DIY Electric Power Steering (1 Viewer)

[x463]

OCTOBER 2020 - UPDATE - HAD A PROBLEM W/ ONE OF THE SPLINED CONNECTORS.

SEE POST WITH UPDATE HERE- > LINK

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) SEE OCTOBER UPDATE!!! ONE FAILED!!!!!!
• 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.
• SEE UPDATE OCTOBER 2020!!!! PROBLEM WITH ONE OF THE SPLINED CONNECTORS!!!

And the pics -

 

[x463]

Here are the installed inside pics:

 

[micruz60]

Awesome! Looks great, not too crowded in the shinbang to clutch foot?

This is moving up my preferred to-do list... but $2000?

 

[Jdc1]

Awesome! Looks great, not too crowded in the shinbang to clutch foot?

This is moving up my preferred to-do list... but $2000?

Clicking on the link the complete kit is $625. This looks like a great option.

 

[x463]

Awesome! Looks great, not too crowded in the shinbang to clutch foot?

This is moving up my preferred to-do list... but $2000?

Not crowded at all with the clutch.

$2000 for a purchased/complete ready to bolt in unit from EZ in the Netherlands (@Racer65 sells it also) isn't a bad price - I suspect a hydraulic setup would end up costing close to that or more depending on the labor rate.

I built mine for roughly $5-600 not factoring in the welding consumables and some of the wiring stuff I already had. And of course I wasn't paying for my own time.

 

[RobNasty]

Can you comment on the costs? I've been tossing around the idea of using the electric column/assist from a Saturn Vue, the controller from Ebay, and figuring out the mechanical connection...

 

[x463]

Clicking on the link the complete kit is $625. This looks like a great option.

Just keep in mind that "complete kit" isn't exactly what we need. For example the universal joint pictured wouldn't be needed for our application. You'd have to talk to them to get exactly what would be needed.

 

[x463]

Can you comment on the costs? I've been tossing around the idea of using the electric column/assist from a Saturn Vue, the controller from Ebay, and figuring out the mechanical connection...

Added...overlooked in the initial post.

 

[78fj40mg]

Very nice write up and build! Very affordable at $600 DIY project.

 

[1973Guppie]

this is good info that it is only about $600 for a do it yourself kit, makes it more reasonable. IMO, if I were to spend $2k on parts I would just go through the trouble of doing a saginaw or a mini truck conversion. But at $600 it is more feasible.

 

[x463]

this is good info that it is only about $600 for a do it yourself kit, makes it more reasonable. IMO, if I were to spend $2k on parts I would just go through the trouble of doing a saginaw or a mini truck conversion. But at $600 it is more feasible.

It works really really well - even at full retail for a purchased kit I'd probably do it over hydraulic. It's simple in comparison and easily reversible. Stock trucks are always worth more and I'm always worried about the PO's craftsmanship when buying an old car. Apparently the mini truck solution can't handle big tires. I don't know what the upper limit on tire size electric can handle but I've only got it dialed in for about 30% assist on my current 30" MTs (going to 31"s soon). Maybe if you had really big tires the saginaw would be better.

 

[abqcruiser]

I put one on my fj 55 project. I didn't know there was a kit available, so I picked up the unit from a Saturn Vue at the junk yard and the controller off ebay. I'm running 33's on my pig. I haven't driven it much, but so far so good. I'll know more in the next couple of months.

It's good that other mudders are trying this. At the time, I thought I was the only one. I didn't even bother posting it on my build, didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if they were thinking about following in my foot steps, in the event that it became a complete failure.

 

[Racer65]

It works really really well - even at full retail for a purchased kit I'd probably do it over hydraulic. It's simple in comparison and easily reversible. Stock trucks are always worth more and I'm always worried about the PO's craftsmanship when buying an old car. Apparently the mini truck solution can't handle big tires. I don't know what the upper limit on tire size electric can handle but I've only got it dialed in for about 30% assist on my current 30" MTs (going to 31"s soon). Maybe if you had really big tires the saginaw would be better.

Kudos to you for taking the road less traveled. I'd like to add to what you stated. The pros and cons here shouldn't just circle around cost. The electric conversion is less intrusive; it will not leak; it is less labor intensive to install, and does not add more clutter to the engine compartment (Imagine the number of belts, pulleys, pumps in a smog equipped FJ40 with PS and AC). I would always opt to pay for technology over paying for labor.

 

[x463]

Kudos to you for taking the road less traveled. I'd like to add to what you stated. The pros and cons here shouldn't just circle around cost. The electric conversion is less intrusive; it will not leak; it is less labor intensive to install, and does not add more clutter to the engine compartment (Imagine the number of belts, pulleys, pumps in a smog equipped FJ40 with PS and AC). I would always opt to pay for technology over paying for labor.

Agreed. The electric just makes so much sense for many reasons. I have a fully restored/correct 78 emissions system with the air pump. I'm going to run the truck topless this summer. If I don't like topless - I'll add AC before the next summer. Adding a pump for conventional power steering and the AC compressor is going to be very tricky. Sure...I could desmog my truck and put the fluid pump where the smog pump lives but it's working correctly now - ain't broke don't fix it. The smog garbage also makes my truck much more valuable to a Cali resident. Until it fails I'm leaving it in place. If I end up never adding AC I didn't waste the time or $ juggling precious space at the front of the engine.

 

[MoCoNative]

All good points, I probably should have waited a bit longer for these electric solutions to gel. I put power steering on my 1973 FJ40, it was not overly simple or cheap. I actually found a 1979 factory power steering box for like 300 bucks on ebay, so I saved a lot there. Typically the factory boxes go for far more, or even a good mini-truck box. I didn't want to modify the frame bracket. I then used an FJ62 3F power steering pump and bracket. I made custom lines by piecing together cheap RockAuto Toyota lines and custom bent steel hardlines under the radiator, as a 3F pump mounts on the passenger side of the engine where the airpump was on a 1F, or the alternator on a 2F. That was the only factory slot I had on my 1F. But in the process, but the pump and box needed rebuild kits, and I also swapped out the all the pulleys on the front of the engine to 2F, including the water pump and went to a viscous fan. Had the whole front of the truck apart for this project. I didn't cut my steering shaft, as the factory steering box is over an inch longer, but instead shimmed the column back an inch.

Overall, I lost track of the costs and time, I did it, I really like the power steering now, and I'm not running huge tires. There were other benefits to the swapping I did, but in the long run, a bolt in column is pretty easy to do.

 

[Matt N]

I put one on my fj 55 project. I didn't know there was a kit available, so I picked up the unit from a Saturn Vue at the junk yard and the controller off ebay. I'm running 33's on my pig. I haven't driven it much, but so far so good. I'll know more in the next couple of months.

It's good that other mudders are trying this. At the time, I thought I was the only one. I didn't even bother posting it on my build, didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if they were thinking about following in my foot steps, in the event that it became a complete failure.

Checking in on this... Would you recommend the vue power steering?... Any lessons learned before I go pull one and attempt an install?
Thanks for the help!

 

[x463]

My unit came out of a Saturn Vue also.

 

[abqcruiser]

Checking in on this... Would you recommend the vue power steering?... Any lessons learned before I go pull one and attempt an install?
Thanks for the help!

If you are installing it in a 55 this might help.

Electric power steering for your pig

You need to pay attention to what year saturn Vue you pull the power steering from if you are using the same controller that I used, which I purchased off ebay.

 

[Downey]

Had Downey still been in business I'm sure we would have developed a version on the electrical P.S. installation kit, but we still would not have discontinued the Saginaw choice because of it's ability to eliminate several middle men in the stock steering system, middle men/operations that the electrical system still leaves in play.

 

[65swb45]

Had Downey still been in business I'm sure we would have developed a version on the electrical P.S. installation kit, but we still would not have discontinued the Saginaw choice because of it's ability to eliminate several middle men in the stock steering system, middle men/operations that the electrical system still leaves in play.

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.