I don't know where all these stories are coming from. Perhaps it's the fabulous prizes that are dragging these yarners out of the wood work.
But I know that steering box and shaft, I was there when it was modified like that.
It was a while back, when I was still new to the Landcruiser scene. As a matter of fact, many of us in our club were still fairly new. One member, I'm sure you Awl know of him, was a really good welder, but still a little shy on engineering skills.
And I'll tell you right now, that steering box and shaft is not off an FJ, it's off a BJ.
Well any way, this welder that we Awl know wanted to build a header for the BJ, so he got himself a bunch of stainless steel tube and elbows and as he always does, welded up a beautiful header, graceful curves, outstanding TIG beads, absolutely stunning workmanship and exhaust gas tight joints. Every pipe exactly the same length so that every cylinder would have the exact same back pressure, none of the curves more than 90* in one turn.
A fawking french horn maker would be jealous of his creation.
I was there when this welder that we Awl know went to install the header. I got a tell you, I've never seen this guy so dejected. This beautiful piece of work, art really, stuck out so far from the block that it hit the steering shaft. Yes, the very steering shaft that is shown in the OP.
Did I mention how dejected this welder that we Awl know was. I'm telling you, he broke, ready to throw it all away, and what I mean by that, was buy a Jeep. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
It was a good thing I was there when he went to install that header, because I saved the day.
I'm the one that said, "hey, we can just bend the steering shaft towards the frame".
So that's what we did. We took a big crow bar, the 5' long type, and just slid it down towards the frame, sliding it across the valve cover and under the steering shaft, and just pushed up, modifying the shaft so that the new header would fit. And those beautiful, finely crafted headers slipped in to place, and a Landcruiser world disaster was averted.
No I got'a tell you, that ol' BJ lost a bit of it's turning radius, and was, well, down right awful for wheeling,, and just as bad for street driving so this welder that we Awl know sold it someone in the States. I have no idea how it ended up at Midwest Landcruisers, or eventually you Mark. The buyer, if I recall, was from some where in the mid-west, but I'm sure it wasn't a shop. Maybe a guy with two or three young dogs, I don't quite remember, but the buyer was pretty cool though.
So, now you know the real story behind this mod, and as for a prize, I'd be happy with a fan resistor, so I can once again have both high, and low speeds on my heater fan.
and I are going to spend a couple of weeks bobbing around the Caribbean this winter, and be making a trip to the east coast in the summer, so that'll be it for travels this year.
