Rack & Pinion information update

[BBoswell]

I have been wanting to put power rack and pinion in my Ranchero for some time . . . and I've spent a lot of time researching the various kits available and reading the comments and comparisons in our forum. From what I gathered Wurth Designs at one time built one of the best conversions out there. But the latest comments were about problems with getting the kit once ordered, communication and service. I talked (or should I say I had the installer talk) to a lot of the different suppliers. After all the conversations and research he was still sold on the conversion kit from Wurth Designs. He called and talked with Richard Wurth and asked him directly about all the negative feedback and service issues. Richard didn't try to make excuses and said that there definitely had been both production and personal problems in the past. He said that he was producing kits and anything he sells today is personally built by him and him alone so it is done right and follows a schedule. We decided to take a chance and ordered the kit. He said it would take about a week to 10 days. We called him a couple of times and he always got back to us within a day. Ten days after placing the order he called to tell us the unit had been shipped and gave us a tracking number. The unit has been installed and works great. The installer was completely impressed with the kit and would definitely use his conversion kit again. There were no problems with the installation and the only change that had to be made was due a modification firewall made to the Ranchero by a previous owner. I thought that since Wurth Designs had gotten a lot of bad comments in the forum in the past that people looking for a rack conversion might like to hear about my positive experience. I'm a firm believer in second chances.

[Frankenstein57]

It's good to hear he has gotten his stuff together, I know a while back he had some serious health problems in the family. The work that was on his website a few years ago was top notch.

[Gibbo]

I realize this is an old topic but could you give me an idea on what the kit costs? Secondly, is Wurth design still operating? I have tried to contact them without any luck.

[RICH MUISE]

As Boswell stated, second chances are great, but in Wurthit's case I'm just not sure. His "problems" went on for so long and effected so many guys, you're gonna be hard pressed to find many recent endorsements.
With that said, Rick made a great product, I believe was the first to work thru the engineering of it, at least on a production level, had/has a great website.
The last time I heard of pricing, or checked when I was looking, his kits were in the neighborhood of 1600. plus ship.
There's a better way to go with the rack and pinion, if it is still available....there website has been down for a while, but I have not tried to call him..got his business card somewhere...
ST Fabrications (John Starks). He's in Rockton, Il. and his phone number is 815-742-6365.
I believe most of the guys on this forum that have done the r & p have used his kit and it is very well made. I bought mine from him 3-4 years ago, was very happy with the quality and ease of installation. Pricing was substantially cheaper than Wurthit's price at the time. I paid 995. including shipping....but that was at least 3 years ago. I never heard anybody complain about service, quality, or communication.
Rich

[BBoswell]

Rich I completely understand what you are saying. And before I purchased anything from Rick at Wurth-It we had a talk and I was completely honest with him . . . I told him I had my doubts about buying from him because of all the bad reviews. He agreed that in the past there had been those issues due to both staffing problems and health issues with his wife. There are still health issues with his wife but he has found a way to work around that. I looked at all the other options available at the time and his kit appeared to me to be the best of what I was seeing and he was able to answer all my questions to my satisfaction so I took a chance . . . and all I can do is speak from my personal experience. I purchased two rack conversion kits from him in the last 12 months . . . one for Ranchero with a 390 and one for Custom 300 with a 460 . . . and I received both within 10 days of ordering. They are both installed and I am pleased as punch with the steering. He is a one man shop and builds everything himself so he sometimes doesn't hear the phone . . . but he has always gotten back to me within 24 hours. I also agree the price was a little steep at $1695 which included shipping.

[robhaerr]

I bought the S&T Fabrications unit. Here are the videos I took and Bobby Walden's (Walden's Speed Shop, Pomona, CA) impression from opening the crate to having it installed. It's working great. Bobby was skeptical because of other kits he has experienced, but was impressed...

You will need to look at these 4 videos to get the idea (sorry)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvjLiPKdTMo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVACkWA1oo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy95Fx83Cdg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbTteNiObbI

The 'wagon drives like a slot car. The sway bars were a great addition!
Going for a ride...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj-5odSvX7E

Cheers...
Rob

[carl5756]

I am on the hunt for a power steering conversion for my 57 Ranchero.
Does anyone have an update as to either of these rack and pinion steering suppliers?

Wurth it Designs - tried to call the phone # on the website but it was not working
ST Fabrications - tried the website listing from the suppliers page and it did not work.  Is there another way to contact them?

Other suggestions?

Thx

[RICH MUISE]

Rick Wurth passed away last month.
I don't know what the situation is with S & T Fabrications, I sent his brother-in-law(?) who is a moderator on this forum several personal messages inquiring, but never got a response.
I''ve got an old business card for S & T...hope the info is still good.
S & T Fabrications
John "Sparky" Starks
12752 Annapolis Rd.
Rocton, Il., 61072
cell: 815 742-6365
email:jms5477@yahoo.com
Email:stfabrications@gaml.com

That last email is just as it reads on his card..I'm wondering if is suppose to read Gmail.com

If you get him, ask him to update this forum with website info.
I personally used the S & T kit, have been recommending it ever since.
let us know what you find out.
BTW, Welcome to the forum, Carl!
Rich

[gasman826]

That would be ROCKTON IL and there is a member that lives down the street.

[carl5756]

Good news - the ST Fabrications rack and pinion kits are still available.

I called him with the number listed on this thread.

I spoke to John today and with approval from "the boss" will be purchasing a kit from him soon.

It was sad to hear that Rick Wurth had passed away.  I had spoken to him just a couple of months ago about purchasing one of his kits.  He was a joy to talk to and was very knowledgeable.

[RICH MUISE]

That would be ROCKTON IL and there is a member that lives down the street.

So I can't spell....sorry about that.
Sparkie's kit will save you some serious bucks without sacrificing quality. Yes, it was unfortunate about Rick Wurth's passing. Just when he was able to finally get past business problems put in the past. RIP, Rick.
I spent an hour or so on the phone with him years ago, when he was contemplating moving from the Grand Junction, Co. area to a state more suitable for his business. I was pushing Texas as there are lots of facilities, cheap labor, and no state income tax. He was going to look into it further. That was just after his wife got injured but before it lead to major ongoing health problems.
Thanks for the update on S & T, I'll post his phone number in the links list. Did he say anything about his website?

[drof75]

Carl, May I ask what the kit cost?