Power steering question (1 Viewer)

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caladin

Noob, but trying to learn
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Are the 4wd power steering boxes on 1st gen (79-83) us pickups, the same as the ps box on the 2nd gen 4wd pickup,
I was looking at the pics on the parts sites and they look awefully similar.

1983 box
1985 box

I know it might just be a bad pic, but it's like that on several sites.

And as an aside,, which of these are the ones you swap into a fj40? (I already did this on my 40, just curious, want to add PS to a couple old 1st gens)

Thanks,

Eric-
 
79-85 4WD steering boxes are all the same, and are quite different than 4WD IFS boxes from 1986 onward. Yes, these 'solid axle' boxes are the ones used for FJ40 PS swaps (I have done a few).

The '79-85 boxes are getting hard to find and typically command a $250-300 used price for just the box. Rock Auto has one seller where you can buy it outright - all the others require a core.
 
Was it me I'd be looking at the IFS box and build cross-over steering. IMO the push-pull sucks and I didn't realize how badly until I swapped it out. Marlin will make his "Marlinks" in custom length if need be.
 
Depends on the skill of the fabricator and the end goals for the truck, but it fits better with OME springs than it ever would with OEM springs.
 
Is a lift required to run the cross over PS system?
On paper, yes. Everything I've seen says you need 3" of lift to run cross-over steering.
 
Having done it with the OME springs, which I think are less than 3" of lift (?), I can say that clearing both the springs and the oil pan with the drag link can be a challenge if you insist on using stock bump-stops. I did.
This lightly kissed the oil pan when I stuffed it hard into a small gulley going about 60 somewhere in NV. It was the only time that it did that.
i-dBxsvxw-L.jpg
 
Having done it with the OME springs, which I think are less than 3" of lift (?), I can say that clearing both the springs and the oil pan with the drag link can be a challenge if you insist on using stock bump-stops. I did.
This lightly kissed the oil pan when I stuffed it hard into a small gulley going about 60 somewhere in NV. It was the only time that it did that.
I will take a pic of mine tomorrow. I have hi-steer cross-over steering. I've never hit my pan.
 
Agreed that the stock push-pull steering setup sucks. You do need some lift to run cross-over steering, unless you do something crazy like notch the frame rail, which to me seemed like a bad idea.

The challenges with cross-over steering also depend on who's arms you are using, and what you are running for the pitman arm. My red truck has Sky Manufacturing arms and the factory pitman. Drag link hits the frame on the passenger side with a hard stuff on that wheel. Choose your bumpstops carefully.
 
Sorry about he newb question here, BUT im thinking of getting the OME 2-3" lift for my 1985 4runner.
A high cross over kit would be recommended yeah? Sorry for the Hi-jack OP.
 
I started out with a modified IFS pitman and it placed that end of the drag link too low. In my pic it is a Sky pitman that as I recall was flat or nearly so and the RS steering arm started out looking like this:
i-2Fq8TFk.jpg

(Sorry for the size, it is an ancient scan)

Then I made a stepped OD tapered insert to flip the drag link taper because it was too high on the pass side
i-ckwtpdV.jpg


This was better, but still not good enough. I wanted every last mm of up-travel with a mildly sloped drag link to minimize bump-steer and I got it. The above config was close, but I ended up having to make a new plate to weld onto that steering arm that lowered the drag link TRE a bit more. I looks like I have no pic of it in the final iteration. Have to watch droop on the RS because that confounded spring changes it's arc and it is possible to hit the drag link on the top of the spring, with full Left-lock obviously being the worst case.

Those fog lights and all of their bracketry went away to get that. Stock bump-stops had be nearly mashed flat before contact would happen anywhere. In static testing it was full lock Left with the left fully compressed and the right fully extended that had the least clearance. Which was not at all what I expected.

I never felt like high-steer was necessary for the way that I used the truck. I did bend a stock tie-rod once early in my learning to drive the truck, but I never had a problem with the Marlin tie-rod assembly.
 
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