GTD steering rack

After a 200 mile drive in my GTD yesterday, I noticed something about the steering. Before I bought the car, It had stood for nine years without being driven.
Now I've checked all the usual stuff, replaced fuel lines, checked the brakes, bearings, steering joints etc but yesterday I noticed when driving for any length of time with the steering in the straight ahead position, the steering gets slightly "stuck" and takes slightly more effort to turn the wheel. It's not nearly as dramatic as it sounds and I'm sure its not dangerous, but nevertheless I'd like to get it sorted. I'm wondering if the steering rack has wear or corrosion that's making it behave like it is. Is the GTD rack a commercially available item from a production car or will I need to have it looked at/rebuilt by a specialist. I'd like to inspect it myself to familiarise myself with the car more, but understand the rack can be a pig to get at.
Any advice greatfully received.
Thanks
Simon
ps, don't you just hate all these newbie posts?

Hi Simon -

Search on steering rack malcolm using the 'and' operator and Malcolms posting of Sep 30th 2003 should be listed.

'Re: Steering Rack + Wiring'

Cortina rack? - hope this helps.

regards

Simon, and all who may experience this tightening of the rack.
It may not be too much to worry about if you check out the proximity of your radiator flow pipes and how close they are to the steering rack body. It is probably the heat from the pipe expanding or drying up the bush within the rack end and by carefully moving away or insulating the pipe it hopefully will cure your problem. This was quite a common problem with GTD set ups.

Regards,

Graham @ GTA.

Another thing to check out is the nylon bush joint at the lower end of the steering column. If it has got knocked out of alignment then it will stiffen up the feel of the steering. It is only a single bolt mounted item so could get knocked somehow.