Ace / Aceca Bishop Cam steering

[59 Aceca]

The steering in my Aceca has always felt rather stiff.  When the car is moving, regardless of speed, it seems to require a fair amount of effort to turn the steering wheel once you've passed the small center dead spot.  It is in no way "finger light", nor does it "straighten itself out after cornering", as described in the owner's manual.  With the front end of the car off the ground the steering wheel turns very easily with no obvious binding up anywhere.  If anyone has any suggestions on what to check I would really appreciate it.
   
   Thanks,
   
   Greg

[pjbowman]

Greg, what size wheels/tires are you running? I notice a huge difference when I put the spare 15" wheels with 185R15 tires on the Ace over the standard 16" /165 combo I normally use. Steering gets much heavier with the 15s.
   
   Peter

[SBB]

Fit rack and pinion and all your problems will go away!

[AEX566]

Simon,
   I had the privilege of driving Ben Yates' Ace up the street in possibly 2001 and would agree that R&P really makes a significant difference vs. the Bishop cam setup.  At the time I had several concerns about the set up, mostly stemming from my location on the left side of the Atlantic- as Greg is as well.
   
   The rack Ben uses as I recall was from a ‘80s-90’s Morris Metro or something like it, which I assumed was built  primarily for use with right hand drive.   Adapting this to a left hand drive, the availability of replacement bits/rebuilt racks, and redoing the horn & turn signal were questions that have kept me from going further with R&P.
   
   I recall Gus mentioning he had gotten one for his Aceca rebuild. Who else among our US /Canadian cohorts have you and Ben made  believers?    Would also appreciate your comments on the concerns I mention.
   
   Art

[AC Ace Bristol]

Ben Yates  developed his R&P system in conjunction with John Tojeiro, who as you know designed the Ace as a natural development of his highly successful racing specials in the 1950s.
   
   These specials and the Prototype Ace were fitted with rack & pinion steering. ( Why did the Hurlocks down grade to Bishop Cam system [?] finances come to mind)
   
   Ben has supplied and fitted many R&P systems to both RHD and LHD Ace and Acecas with great success and transformation of steering.
   
   Have to agree with your concern regards the horn and traffic indicators. These deviations are acceptable to some and not to others, Depends upon ones outlook on Authenticity and practicality.
   
   Give Ben a call or email him and he will give a endless list of satisfied customers both in UK and Europe. ( not sure about USA )
   
   Have toyed with the conversion myself but at present BEX333 is as it left Thames Ditton with  Bishop Cam set up.
   
   Keith. []

[BEX308]

I am currently fitting a rack and pinion set from Ben to BEX308. The unit comes with a slip ring set-up for the horn but the traffic indicators must be moved off the steering wheel hub. An analysis of the steering geometry with the original bishop cam system makes one believe the system may have been designed by a committee in the accounting department. 308 has had rack and pinion since 1971 but the first system I installed (badly as a twenty year old) used a rack from an MG Midget which is too long for the Ace front suspension so it was never very good. Even with the Midget rack the straight line stability was a huge improvement over the stock system. If you really want to enjoy the full capability of the chassis go with the R&P.
   Pete

[SBB]

Art, As Keith says, the best person to speak to or email is Ben Yates who now has either fitted or supplied about 80 coversions both in the UK and overseas.
   As you know the Ace was originally announced as having R & P in the original sales brochure and John Bolster raved about the precision of steering in the first road test. I heard that either Bishop Cams or Morris refused to sell AC the Morris Minor system. This went into all Lotus Cars and other sports racers at the time, and Colin Chapman probably had his own ways of sourcing them. What is true is that AC acquired a "job lot" of over a thousand redundant old steering boxes. They were a pre-war design and went into all kinds of Austens, pre and post war, MGs, Wolseys etc. AC didn't run out of these until they had made about 60 Mark one Cobras. Alastair Caldwell, one time expert F1 mechanic and later Team Manager at Mclaren when Hunt and Fittipaldi won the championship and again at Brabham with Piquet, once said to me that even if AC had been given the Bishop Cams boxes, they must have lost money by the time they had made all the bits to make the lash-up contraption work and then done it again 100s of times. He has needless to say, changed his car.
   
   It's possibly worth keeping the old steering with the car as it's easily put back. It's needed for historic racing in the UK and to satisfy any pedants. I had AE 43 for three years until I bought RS 5000 in 1970. When Ben's Yates/Tojeiro r&p was put in 9 years ago, I had no idea how nice an Ace could be to drive. I know now, and so do quite a few others! Speak to Ben.
   A small indicator switch on the dash is all one needs. You can even get ones the "time out".
   
   Good luck
   
   Simon

[aceaceca]

I had a roadster with a Jag 3.5 engine in it and it steered like a tractor. I figured it was the weight of the beasty engine. When I switched to 260 Ford power, the chassis height came up an inch at all corners. I anticipated much lighter steering. Turned out not to be the case. When I checked caster, I found there was 5-6 degrees of positive. Positive caster increases steering effort as you are raising the whole front end when you turn the wheel. I contemplated how to adjust the caster but could only fathom that the upper leaf must be bent slightly rearward. I did nothing in the end. My coupe on the other hand, with the AC engine, steered like a go cart. It was effortless. It had more normal caster in the one degree range. I did purchase a rack that I never used. I remember it being difficult to find a back steerer, ie one that goes behind the front spindles. Mine is still in the rafters down below.

[Gus Meyjes]

I did install Ben Yates' conversion. It works great. The steering is direct and light. I run 165 Vredestein Sprint Classics on my Aceca.