Electric Power Steering from City Racer……??

[Troy Pusateri]

Anyone use this on their rig yet? If so, likes/dislikes? Install process? Pros vs. Cons?

Electric Power Steering for '73 and later Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

Your opportunity to enjoy a leapfrog in technology and enter the Tesla age! A complete kit to convert your Land Cruiser FJ40 to electric power steering. Developed by EZ Electric Power Steering using components produced by Koyo and NSK, both made in Japan and affiliated with Toyota.Compatible...

www.cityracerllc.com

CITY RACER ELECTRIC POWER STEERING

 

[Mike Shull]

From the page that you posted it looks like @wngrog installed this kit.

Post in thread 'Whitey Forty - Tilda Bogue Service Station'
Builds - Whitey Forty - Tilda Bogue Service Station - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/whitey-forty-tilda-bogue-service-station.1333114/post-15411567

 

[Jdc1]

I’ve installed 3, a really great upgrade for those that don’t have huge tires and don’t wheel hard, almost drop in. Pros- straight forward install and self contained. Cons- none if you follow the directions and plan your work.

 

[wngrog]

Great kits. I've done 4-5x of them.

 

[ducktapeguy]

Just installed mine a few months ago and I’m happy with it. Installation was pretty easy and well documented. It’s expensive but worth it if you don’t want to spend time piecing together your own system.

Pros
Easy to install. Took me a weekend but probably could have done it in a day if I was focused,
Complete turnkey kit
No modifications needed, completely reversible.

Cons
Expensive. However, this is a complete replacement and could sell your old steering column to offset the cost. Or to make it an apples to apples comparison you’d have to add the cost of buying steering column for a DIY approach. If you add up the cost of a DIY system and factor in your time fabricating, researching, and troubleshooting, it starts to look more reasonable.

i do have a small “kickback” if im turning while idling. I think the voltage is dropping too low because it’s putting max load while the alternator isn’t producing any power. It doesn’t happen at all if I’m driving and I could probably increase my idle speed to eliminate it but it doesn’t bother me that much.

 

[POPO AGIE]

It maybe an easy kit to install and more cost effective but will not fix the inherent issues with FJ40 steering set up. That is why I did not go with is option. I wanted to eliminate as many of the moving parts in the FJ40 steering set up to stop the wandering on the highway. Not to mention the kick back from a tire hitting a rock or other hard object when off road. Watch out where you have your thumbs.

My 40 used to be my DD and tried to driving it on long highway runs and it was exhausting and you had to stay on top it all the time.

 

[Jdc1]

A dialed in 60 steering conversion is a beautiful thing- for a rig that doesn’t need to stay stock. The EPS kit with rebuild linkage is also really nice and maintains the 40 feeling.

 

[POPO AGIE]

A dialed in 60 steering conversion is a beautiful thing- for a rig that doesn’t need to stay stock. The EPS kit with rebuild linkage is also really nice and maintains the 40 feeling.

I used the upgraded FJ80 steering box and 80 intermediate shaft and u-joints and found that the size the u-joints placed it very close to the R2.8 water pump nozzle.

 

[Jdc1]

I used the upgraded FJ80 steering box and 80 intermediate shaft and u-joints and found that the size the u-joints placed it very close to the R2.8 water pump nozzle.

Was the steering linkage in place when you mocked the engine up? Any room for movement on the 2.8?

 

[POPO AGIE]

No I installed the R2.8 and gear boxes first. The kit I used from Overland Cruisers offset the drive train the same as the Toyota does away from the differentials. I also had to remove the shock towers and replaced with F250 towers. I would have to cut the PS mounts and add to the DS mounts on the motor and make new mounts for the 2F bell housing supports. I did add a 1/4" plate on the outside of the frame to move the steering box away from the water pump nozzle but once I started mocking up the intermediate shaft and u-joints I had shim another 1/4" out from the frame and not run into the new shock tower again. I also shimmed the DS shock tower out 1/2" from the frame to make room for the steering. I did not know the FJ80 u-joints were so big but had already committed to the FJ80 intermediate shaft. I wanted strong components and I got them.
The trouble with doing these upgrades you don't know how different systems will interface and R2.8 is much wider then the F series I6s. It also so much shorter there are more components packed in a smaller place.

 

[squeezer]

My 78 has had the City racer EPS for two years now. It is a dead simple install and works reasonably well. There were a few times when running the Rubicon where a bit more assist would have been nice but for 99% of the other miles it works great. With castor shims and well maintained factory components the steering feel is great, no slop, hunting, or vagueness of any kind.

i would 100% do this conversion again.

 

[numby]

i do have a small “kickback” if im turning while idling. I think the voltage is dropping too low because it’s putting max load while the alternator isn’t producing any power. It doesn’t happen at all if I’m driving and I could probably increase my idle speed to eliminate it but it doesn’t bother me that much.

I was wondering if that was the case. Thanks for confirming it... and that it's not a big deal. Most older Cruiser alternators barely put out below 800rpm or thereabouts so I'm always thinking about battery drain at low speeds. I'll start saving my $.

 

[405]

I have it installed on my '82. Great setup.

 

[MAR FJ40]

Mine arrived last week for my '76, packaged really well for international shipping. Will be a while before I get it installed....

 

[ducktapeguy]

I was wondering if that was the case. Thanks for confirming it... and that it's not a big deal. Most older Cruiser alternators barely put out below 800rpm or thereabouts so I'm always thinking about battery drain at low speeds. I'll start saving my $.

To be clear, the kick back I'm talking about is the power steering assist cutting out suddenly so it feels like the wheel hit something. I can see the volt meter dropping when I turn so I'm pretty sure it's the voltage drop causing it. It's possible that my battery is weak which could also contribute to the problem, a new or larger battery probably won't drop as much voltage under load. It only happens if I'm completely stopped and turning while idling all at the same time. If I'm rolling slightly while idling, it doesn't happen. Also if I rev the engine slightly, it doesn't happen. In normal day to day driving it's not a problem, but for someone building a rock crawler where they would doing a lot of steering while at idle a hydraulic system would probably work better.