I was wondering that also!

That one there looks a bit scarry to me, but if you want to try and save some cash, get a bucket and coil that one up inside and fill with desiel fuel. It has the best chance of fully penitrating the rust inside the cable. If you don't go out to that swap meet give Rex Marine a call. They are your best bet for a package deal.

so i cant just replace the cable then


2sav

For the extra cost of a package deal $30 or so I would get both with and included new helm and all the new hardware, but heck what do I know ?

Who knows? Maybe with a new helm/rack & pinion you'll drop a few RPM, gain a few MPH and some fuel mileage in the process

I highly duoght that, but it may save his ass, as well as his family .

You end up selling that GREAT rack system, just because you don't want to replace the cable, and buy that piece of crap stamped rack, let me know cause I'll by your old one. 

Just make sure you put it on the right way 

 

Savage, my point is, the picture of the unit you posted, or a teleflex, is never going to be the unit you have now. It's well worth the price of a new cable to keep what you have. You see that little ring with the 3 holes in it in your pic? That's what's hold that unit in, that and the 3 three bolts. It's a Mickey Mouse set up. Then that hollow cover snaps in place and then your adapter goes on. It's not nearly as well made as what you already have.

The parts do not wear out in them, just the cable.

By the way, teleflex has always been the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality when compared to the other brands. Well, there was another brand that I can't think of right now that was worse, and our supplier talked the shop owner into using it because it was cheaper and the salesman got a bigger cut of that action. lol.

Oh, just thought of it, Detmar. What a pile of crap. Anyway, none compare to what you already have.

That wans't meant as a jab at you Brad, sorry if you took it that way. I was just, like everyone else here, giving only my opinion from experence. I've run plenty of Teleflex stuff in the past too.

That steering setup was manufactured by Kiekhaefer Mercury Marine. I agree with OldRigger in that it is a far beefier piece than any of the cheapie "rack in a box" systems that everyone sells today. In as much as Mercury marine is still in business, you shouldn't have any problem finding a new cable. I ran into this same situation back in '96 when the cable in my 74 Tahiti needed replacement. The local "hot boat" repair shop insisted that I had to replace the whole system. I think they wanted about $200 for everything I would need. Since I passed by a "regular" marine shop in San Francisco every day on my commute, I stopped in. Guess what, they had a new cable in stock for less than $100. They also had a whole box of the "racks" that go inside the housing. I think that cost me about $10. So for $110 and an hours labor I was back in business.

The only downside to the Mercury marine setup is the tapered square shaft. I don't think anyone makes steering extensions for them, but I bet a competent machinest could convert a round taper adapter to fit.

why not just make the extension?