I mentioned in a recent post that this blue Dino will be staying with me for the winter, and the owner and I decided to address some mechanical issues during her stay.

The steering rack had some play and it was time to pull the rack and repair the worn bushings. You can see from the rust on the steering rack that the seals and bushings had failed and was showing a lot of play.

I understand the parts are available to rebuild these racks, but getting a freshly rebuilt unit on exchange was a more efficient repair. I’ll install a new set of tie rod ends, and everything will be good to go.

When I was removing the shield that covered the rack and pinion, I noticed the screws holding the panel on the car were wrong. They are supposed to be 6mm bolts, but someone replaced them with sheet metal screws. It became obvious when the panel came off why sheet metal screws were being used. The original bolts had seized in the tabs and someone drilled holes through the broken bolt and replaced them with incorrect screws.

We’ve all be guilty of this kind of repair trying to repair a car that needed to leave and this cover re-attached to finish the project, but this car was recently restored, and even won an award at its last car show! I decided to fix it right, drill and tap the holes, and install the correct fasteners. Of the nine bolts that held this panel on, 5 of them had to repaired!

This car was also missing the cover for the pedal box. Dinos have a nice flat floor pan to help with aerodynamics so I cut a new piece of aluminum to complete the floor.

The steering was put back together, and the panels were installed. Now all I have to do it get the car to the alignment shop.

Before I could drive the car anywhere, I had to address the fuel pump. On my last drive I noticed the fuel pump was making some funny noises. On closer inspection, I noticed a different fuel pump installed, and it wasn’t sounding too healthy. I ordered a new facet fuel pump and installed it on the car. We’re now ready to drive the car out to the alignment shop!