99mx5

I used silicone to seal the hard line ports.
There is no pressure after depowering the rack so all that is needed is to seal it from dirt.

99mx5

I then covered the bearings and bearing surfaces with tape to protect them from welding the input shaft.
I started with spot welds.

99mx5

I then worked my away around by adding more spot welds while checking for striaghtness.
I cooled the part after each weld to minimize heat distortion.
I used a feeler gauge and spun it to check for straightness after each weld.
If it did warp, I straightened it before the next weld. Yes, I used a hammer and some creativity.

99mx5

I packed it with grease and reassembed the rack in reverse order.

I tightened the tensioner nut according to the factory service manual.
Tighten the tensioner bolt to 4.9 N/m then loosen 25 degrees
then tighten the locknut while holding the tensioner nut in place.

99mx5

Here is what was removed after depowering the rack. I kept the old one just in case.

YellowYata

I'd like to get your impression on the difference in feel between the Mazdaspeed rack and your old one.

99mx5

The new setup is definitely harder, but steering is much faster with less input. The steering is very precise with the solid input shaft. I had to turn the wheel less when parking the car. I definitely prefer it for the track. It has a lot more feedback.

The feedback is much more pronounced without the steering fluid dampening the bumps. I bumped my elbow against the seat when I hit the curb entering the gas station.

Check out the steering wheel movement in this video:
https://www.miataforumz.com/showpost...47&postcount=5

YellowYata

Thank you for your write up and response.

RedTurboMiata

very good writeup, im debating on doing this.

Track

Very nice! This was certainly more involved than the FM setup or the good ol' "loop the lines" way either. Me being blonde and having not taken our rack apart yet, why did you decide to weld the input shaft?