Power steering, what do I need?

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bigsal

bigsal

Joined
May 25, 2010
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Sweating in the rainforest or Winters, CA
Just finished the TBI conversion on the pig and I got a saginaw pump along with the deal. I would like to convert the pig to power. Can you all tell me what parts I might need?

Can I adapt fj60 or 62 steering column and box to work with the saginaw pump?

Thanks!
 
Lil'John said:
Scout PS box, hoses, and shaft/ujoints between. No guess work, looks clean, and works well:cool: I'm pretty happy with mine.

The 60/62/IFS minitruck is much the same but not sure on the boost level nor what tire size you'll do.

I wouldn't touch a standard saginaw conversion in a 40 or 55;)
Click to expand...

33 10.5's and meduim wheeling.
So I can use the saginaw pump (make new hoses), but go for scout or 60 series parts? I've heard the minitruck route is fairly simple as well.

How does the steering column mate with the power steering box. I sense a weld job with that part.
 
Okay, I will chime in on this one. IMHO, power steering is the single best thing you can do for your cruiser. On mine I installed a 93 350. I pulled the steering box and pump out of a donor 93 half ton. I made a custom bracket set to bolt the box to which sandwiches the frame. Parts used: BTB collapsible steering shaft, relay rod and tie rod. New ball joints. Used the pitman arm on the box I got. You need a couple u-joints which I got from BTB also but others carry them to connect the steering shaft on each end. I have no clearance issues with my ram horn exhaust. Was a fairly simple fabrication and I even have card board patterns of the bracket plates I made. I have done 6 fj40 steering conversions and this was just as easy. I did have to notch the cross member below the radiator to move the box as forward as I could without cutting the cross member much. I have pics at home if you want to see.
 
Thanks Mike and lil John. In a few months I'm going to start focusing on this. I'd love to see a picture of how you connected the steering column to the box. That seems like the trick. Also the pitman arm end. We'll see what I come across for parts. I'm thinking I'll go with a fj60 box, but I'm also kinda opportunistic and will take what I can find easily too.
 
saginaw is easy on a 40, harder on a pig because of the distance between the bumper and front frame horn, plus it will locate the drag link at an angle on a pig since the axle is farther back. that said, i loved the saginaw on my 40, but it took a lot to get used to. there is no "feedback". weird to get used to but nice to turn 36" tires on the driveway at a standstill with one finger

look at the tire size you plan on running. i've heard the scout box is a bit tougher than the 60 boxes. no experience here yet, but i'll let you know, i'm doing 60 box on the pickle if i ever get it running just because i have a 60 box. i've have no issues with 60 boxes on 33 or smaller tires, or skinny tires, but i never ran any wider than 11" on my 60 so i don't know how much more the box will handle.

i'm not too worried about boost since i've armstronged for years.
 
Mako's power steering pics

Here are the first 3
Piggy 012.webp
Piggy 014.webp
Piggy 015.webp
 
Second set

Here's the second set.
Piggy 016.webp
Piggy 017.webp
Piggy 018.webp
 
hicruise55 said:
Never thought of the sag box on a 55!? Looks good!
Click to expand...


A Scout box IS a Saginaw box...it's just the only sag box with the forward facing pitman arm.
 
Pighead said:
A Scout box IS a Saginaw box...it's just the only sag box with the forward facing pitman arm.
Click to expand...

An astro box faces forward as well, but sits on the inside of and along side of the frame like a car box.

I think it would sit too far back on a pig.
 
I just completed an install of an Astro box on my '69. The box mounts a couple of inches to the rear of the one pictured by makomike. I used Astro power steering pump, steering column, mid shaft with u joints, box, and a drop pitman arm from a Camaro. The rig has a SBC and ramshorn manifolds. No cutting of crossmembers. No engine clearance problems and it bolts to the rear of the radiator. I'll give you it is a tight fit and there is not much room to move the install around but I am happy with the results.
I have done an Astro in a 40 and I believe this one came out better.
 
Sorry, I didn't bolt it onto the radiator. It's bolted to the frame about 1" from the radiator.
 
On my 40, I used an FJ55 steering column (splined on the end) and an FJ60 steering box on the frame. I took apart an FJ60 steering column, which has matching splines to both the FJ55 steering column and the steering box, then got a Corolla u-joint that also had the same spline pattern and used that as the intermediate shaft. If I were to do it again I'd go Borgeson (and probably will go this route someday). See my sig line, and TJ (PabloCruise above) did pretty much the same thing I did. Actually, it was the other way around - he did his first and I copied him - but we both copied Mark Whatley :D

Oh - and I have a Saginaw pump. The hose that JT Outfitters sells works fine to thread into a Saginaw pump and an FJ60 box.

Not sure if the FJ60 intermediate shaft solution will work on a Pig, but like I said I would go Borgeson and get a collapsible column if I were to do it again.
 
As soon as I pay my taxes, I'm going to start picking this thread apart and get this going...
 
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