new guy+fj40+PS=?????? (1 Viewer)

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At the beginning of the summer I bought myself a 89 FJ62 and fell in love (like everyone else on here did when they bought their truck). The problem is, not only my girlfriend, but my friends have too. After much pushing and prodding I got my friend to be "this close" to purchasing an FJ40, mechanically sound, rusty body, etc. etc... The only catch is, he can't believe how hard it is to steer.

How much, from soup to nuts, will it cost him to put in PS? Remember, a shop will be doing ALL of the work... he will need to buy the parts then bring it to the shop. How much $$$$$ doya think?

I tried looking in the technical links section before posting this but it was mostly about how to do it yourself. Then I tried to look at the Man-A-Fre site and I think it said you can't do it on a stock 2f, is that true?

Calling all PS experts, help us out??? ??? ???
 
what year is the 40?

Yes you can add OEM Toyota PS to a stock 2f. there are a few ways to do it.

One is using a mount(JTO and others sell one) that replaces the manual box pedestal and then a 79-85 toyota pick up PS box is mounted to it

Another is to use the stock fj40 PS box and it replace the manual unit and pedestal(this is the cleanest version)

if the motor(not the 40) is a 79+ then a fj60 PS pump bolts right up the block(just like stock PS) use a mini truck PS hi pressure hose($25) stock PS belt.

Some years(at least 81+, I think 79+) need the steering shaft cut and re-drilled(or cut an welded) this is the only cuting i had to do on mine. Earlier might not need cutting......dont know for sure.

you can get the parts you need(to do OEM PS) for Cruiserpartshttp://www.cruiserparts.net/parts/new/steering.html

or you could put together the same thing yourself for a few hundered less.

another option is a GM saginaw PS swap, it's more involved but better for big tires.

I did the OEM version on my green 82 and love it, so much so that I am doing the same version on my other 82 fj40, like i said on 79+ its virtually a bolt on deal. Will need a PS cooler(use small trany cooler)

just quessing on cost but if you had all the parts(for OEM or mini truck) then a shop might charge $400? I dunno?

John H
 
You can install PS on anything....I'd "guess" about $250 in junkyard parts and about 4-6 hours of shop-type labor. Unfortunately, it's not an entirely "bolt on" project, so the shop time can vary all over the place.

IMO, you outta make friends with some local Cruiser-nuts and see what you can find for local knowledge...my first PS conversion was a group project, and turned out great. The tools to do the project will cost less than the shop labor to install it.

Hate to say it, but Cruisers are a DIY truck....I learned this the hard way when I purchased my first FJ40 in 1989....2-3 trips to the local shop and my pocket book was pissed. At that point I'd never changed oil...now I know a little more... ;)
 
a friend of mine had the whole thing done with parts and work (he bought the parts and took them to the meck) for a little under $700 i think.

i didn't want to pay that much so i built my own.
i was less than $300 in parts.
 
I wonder, too, if it is that hard to steer, whether there isn't some other work to be done. I mean, I get around fine with "Armstrong steering", and I am no gorilla. IMHO you only need PS for finessing fine spots when you are offroading, and then only if you do it a lot.
 
I did have all my stock components checked by a pro after purchasing it but Woody is right, the name Land Cruiser evokes an image of deep pockets at some shops and after seeing and paying for work to be done I still feel that I could do a better job myself.

Time is my number one factor in determining if I'm willing to tackle a project myself. The quote I got for P.S. on my 78 FJ40 was $650 for LABOR ONLY which makes turning 35's much easier without it!

Finding knowledgable cruiser heads in my area is tough but there are some out there.
 
i got a 71 no PS with 34x10.50 LTB's and dont have a worry in the world about being able to turn.

yea its a little harder than a truck with PS but not $700 harder or even $300 harder

i am with idave -- maybe somthing else is wrong

although i will be doing the PS project cause i gotta turn those 39.5 TSL's -- which by the way i found a set for $400 with 80% tread!!
 
Somethin's up with it.
Check tire pressure, this really matters with manual steering.
I've got rusty stock 30 yr old manual steering with 33x12.5 TSL's and steer fine on the road. I've even had some people think I had PS when they don't have to turn the wheel at a standstill.
IMO something's up with his stock setup.
 
What do you mean by "big tires"? Width is all that matters. My 33x12.5 TSL's steer easier than my old Yokohama Super Diggers 31x11.5 did, simply because the TSL's have less rubber contacting the ground. I must confess that I have not driven a cruiser with "large" tires and PS. :-\n I am comparing to a stock cruiser with small tires.
At some point Gumby, you have to ask yourself, are you just making it too easy? :flipoff2: :D I look at manual steering as a way to improve my skill. :p :D
Really, PS is on my list, when the wallet allows. It also gives me a good reason to keep people from driving it. They say
"hey man lemme drive your cruiser"
I say, no way man its got manual steering, you'll wreck it
"But It can't be that bad"
"turn the wheel (pointing to crusier standing still in parking lot)"
they then procede to try to turn the wheel and when they can't, they look me in awe and are happy to go for just a ride. :D :D Girls like crusiers. :D :D 8)
 
PS conversion is the single best thing you can do to a cruiser. I perfer the mini truck set up. If yours is 9/72 or older you will need a later model steering shaft. You can make it work in the older housing so it will still be stock in most all respects. If it is a 72 with a F motor you will need a 2F dbl crank pulley and a 2F alt bracket. Also a new 2F alternator and belt. 2F dbl pulley waterpump ( might as well do a clutch fan at the same time) The only good way to do it is to replace all the joints and rebuild the ctr arm at the same time. Add another $150 in parts. One way to spread out the cost is to do all the joints and ctr arm first. it will make a major difference in NON PS trucks. later you can do the PS conversion. Used Mini box around $100. New pump $60. Pulley $25, 60 series PS pressure hose $65, pump cap $10, return line $5, belt $15, cooler and hoses $40,etc... it adds up quick. Brackets can be home made or cost as much as $200. I would look at around $500 in parts to be safe. You only want a Cruiser shop to do this work. You will save money and get better work done. Steering is nothing to mess with! I charge between $750 and 1K to do it correctly. If you have a local club join it and get help from the members. learn to work on it yourself. Unless you are very rich you cannot afford to hire all the work out. Does not help me with business but it is the truth.
 
thanks for the replies... now he is scared stiff! just kidding. i think that us younger generation folks don't know what it's like to drive a car without PS. Also, parking in Boston requires 30 turns of the wheel a day.

This is all good info though and I thank you for it. There is a good group of guys in the area I am already hooked up with. Hopefully I can get him to buy the truck before the Fall Gathering, then he can bring it there and have some people check it out.
 
[quote author=CruisinGA link=board=1;threadid=5103;start=msg39631#msg39631 date=1063161557]
What do you mean by "big tires"? Width is all that matters.
[/quote]Wrong! The taller the tire, the longer the footprint.

Good technique for keeping others out from behind the wheel of my cruiser though.
 
Gumby, I take advantage of the Armstrong Steering to keep in shape for bowhunting :D . But you are right. If I had oversized tires PS could become an issue. Not sure what Peeper's friend has in mind, but my 13 y/o daughter can drive the '40 the way it is (Off road!), so I think most adults should be able to handle it on pavement without trouble if everything is correctly adjusted. (That's why it has such a big steering wheel!)
 
[quote author=hammerhead link=board=1;threadid=5103;start=msg39989#msg39989 date=1063233860]
Wrong! The taller the tire, the longer the footprint.

Good technique for keeping others out from behind the wheel of my cruiser though.
[/quote]
That explains why my new 33's steer easier than my old 31's doesn't it ??? ::) :flipoff2: :D
Ok width isn't all that matter, but it would take a lot of increased height to equal a small increase in width.
 
[quote author=CruisinGA link=board=1;threadid=5103;start=msg40028#msg40028 date=1063240057]
Ok width isn't all that matter, but it would take a lot of increased height to equal a small increase in width.
[/quote]

My wife agrees, size really DOES matter :D
 
[quote author=CruisinGA link=board=1;threadid=5103;start=msg40028#msg40028 date=1063240057]
That explains why my new 33's steer easier than my old 31's doesn't it ??? ::) :flipoff2: :D
Ok width isn't all that matter, but it would take a lot of increased height to equal a small increase in width.
[/quote]
Do you want to understand or just dis anyone who doesn't completely agree with you? ???
 
I didn't mean to diss, I didn't think you would take the comment seriously considering its a relatively insignificant topic, and I believe I have backed off when I was admittedly wrong in the past as well as now.
However, there is a thread of truth to both of our statements. Height AND width both matter. We were both right. I was half joking hence the smiley, you probably have a much greater knowledge of cruisers than I, (hell, I've only been driving for a year) my personal experience has just been that width matters, thats it. Lets leave it there. :)
 
Absolutely correct. It is directly affected by both width and height. It would be interesting to put your two different tires side by side and see if the TSL doesn't actually have less contact surface area over the larger footprint area.
 

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