drj434343 said:
Just to provide a bit more info, I also reached out to CVI to ask about the rack on their site, and specifically asked about whether the pinion and rack gears were freshly cut. A Mikael promptly answered that the rack is entirely new.
Click to expand...

Should be some minty units
 
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