I just did my mini truck power steering conversion a couple weeks ago and wanted to tell everyone who doesn't have p/s why they should do it now.
I've had my Land Cruiser for 5 years now, and if I had to start again, this would be my first mod. I started with brakes, clutch, electrical, etc. Basic stuff that everyone should do in the beginning. Those are important!
The first luxury and costly thing I did was a 4" suspension kit. The power steering has been the best mod by far to this point and it was relatively easy to do. If I had to do it again, I would've done this first.
I followed romers install
My Mini-truck Power Steering Install
A lot of good info there and very detailed. The pulley and belt was the only thing I've never found a definitive answer for. I just wanted to add some details for those thinking of doing this conversion.
First off, you need to find the parts. The gearbox (79-85 Pickup or 4-Runner) is usually the most expensive and hardest part to find. I got lucky and found a couple in my uncle's Toyota junk yard for free. The Saginaw pump can be found in any salvage yard or you can get a new one from any parts store. The used one will come with a pulley and fittings, but the new one won't. They were used on everything from the 60s to now.
Mud member orangefj45 sells the Bill Dorry style brackets to mount the pump and gearbox. These were my most costly parts, but well worth it. I would definitely recommend ordering these and making your swap much easier. You could fabricate your own, but for me, the time and effort outweighed the cost. For $189 I got brackets AND mounting hardware for the pump and gearbox. I used a GM pump from a mid 80s Chevy truck with the press on style pulley. NAPA made my high pressure hose by ordering an '84 Toyota hose and adding a GM fitting. I also found a belt that works with the narrow GM pulley and the wider Toyota crank pulley. It's a utility belt for lawnmowers, etc. It fits the wide and narrow pulleys and works on both. I added a p/s cooler, but some people don't. Optional I guess.
Parts you need and what I paid:
79-85 Pickup or 4-Runner gearbox- $0
GM Saginaw Pump - $20 from salvage yard
Mounting Brackets and Hardware - $189
High Pressure Hose - $26 NAPA
49" Utility Belt #4L490 - $11 AutoZone
Power Steering Cooler Kit - $20 Car Quest
Return Hose, Clamps, Fluid ~ $25 - $35
I would suggest finding a used pump just because it comes with the pulley and fittings and they're cheap. You can order a new one for around $60, but you'll have to find a pulley and return fittings.
If you can find a used gearbox with the pitman arm, you can save some time, money, and effort there as well. The pitman arm will work just fine on the FJ40. It's a little shorter and tucks in a little closer to the frame, but I've had no steering problems with it. I've seen some people swap them, but I don't see the point. It doesn't affect anything.
The hardest part of the conversion was removing the old manual gearbox mount. My best advice is to use a grinder or cutoff wheel to shave the rivets down flush. Then use a center punch to start a hole and drill with smaller to larger bits until you can use a punch to get them out. BFH and a pry bar. I had to clearance the firewall a little for the steering column as well. Just used the Dremel and a chisel. From start to finish, it took me about a full day, but I had to stop and entertain my 2 year old when she got tired of scrubbing parts. LOL
Salvage Yard Pump:
'84 Gearbox with Pitman Arm:
Old Gearbox Removed:
P/S Finished:
I've had my Land Cruiser for 5 years now, and if I had to start again, this would be my first mod. I started with brakes, clutch, electrical, etc. Basic stuff that everyone should do in the beginning. Those are important!
The first luxury and costly thing I did was a 4" suspension kit. The power steering has been the best mod by far to this point and it was relatively easy to do. If I had to do it again, I would've done this first.
I followed romers install
My Mini-truck Power Steering Install
A lot of good info there and very detailed. The pulley and belt was the only thing I've never found a definitive answer for. I just wanted to add some details for those thinking of doing this conversion.
First off, you need to find the parts. The gearbox (79-85 Pickup or 4-Runner) is usually the most expensive and hardest part to find. I got lucky and found a couple in my uncle's Toyota junk yard for free. The Saginaw pump can be found in any salvage yard or you can get a new one from any parts store. The used one will come with a pulley and fittings, but the new one won't. They were used on everything from the 60s to now.
Mud member orangefj45 sells the Bill Dorry style brackets to mount the pump and gearbox. These were my most costly parts, but well worth it. I would definitely recommend ordering these and making your swap much easier. You could fabricate your own, but for me, the time and effort outweighed the cost. For $189 I got brackets AND mounting hardware for the pump and gearbox. I used a GM pump from a mid 80s Chevy truck with the press on style pulley. NAPA made my high pressure hose by ordering an '84 Toyota hose and adding a GM fitting. I also found a belt that works with the narrow GM pulley and the wider Toyota crank pulley. It's a utility belt for lawnmowers, etc. It fits the wide and narrow pulleys and works on both. I added a p/s cooler, but some people don't. Optional I guess.
Parts you need and what I paid:
79-85 Pickup or 4-Runner gearbox- $0
GM Saginaw Pump - $20 from salvage yard
Mounting Brackets and Hardware - $189
High Pressure Hose - $26 NAPA
49" Utility Belt #4L490 - $11 AutoZone
Power Steering Cooler Kit - $20 Car Quest
Return Hose, Clamps, Fluid ~ $25 - $35
I would suggest finding a used pump just because it comes with the pulley and fittings and they're cheap. You can order a new one for around $60, but you'll have to find a pulley and return fittings.
If you can find a used gearbox with the pitman arm, you can save some time, money, and effort there as well. The pitman arm will work just fine on the FJ40. It's a little shorter and tucks in a little closer to the frame, but I've had no steering problems with it. I've seen some people swap them, but I don't see the point. It doesn't affect anything.
The hardest part of the conversion was removing the old manual gearbox mount. My best advice is to use a grinder or cutoff wheel to shave the rivets down flush. Then use a center punch to start a hole and drill with smaller to larger bits until you can use a punch to get them out. BFH and a pry bar. I had to clearance the firewall a little for the steering column as well. Just used the Dremel and a chisel. From start to finish, it took me about a full day, but I had to stop and entertain my 2 year old when she got tired of scrubbing parts. LOL
Salvage Yard Pump:
'84 Gearbox with Pitman Arm:
Old Gearbox Removed:
P/S Finished:
