DIY Electric Power Steering

[1973Guppie]

I believe you would have Jim. One of your strong suites was going after innovations, even if they didn't work out in the long run. Like the 2F-TH adapter.

Keep in mind tho that times have changed. You and I were raised in a time when people were building these rigs to wheel them hard, and eliminating those middlemen was important. Now the market is largely comprised of resto-mod guys who aren't using their rigs the same way. For the amount of miles they're gonna drive, and their limited use off road, it fills a niche.

As always, time will tell.

well said, the days of the "cheap fj40" are mostly gone. As the value of these rigs have skyrocketed people want to keep them as an investment.

 

[bikersmurf]

Could this be installed under the hood at the other side of the firewall?

Being over 6' I'd not want anything at my shins. It would also mean that only the inner steering shaft would need to be modified.

I'd consider going this route if I'd not already rounded up all the parts for a Scout II Saginaw conversion... also, unfortunately, I'm going to need full boost... or steering on Novocaine as I've heard it described. Health issues suck

 

[Matt N]

I recently bought a 1978 FJ40. I live in a congested city w/ tight parking and often parallel parking. It was a chore to park. After doing some research on the possible options I decided to give electric a try. The hydraulic options all involve a large change to the existing steering setup - new steering box, hoses, hydraulic pump, frame mods, changes to the steering geometry, etc. While these are well proven....I'm more of a DIY type of guy and figured this might be beyond my capabilities and also more expensive. As I'm not planning to lift my truck nor put big tires on it - the electric seemed like it was worth a try. It's also very easily reversed back to stock - just put the old column back in.

(About the same time I started this project another thread with the professional EZ Power Steering (that @Racer65 also sells) was started here - another good resource of information. Buying one ready to go is a very very good option for many!)

I remembered a post on another car forum I frequent about the EZ Power Steering out of the Netherlands. The steering columns are very similar between that car and a FJ40 with an inner rod and outer tube and a straight shot thru the firewall to the manual box. Sure enough - EZ Power Steering has one for roughly $2000 for the FJ40.

After some more research (aka googling) I figured I'd build one myself and started assembling the pieces. I started with a spare column bought off another member and the power steering assist unit and controller on eBay. Trying to figure out all the other parts and the right couplers to use was a bigger exercise - until I found Ken at Welcome to ePowerSteering.com. Ken was EXTREMELY helpful providing the right pieces, trouble-shooting some problems (self inflicted), and calibrating the system. I'd STRONGLY suggest buying from Ken instead of cobbling the pieces together yourself. If I do another car he'll be my first call - well worth the few extra $s for the assistance he provides. He also tests everything vs. the risk of a junkyard or an eBay purchase and welds the correct spline on the input shaft - which was a bit tricky for a novice welder like myself. This is definitely something that can be done by the DIY hobbyist or Ken has some local fabricators that can do it.

Here's what I needed -

• power steering assist motor (ebay this time but Ken next time)
• control box (ebay this time but Ken next time)
• electrical connections (got from Ken)
• splined connection to weld to steering wheel side of the unit (got from Ken)
• weld on splined connections for the cut inner shaft (Woodward C102 and C114 per Ken)
• upper tube flange (Ken)
• lower tube flange (Napa #EXH 41939)
• shaft collar for lower tube to box connection (MSC #75241448)
• various electrical bits - your application may vary. I ended up putting a 2nd fuse box for this and some other planned additions behind the duct work on the passenger side footwell. I also had my alternator re-wound to 105 amps.

I've had it working for a couple weeks now. I'm very happy. The adjustment knob is a nice feature. All the way counter-clockwise = off on mine. I've got it at about 30% on the FJ40 which seems good. Steering gets really numb above that. I was told the unit could draw 50 amps...mine clearly is not. I only had a 40 amp fuse handy and even with 100% assist and full lock-to-lock with 30"x10" MT tires the fuse doesn't blow. I've also watched the voltage on my multi-meter - not much of a drop.

I will admit it's not perfect and would do a few things differently the next time.

• I should have measured 3 or 4 times and cut once vs. measuring twice. I would have mounted the unit about 3/16" further from the firewall. I had to notch the brake pedal slightly - which was also mentioned by a poster in the thread about the EZ kit. Another 3/16" would have made a big difference.
• The Napa flange and the flange Ken supplied for the outer tube are not exactly the same size as the FJ40 outer tube. I'm not very good at TiG welding thin wall round tube and not being a perfect fit made it tricky for me to weld. Structurally I'm confident the tube is strong - but I did have to do some grinding and bondo to pretty up the appearance.
• The motor for the unit is really close to the fuse box. There might be a better option with a shorter motor available. I can still change the fuses but it is close. Could be possible to relocate the fuse box slightly.
• The shaft collar solution to attaching the lower outer tube to the steering assist unit works...but is a bit clunky. I'd probably do that different. Maybe slot the tube and weld a couple nuts on either side of the slot w/ a bolt to tighten.
• I remote mounted part of the unit's brains behind the radio. Very tight location. Probably a better place to put that.
• Repeating myself - buy your stuff from Ken at Welcome to ePowerSteering.com.

And the pics -

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Before I make the plunge does Ken's kit ePowerSteering.com come with everything needed? connectors, flange, shaft collar,...& the other odds and ends?... I'd like a all in one package save trips to the parts store...

 

[x463]

Could this be installed under the hood at the other side of the firewall?

Being over 6' I'd not want anything at my shins. It would also mean that only the inner steering shaft would need to be modified.

I'd consider going this route if I'd not already rounded up all the parts for a Scout II Saginaw conversion... also, unfortunately, I'm going to need full boost... or steering on Novocaine as I've heard it described. Health issues suck

It would probably fit inside the hood - depends what other equipment you may or may not have in that area. The challenge would likely be trying to secure it to something so it doesn't spin. You'd have to fab up a bracket. I'd also be worried about the heat from the exhaust manifold. May shorten the unit's life???

Regardless - I'm 6'2". My shins don't come to the assist unit. My shins are at an angle with my knees close to the steering wheel and heel on floor aft of the clutch pedal. Shins are nowhere close to anything with or without the electric steering.

Boost....you would be fine. I'm operating at no more then 30% boost. At 100% the steering is extremely light.

 

[x463]

Before I make the plunge does Ken's kit ePowerSteering.com come with everything needed? connectors, flange, shaft collar,...& the other odds and ends?... I'd like a all in one package save trips to the parts store...

List in 1st post...or call Ken and ask.

 

[Trollhole]

We don't have to buy anything else when installing the kit. Ken is a good guy.

 

[Racer65]

Could this be installed under the hood at the other side of the firewall?

Being over 6' I'd not want anything at my shins. It would also mean that only the inner steering shaft would need to be modified.

Speaking based on my EZ Power Steering Kit, the unit has no chance of intruding with your leg room. The motor is approximately above the clutch and brake pedals, meaning it's above your feet, not your legs. Those pedals won't ever travel higher.

 

[DieselFJ]

So does Toyota have a similar electric motor that could be used instead of the Saturn Vue?

 

[Racer65]

So does Toyota have a similar electric motor that could be used instead of the Saturn Vue?

The EZ kit in the link above uses a brand new electric motor from Toyota OEM supplier, but you're not going to get that $600 to 700-ish starting price. For that price you'll be building your own kit with a used Saturn Vue motor.

 

[x463]

The EPS unit from the Saturn Vue is not a GM part. It's a Japanese made part used in a huge range of cars from various different makes. The Saturn Vue just happens to be the most common and easy to find donor here in the USA. I believe Koyo was the supplier if my memory is correct but I'm not unbolting it to find out.

 

[DieselFJ]

The EPS unit from the Saturn Vue is not a GM part. It's a Japanese made part used in a huge range of cars from various different makes. The Saturn Vue just happens to be the most common and easy to find donor here in the USA. I believe Koyo was the supplier if my memory is correct but I'm not unbolting it to find out.

Awesome, that's what I was wondering, I still like the quality of Japanese parts. I'll be hitting the junk yard to grab a couple in the near future. BTW, they are Koyo parts, I found a picture online that shows the part with the KOYO in the casting.

Thanks
Scott

 

[DieselFJ]

So I finished my DIY power steering the other day and I am really impressed with the results. Even at 100% it is not as powerful as a Saginaw setup at idle, but it is better than a stock setup in both a 40 and a 60. It feels a little different due to the fact that engine RPM's don't have an impact on the steering at all, but that is just the difference between driving an electric vs. a hydraulic. I did a few things different than x463 did in his setup, so I'll add some pictures that shows my setup. If anyone has any questions please fell free to ask. Oh, and I just want to give a shout out to Ken at epowersteering.com for all the help. Great guy and great prices, I'd never hesitate to order anything from him.

I figure I'd mention a couple details. My upper tube is 1.5" conduit swedged at the end. this allowed for the Saturn Vue slip joint to have clearance. By using the larger tube the column cover had to be sanded slightly to fit around the new sized tube. I also used the upper shaft from the factory setup, cut at the welded flange, then welded that to the Vue slip joint that I cut to accept the upper factory shaft. By doing this I was able to get a collapsible steering shaft and also not modify the factory VUE steering box. I wanted to make it so if I needed to replace it in the future I wouldn't have to cut and weld anything, just cut the two mounting ears off for box and bolt it right up.

I also left the controller box where it was mounted from factory, I'm just under 6' tall and I have no clearance issues, not even close. But that being said it could be remotely mounted if someone wants.


Cost roughly $230 give a take a few dollars, but I did all my own welding and fabrication, and I sourced a PS motor from a salvage yard which really helped.

 

[DieselFJ]

A couple more

 

[DieselFJ]

I had a question about how I kept the motor from rotating, here is a picture of the upper column with the stock upper mounting bracket welded to it.

 

[x463]

I don't believe welding the upper tube to the dash bracket is required - but no harm either. Belt and suspenders approach. On mine the lower tube with the firewall mount keeps the motor in place - with the huge shaft collar. I think your welded nuts and a bolt would likely still be sufficient.

 

[DieselFJ]

I don't believe welding the upper tube to the dash bracket is required - but no harm either. Belt and suspenders approach. On mine the lower tube with the firewall mount keeps the motor in place - with the huge shaft collar. I think your welded nuts and a bolt would likely still be sufficient.

So I had it that way to begin with and your right the lower bolt did hold it, especially since the upper clamp was providing pressure as well. I had it all painted and ready to go then I started thinking about washboard roads etc.... and in the end decided to weld it probably overkill, but I couldn't help it.

If it wasn't for this thread you started I probably wouldn't have thought about this route, I'm glad I ran across it and more than happy with the setup. Thanks

BTW, anyone want some hydraulic PS parts for a 2H?

 

[x463]

So I had it that way to begin with and your right the lower bolt did hold it, especially since the upper clamp was providing pressure as well. I had it all painted and ready to go then I started thinking about washboard roads etc.... and in the end decided to weld it probably overkill, but I couldn't help it.

Nothing wrong with over-kill....it's a damn good idea and should probably be on the task list. I would just suggest trial fitting before welding the bracket to the tube.

If it wasn't for this thread you started I probably wouldn't have thought about this route, I'm glad I ran across it and more than happy with the setup. Thanks

No problem! It was a fun project and glad to contribute to the forum.

 

[DieselFJ]

Nothing wrong with over-kill....it's a damn good idea and should probably be on the task list. I would just suggest trial fitting before welding the bracket to the tube.

Absolutely, I actually tack welded it in the vehicle then removed it to weld it up.

 

[1973Guppie]

has anyone performed this e steering conversion on an earlier one piece shaft cruiser? interested in learning more about HOW to get this done on a 1972 fj40

 

[powthief19]

A couple more


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Thanks for sharing, I'm about to embark on this adventure myself. Would you mind sharing some rough dimensions on the length of your fabricated outer pieces? Looking for somewhat of a reference/gut check number to compare to.

Cheers, Chris