This thread will detail a Saginaw power steering install into my 79 FJ40.
I have been running a "minitruck" power steering box with a Tercel pump for 9 years and really wanted to get rid of the stock center arm linkage, along with the drag link that runs beside the drivers side tire. I was also tired of the pretty much manual steering when rock crawling with a auto locker in the front and 36in. tires. Don't get me wrong, the minitruck system did an excellent job on the road, and even did pretty well with 33s and an auto locker, but with 36s it was not happy and neither was I. So I started doing a ton of research here on Mud and started buying parts back in 2006, anticipating the day I would complete my Saginaw swap.
Here is the list of all the parts I used. Please note that many of these have gone up in price since I purchased them.
Parts List:
Power Steering Pump Bracket - wdorry $95 shipped. wdorry no longer makes these brackets but Mud user orangefj45 has taken over production so contact him via PM if you want one.
Frame Bracket for gearbox - Poser aka lcr4wd.com $65 shipped. Not sure if he still sells these or not.
Saginaw Gearbox - Napa Part# NSP276529 $155 + $55 Core Also known as Cardone Part#27-6529 There are many applications but you can use a 75-76 Jeep J20. For some reason Napa now lists part number NSP88277080 for the 76 Jeep J20 application. While my part number is not found using the Napaonline Web site any longer. ***Obtaining the correct Saginaw gear box has been a PITA for many people, myself included. What should be a 4 1/4 turn box with 4 mounting ears often arrives as a 3 turn box with 3 mounts when you open the box. The rebuilders are mixing and matching boxes is my best guess. Check the number of turns along with mounting ears at the parts store or open the box upon delivery to make sure you have the right box!
Many people claim to be happy with 3 turn boxes on street driven rigs, I have read many more stories about people who find the 3 turn box scary fast on the street. Many people who claim to be happy with the 3 turn boxes will not let anyone drive their truck on the street because of the twitchy / fast steering. A friend of mine removed his 3 turn box, that made up my mind. Do the research and make up your own mind if you don't believe me.*** If you want to go junkyarding for a used box and want a great application guide, go to Amazon.com and search for a A1 Cardone 27-6529 then use the "Compatibility Chart" which lists four pages of vehicle applications.The main characteristics of this Saginaw box are flare fittings along with a 13/16" 36 spline input shaft, 4 mounting ears, and 4 1/4 turns.
Pitman Arm - PartsMike.com 49.00 Item# 5352278M SJ arm retappered to 2026 TRE This is a Jeep SJ steering arm that partsmike will ream out to the large 2026 "one ton" GM TRE size. A super deal IMHO.
Saginaw Power Steering Pump - Cardone #20-6801 48.79 + $4 core from Rockauto.com This is a 3/4" non-keyed shaft pump. Not to be confused with the keyed Saginaw pumps.
High Pressure Hose - I used a Gates 364150 from Rockauto which is for a 78 Jeep CJ with a V6. I had to modify this hose by hand bending it to fit the PS pump. After looking at pictures online I believe a better part number would be the same application but with a V8 engine. I believe this part would not require much bending at all looking at pictures. Others have posted that they have used this hose without issue also. At the time I did not know the engines used different hoses. For the V8 application Advance Auto part# 91473 should get you the correct hose.
Low Pressure Hose - Powercraft 70551 11.99 Advance Auto - Application is 78 Jeep CJ7 with either a V6 or V8. If you just want a 3/8" return flare fitting and want to source your own hose you can use Powercraft #39135 or Gates #350150
Power Steering Cooler - Permacool Part# PRM-1007 43.95 from SummitRacing.com
Power steering Filter - Cardone Part# 20-FLT2 19.76 from Rockauto
Column Bearing - Kilian F-350-89 - 19.1 ID / 34.9 OD mm - I purchased this from CruiserOutfitters for $10 Part# PSCB2
This bearing is the same as used on many lawn mowers. Below are the mower part numbers.
Cross reference chart:
Replaces (OEM): ARIENS 05408900
ARIENS 05416200
BUNTON P0209
BUNTON PL0941
CASE C12110
CUB CADET 384881-R93
CUB CADET 384881-R94
CUB CADET IH384891-R94
GRAVELY 011193
GRAVELY 036778
GRAVELY 037823
GRAVELY 05408900
JOHN DEERE AM118315
JOHN DEERE AM127304
JOHN DEERE AM35443
MTD 741-0141
MTD 941-0141
MTD IH-384881-R94
SNAPPER 7028722
TORO 110513
TORO 251-210
Pitman Nut & Washer along with frame tube insert - CruiserOutfitters The nut is Part# PSPAN $3, Lockwasher Part# PSPAL $1, Tube Part# PSCMT $10
Power Steering Pulley - Grainger - Pulley Part# 3X586 $35.15 Bushing Part# 3X573 $7.00
Ujoints and Steering shaft - All parts from SummitRacing - Borgeson 36" collapsing Steering shaft Part# BRG-450036 $76.69, Ujoint at the steering box - BRG-014940 $70.95, Ujoint at the steering column - FLA-FR2517DD $78.95. ***Note - I used a Flaming River joint because the only Borgeson joint available that I needed was a strange one with an extended center section. I chose a stainless steel joint since it was only $10 more than the FLA-FR1717DD nickle plated one.
Hardware - I needed to purchase some tools I did not have for this project. For the hole in the frame I needed a 3 1/4 inch hole saw. I also needed a 1 5/16" impact socket to install the pitman arm nut. For my install I needed one 3.5 inch, one 4.5 inch, and two 2.5 inch 7/16" bolts to hold the gearbox to the frame.
Torque Values - I found some torque values for this project while searching the Web. The 7/16" bolts that mount the box to the frame are 70ft-lb. The pitman arm nut should be 185ft-lb. GM tie rod end to pitman arm 45ft-lb.
Before you can install your Saginaw power steering system you must first remove your old setup. I am going to install my minitruck setup into my FJ55 so I pulled the system whole. I won't bore you with pictures of that process.
I started on the frame by making the hole for the tube sleeve. There is no going back now... I decided to recess the box into the frame a bit because I did not want the gear box to protrude past the front of the frame rail. I also wanted to make sure I did not have too steep of an angle on the ujoint coming off the back of the gear box. I did not want to use a "spud shaft" on the end of the input shaft.
I have been running a "minitruck" power steering box with a Tercel pump for 9 years and really wanted to get rid of the stock center arm linkage, along with the drag link that runs beside the drivers side tire. I was also tired of the pretty much manual steering when rock crawling with a auto locker in the front and 36in. tires. Don't get me wrong, the minitruck system did an excellent job on the road, and even did pretty well with 33s and an auto locker, but with 36s it was not happy and neither was I. So I started doing a ton of research here on Mud and started buying parts back in 2006, anticipating the day I would complete my Saginaw swap.
Here is the list of all the parts I used. Please note that many of these have gone up in price since I purchased them.
Parts List:
Power Steering Pump Bracket - wdorry $95 shipped. wdorry no longer makes these brackets but Mud user orangefj45 has taken over production so contact him via PM if you want one.
Frame Bracket for gearbox - Poser aka lcr4wd.com $65 shipped. Not sure if he still sells these or not.
Saginaw Gearbox - Napa Part# NSP276529 $155 + $55 Core Also known as Cardone Part#27-6529 There are many applications but you can use a 75-76 Jeep J20. For some reason Napa now lists part number NSP88277080 for the 76 Jeep J20 application. While my part number is not found using the Napaonline Web site any longer. ***Obtaining the correct Saginaw gear box has been a PITA for many people, myself included. What should be a 4 1/4 turn box with 4 mounting ears often arrives as a 3 turn box with 3 mounts when you open the box. The rebuilders are mixing and matching boxes is my best guess. Check the number of turns along with mounting ears at the parts store or open the box upon delivery to make sure you have the right box!
Many people claim to be happy with 3 turn boxes on street driven rigs, I have read many more stories about people who find the 3 turn box scary fast on the street. Many people who claim to be happy with the 3 turn boxes will not let anyone drive their truck on the street because of the twitchy / fast steering. A friend of mine removed his 3 turn box, that made up my mind. Do the research and make up your own mind if you don't believe me.*** If you want to go junkyarding for a used box and want a great application guide, go to Amazon.com and search for a A1 Cardone 27-6529 then use the "Compatibility Chart" which lists four pages of vehicle applications.The main characteristics of this Saginaw box are flare fittings along with a 13/16" 36 spline input shaft, 4 mounting ears, and 4 1/4 turns.
Pitman Arm - PartsMike.com 49.00 Item# 5352278M SJ arm retappered to 2026 TRE This is a Jeep SJ steering arm that partsmike will ream out to the large 2026 "one ton" GM TRE size. A super deal IMHO.
Saginaw Power Steering Pump - Cardone #20-6801 48.79 + $4 core from Rockauto.com This is a 3/4" non-keyed shaft pump. Not to be confused with the keyed Saginaw pumps.
High Pressure Hose - I used a Gates 364150 from Rockauto which is for a 78 Jeep CJ with a V6. I had to modify this hose by hand bending it to fit the PS pump. After looking at pictures online I believe a better part number would be the same application but with a V8 engine. I believe this part would not require much bending at all looking at pictures. Others have posted that they have used this hose without issue also. At the time I did not know the engines used different hoses. For the V8 application Advance Auto part# 91473 should get you the correct hose.
Low Pressure Hose - Powercraft 70551 11.99 Advance Auto - Application is 78 Jeep CJ7 with either a V6 or V8. If you just want a 3/8" return flare fitting and want to source your own hose you can use Powercraft #39135 or Gates #350150
Power Steering Cooler - Permacool Part# PRM-1007 43.95 from SummitRacing.com
Power steering Filter - Cardone Part# 20-FLT2 19.76 from Rockauto
Column Bearing - Kilian F-350-89 - 19.1 ID / 34.9 OD mm - I purchased this from CruiserOutfitters for $10 Part# PSCB2
This bearing is the same as used on many lawn mowers. Below are the mower part numbers.
Cross reference chart:
Replaces (OEM): ARIENS 05408900
ARIENS 05416200
BUNTON P0209
BUNTON PL0941
CASE C12110
CUB CADET 384881-R93
CUB CADET 384881-R94
CUB CADET IH384891-R94
GRAVELY 011193
GRAVELY 036778
GRAVELY 037823
GRAVELY 05408900
JOHN DEERE AM118315
JOHN DEERE AM127304
JOHN DEERE AM35443
MTD 741-0141
MTD 941-0141
MTD IH-384881-R94
SNAPPER 7028722
TORO 110513
TORO 251-210
Pitman Nut & Washer along with frame tube insert - CruiserOutfitters The nut is Part# PSPAN $3, Lockwasher Part# PSPAL $1, Tube Part# PSCMT $10
Power Steering Pulley - Grainger - Pulley Part# 3X586 $35.15 Bushing Part# 3X573 $7.00
Ujoints and Steering shaft - All parts from SummitRacing - Borgeson 36" collapsing Steering shaft Part# BRG-450036 $76.69, Ujoint at the steering box - BRG-014940 $70.95, Ujoint at the steering column - FLA-FR2517DD $78.95. ***Note - I used a Flaming River joint because the only Borgeson joint available that I needed was a strange one with an extended center section. I chose a stainless steel joint since it was only $10 more than the FLA-FR1717DD nickle plated one.
Hardware - I needed to purchase some tools I did not have for this project. For the hole in the frame I needed a 3 1/4 inch hole saw. I also needed a 1 5/16" impact socket to install the pitman arm nut. For my install I needed one 3.5 inch, one 4.5 inch, and two 2.5 inch 7/16" bolts to hold the gearbox to the frame.
Torque Values - I found some torque values for this project while searching the Web. The 7/16" bolts that mount the box to the frame are 70ft-lb. The pitman arm nut should be 185ft-lb. GM tie rod end to pitman arm 45ft-lb.
Before you can install your Saginaw power steering system you must first remove your old setup. I am going to install my minitruck setup into my FJ55 so I pulled the system whole. I won't bore you with pictures of that process.
I started on the frame by making the hole for the tube sleeve. There is no going back now... I decided to recess the box into the frame a bit because I did not want the gear box to protrude past the front of the frame rail. I also wanted to make sure I did not have too steep of an angle on the ujoint coming off the back of the gear box. I did not want to use a "spud shaft" on the end of the input shaft.
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