Electric Power Steering in a 78 FJ40. (1 Viewer)

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Got the wiring squared. Large wire going from driver battery to the converter (12/24v). Power goes from there to the ESC module, the assist adjustment knob (potentiometer) and then to the steering shaft assist motor. It seems power is also supplies from the converter/step-down to the 12v stereo. I haven't chased the wiring to the hitch (7pin) back yet or read things out with the meter yet but more to follow...

Converter? You indeed found more nuggets. That's an optional module worth about $250, which just made it into production last month. With a standard 24V set up, the EPS setup draws current from one of the two batteries in a 24V car. The converter load balances the current from both of the batteries, thus ensuring equal battery life.
 
Sweeet! Well, from what little I can add to the thread, I can say that the system is at least 1-1 1/2 years old. It appears to work exceptionally well on-road. I'll try and give some feedback when I get a chance to take off the beaten path. At least I can be a "long-term" tester for those worried about durability.
 
Good catch Sarge - thanks!

(Edit) it was there, just pushed out of the firewall - good to go now.
 
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@mdkaboom - Have you had a chance to test the EPS in off road conditions? If so, hard core off road or mild fire road stuff? I'm either going to do this EPS or Mudrak's. Thanks for any feedback on it.
 
@mdkaboom - Have you had a chance to test the EPS in off road conditions? If so, hard core off road or mild fire road stuff? I'm either going to do this EPS or Mudrak's. Thanks for any feedback on it.
I took it off-road several times before I left Italy. It was mostly dirt trails up in the hills-lots of ruts and rocks but nothing I would call "hardcore". The system has never given me any problems and is going on three or so years of service (much of that daily driven on sh*tty Italian country roads).

The difference it makes with everyday maneuveres and parking is unbelievable. Honestly I just forget that it's electric most of the time and I don't think I would hesitate to take it anywhere a stock(ish) 40 series could handle.

Another perk with the EZ EPS is the ability to adjust the assist level. In the woods or in the city you can keep it super light with lots of assist and on the highway you can turn it down for some weight and feel.
 
Thinking about this for my 80 series, wonder if it's powerful enough?
 
From what I'm seeing with mine, I think it would be fine on an 80 for street driving. I haven't had a chance to do any wheeling yet. I'm curious how it will handle 33 x 12.50's in rocks on mine.
I would think doing that in an 80 will be a lot more complicated than a 40. Why noy OEM power steering?
 
From what I'm seeing with mine, I think it would be fine on an 80 for street driving. I haven't had a chance to do any wheeling yet. I'm curious how it will handle 33 x 12.50's in rocks on mine.
I would think doing that in an 80 will be a lot more complicated than a 40. Why noy OEM power steering?


Just tired of the leaks and pump may be going. I have 35's on with DOM tubing links. So the motor needs to be torquey. I'm thinking I can stop the power robbing vane pump and remove it and put on a block off plate
 
anybody get solid feedback on how it does off road? Not talking about 37inch tire rock crawling but will it be safe to take on some moderate level trails and not worry about burning up the motor?
 
anybody get solid feedback on how it does off road? Not talking about 37inch tire rock crawling but will it be safe to take on some moderate level trails and not worry about burning up the motor?

Yes. These units are very popular in dune buggies. I'm guessing the limiting factor is probably the factory linkage and steering box not the EPS when going to very large tires and/or extreme off-road conditions.
 
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
I'm also thinking about this on my 72 40, any feedback would be appreciated. Or do I need to buy a steering shaft from a 73 on up?
 
Purchased a 1968 FJ40 about a month as my first restomod and just recently decided to purchase the EZ EPS as my first mod. Shoutout to @Racer65 for the quick turnaround despite being on vacation! With all my excitement to get this project underway I failed to realize the early FJs have the one piece steering columns :doh: has any progress been made on the doc to help remote shops do the custom fab work needed? Hoping someone can steer me in the right direction *pun intended* :steer:
 
Is the difference at the rag joint (i.e. there is none) or inside the truck?

**edit**

My bad, just reread the thread, momentary brain fart...

@Racer65 is it a huge deal to swap/modify the earlier steering boxes to a later unit if the shifter has been relocated?

Also - thanks again for your help -Ez hooked me up with a replacement unit. Turns out the "prototype" in my troopy was actually like 11 or 12 years old. So for anybody wondering - these setups are built to last.
 
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Okay, so completely out of left field......

I was reading up on this thread, considering the possibilty of getting one of these systems for my BJ. I made my way to the ezpowersteering.nl website and upon clicking brands, and then toyota, noticed the blue cruiser in the pictures looked familiar.

I swore to my better half "this looks just like mine!". Low and behold, it is my cruiser. I went out tonight and verified that sure enough, my BJ45 has what looks like an early version of this electric steering installed. I saw the wiring going from the driver battery to the fuse panel when I picked her up, but initially wrote it off as for the 12v aftermarket stereo. I hadn't had a chance to really look under the dash to figure out what the small switch and dial (potentiometer) were for but you can be damned sure I just went out and checked... Too cool! I don't think it is activated or hooked up so I will grab my DVOM and check things out better in the daylight this weekend.

Here are some pics (sorry for the bad light - night shot). I've no idea when/where/how it was installed but please let me know if you have any comments or questions about it.

You had me excited for a moment... I ran out to my truck and peaked under the dash. :( I didn’t have the same luck... no one snuck in P/S while I was napping. That’s the down side of being my own rigs PO. Having owned my rig for close to 27 years, I can only blame myself for what’s there... and there are no hidden gems. All there are, are things that my 18 year old self should have done better or spent more on... or I’m glad I did well.

My biggest piece of advice after owning my 40 for 27 years... spend the money to build it right the first time... 27 years later you won’t care about the cost, but you will enjoy the well built truck you’ve had so long.
 
You had me excited for a moment... I ran out to my truck and peaked under the dash. :( I didn’t have the same luck... no one snuck in P/S while I was napping. That’s the down side of being my own rigs PO. Having owned my rig for close to 27 years, I can only blame myself for what’s there... and there are no hidden gems. All there are, are things that my 18 year old self should have done better or spent more on... or I’m glad I did well.

My biggest piece of advice after owning my 40 for 27 years... spend the money to build it right the first time... 27 years later you won’t care about the cost, but you will enjoy the well built truck you’ve had so long.
I'm just waiting for one of these cats who buys a truck from Columbia to post up about their finding a hidden "gem" :D
 
Is the difference at the rag joint (i.e. there is none) or inside the truck?

**edit**

My bad, just reread the thread, momentary brain fart...

@Racer65 is it a huge deal to swap/modify the earlier steering boxes to a later unit if the shifter has been relocated?

Also - thanks again for your help -Ez hooked me up with a replacement unit. Turns out the "prototype" in my troopy was actually like 11 or 12 years old. So for anybody wondering - these setups are built to last.

My 72 FJ40 had the one piece steering column too. Back in the 80's, I broke the box and replaced it with a box with a rag joint, cause it was all I could find. It can be done but I needed the doner box and column, and still had to alter the column to fit properly. The 72 box's frame mount worked fine and I think I had to alter the turn signal wiring.
 
Just to chime in here.....
I've just fitted one of @Racer65 kits and it's absolutely worth every cent IMO

It may not be the cheapest option but i'm very happy with the purchase and it absolutely transforms the car.
Best part is that you can just turn down the sensitivity on highway and it goes back to non-assisted steering like it was so the car won't wonder all over the road :)
 
So I have a 10/71 production 72 FJ with 33x12.50x15 KM3's on it and I just got it back from the paint shop and I want to install a pwr steering kit. Is this my best option? I have attached a couple pics of my 40. I do plan to mildly wheel it to some of my favorite fishing spots .
FJ Santa Cruz.JPG
FJ Front Bumper.JPG
FJ Side View.JPG
 

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