OK, next question (can you tell I've spent Easter in the garage? ). I have a Mark 1 MX5 steering column, and a Mark 2 Escort rack. I haven't yet extended the column, but I need to get from one to the other.

I still have the MX5 coupling, and it's obvious that it won't fit the Mark 2 Escort. I'm also aware of the Rally Design coupling;

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=13580

But I'm unclear how to use it (or given some of the reviews, whether I should be using it!). Is the idea to use the RD coupling along with their Sierra shaft, and use the shaft to extend the MX5 column (with suitable thick wall tube)?

Are there any other solutions? Is there another coupling that will fit the escort rack?

I did exactly what you're talking about with the column and it works fine.
Not sure if you're using mx5 uprights but I'm convinced that the mx5 uprights must have shorter steering arms than an escort as the escort rack gives it an extreme steering lock angle (which isn't a bad thing) and makes the steering very fast.

My understanding is that you don't make any modifications to the steering column as it is specifically built to be collapsable in the event of an accident and you don't want to compromise that!

If anything needs to be lengthend/shortened its the shaft that goes from the end of the column down to the rack that you modify - i.e. one of these: https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=900_1670&products_id=11805&osCsid=6j87slkvt984sgkjqnv5mi4ig6 which you can chop in half and then add some thick wall tubing to lengthen it.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I'm preserving the whole collapsible section (the slide portion can still slide), this is the extra 12-18 inches I need to get from the end of the splined shaft on the column and down to the steering rack. As you say, a thick wall tube is used to extend it, which I'm fine with, but I don't want to cut and weld to extend the existing shaft if the spline is useless.

If I do use the Sierra shaft I'll just use that inside the thick wall tube instead. Which sounds like how it needs to be.

Not sure if all Escort racks are the same (looks like they all have a 9/16" x 36 Spline shaft coming out of the actual rack itself) but I have the 'Group 4' coupling at the end to pickup the 'other' end of the splined shaft and connect it to the rack: https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=900_1670&products_id=22110.

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Originally posted by jps
Not sure if all Escort racks are the same (looks like they all have a 9/16" x 36 Spline shaft coming out of the actual rack itself) but I have the 'Group 4' coupling at the end to pickup the 'other' end of the splined shaft and connect it to the rack: https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=900_1670&products_id=22110.

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Originally posted by Slimy38

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Originally posted by jps
Not sure if all Escort racks are the same (looks like they all have a 9/16" x 36 Spline shaft coming out of the actual rack itself) but I have the 'Group 4' coupling at the end to pickup the 'other' end of the splined shaft and connect it to the rack: https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=900_1670&products_id=22110.

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I'm intrigued, so you're saying that coupling is compatible with the splines on both Escort rack and MX5 steering column? If so that sounds like the answer to my problem.

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In the end i got a UJ with a 9/16 36 spline on one end and a 5/8 36 spline on the other from a company called Kiley Clinton Engineering.

I used that at the bottom of the MX5 column, and made up a shaft with 9/16 splines on each end to go from there to my sierra rack.

(the escort and sierra racks are the same spline size)

I did it this way as it was easier to make up the link shaft from two ends the same diameter.


I still have the 5/8 to 5/8 uj knocking about somewhere along with a piece of bar with a 5/8 spline on it.


Paul

[Edited on 3/4/18 by paulc]

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Originally posted by paulc
In the end i got a UJ with a 9/16 36 spline on one end and a 5/8 36 spline on the other from a company called Kiley Clinton Engineering.

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Originally posted by Slimy38
Sorry, I should have clarified. I'm preserving the whole collapsible section (the slide portion can still slide), this is the extra 12-18 inches I need to get from the end of the splined shaft on the column and down to the steering rack. As you say, a thick wall tube is used to extend it, which I'm fine with, but I don't want to cut and weld to extend the existing shaft if the spline is useless.

If I do use the Sierra shaft I'll just use that inside the thick wall tube instead. Which sounds like how it needs to be.

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Originally posted by Slimy38

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Originally posted by paulc
In the end i got a UJ with a 9/16 36 spline on one end and a 5/8 36 spline on the other from a company called Kiley Clinton Engineering.

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Thanks for the name, I've dropped them a message to see if they could make me one. I can see they have them listed but I don't know whether they're just in stock or they're custom. Do you remember how much it cost roughly?

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I did end up with a extra UJ, but I needed it to get adaquate clearance to everything.

The V8 is a bit of a squeeze.

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Originally posted by PorkChop
The simplest way to do it is what you've suggested above and in the OP (and also as described in the book). In other words:

Steering rack spline
group 4 coupling (I got mine from Motorsport Tools)
Ford splined steering column shaft (i.e. Rally Design RD849)
tube extension
original MX5 steering shaft (complete with original UJ)

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Small update, £45 + VAT and postage. So not cheaper than the Rally Design but I think it's a better solution. Now I just need an appropriate sized tube to extend the existing shaft, and I can reuse both splines.