Ok recently I purchased an Escort Rack and Pinion front end to fit to the Cortina,
 
After researching during the bachelor (dont ask) for 90mins on the web for alot of great information, and getting my head around most of the conversion,
 
My question is this, has anyone thought of reversing the Escort crossmember and have the rack and peanut behind the crossmember, and possibly fit it up to most of the OEM Cortina ancillaries hanging off it,
 
The reason im looking at this as Datsuns do this, and as I have the SR20 sitting in there perfect, afraid that the conversion might foul the sump, I know i can move it back, and chassis mount the engine,
 
Thoughts

I'm pretty sure you cant swap a rack and pinion from the front of the crossmember to the back it will turn the wrong way

phoenix 13918
I'm pretty sure you cant swap a rack and pinion from the front of the crossmember to the back it will turn the wrong way

It can be done of course, just a different rack needed

I have contemplated using S13 control arms and brakes on the Cortina crossmember and graft the rack and pinion on the rear of it

Of course this will open up alot of front end options

You can use a LHD escort rack flipped over at the rear.
 
Niscort has done this to rear mount the rack in his escort.. 
Also have a read through Phil's mk1 cortina thread or shoot him a PM. He took a long time to get his geometry right after a rack conversion in his mk1.  From memory the solution was to move the crossmember forward/backward from its standard position.
 
Check out this thread, it will have links to some rack and pinion conversions.
 
http://www.classic-ford.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=19410&
 
You will have to cut and paste the link site.... including the &
 
Shaun

Hey Shaun,
 
Thank you for the link, im surprised i missed that thread, must have got distracted that night haha, NOT!!!
 
Ill have a look at it and see where that might take me,
 
So i offered up the S13 control arms to the Cortina crossmember, and need to widen the LCA insert on the cortina  crossmember by 10mm, was thinking of making a new box bracket to suit and weld onto, and cut the rack brackets off the escort and weld them to the rear of the cortina crossmember, and use the escort rack and pinion with suitable tie rod ends,
 
This would also allow me to use torsion rods to add stability, and S13 coilovers with tops to suit accordingly
 
Thoughts