What do you guys think about this? The one that looks just like the stock manual steering wth P/S lines running into it? A buddy just bought it and is stoked on it. I mean that is cool and all, but I have heard soooo many bad things aout it. I can build him a saginaw conversion for less than what he paid for his setup. He paid a little of $500 for it. I told him to get rid of it and let me build him a Saginaw crossover steering on his cruiser. We will see. I mean I have been building cars since Iwas 14, and since I was 17, I have been building Jeeps of one sort or another. 2 FJ40's, and some Toy's. He lives 1 block from me, and I told him I would do the work for free. I keep trying to help him simply because he is a little lost when it comes to fabbing stuff up. I mean he still idolizes BTB prod. I hope he comes to me to build his Saginaw conversion.

Dimitri

Was that $500 just for the steering box? Yikes. If it's going to be a trail rig, then yes the factory setup is a waste of money. If it were a 79+ FJ40 that was going to be a restoration project or a mostly street vehicle then the factory setup is nice. Much better road feel than the Saginaw, I think.
If it is indeed a factory FJ40 PS box, he'll have to shorten his steering column by about an inch, as the power steering box is an inch longer than the manual box. He still has to find a way to mount a pump.
I have factory PS on mine, and if I go much bigger I'm going to go to Saginaw.

It isn't so much that the box is bad itself, it just ins't going to work well with tires bigger than 33x12.5x15 since the drag link will be in the way. The innards of the box are the same as the 79-85 mini PS box. The OEM FJ40 PS boxes are in demand from restoration/toyota only fanatics, so he can probably get at least most of his money back if he decides to sell it. (eta pravda!)

AND whatever tires are used or how the rig is used, this configuration has (relative to a Saginaw-type conversion) two additional TREs and the center arm assembly to wear and add slop to the steering. I can sure think of a lot better ways to spend 500 of my hard earned dollars:confused:

Pin head nailed it on the guts of the box. And, while factory 40 PS units are rare, you can still buy the 40 PS box case and rebuild the mini truck inside-making a factory box!

Yes, with big tires the factory PS gig causes problems, but it spins 33's and smaller easily. When correctly adjusted, the 5 tie/relay/drag link ends, the center arm, and the adjustable drag link itself work very well. Mainly poor maintenance is the cause of steering slop. An aftermarket stabilizer is the wrong first step. Tie rod end kits are not way outta line cost wise, and with a proper search, the center arm (kit) can be had for $50. Try the factory set up before chastising it.

But as with a lot of cruiser things (namely the PTO winch, oooo, aahhhhh), I think some overcharge for a factory system.

here here for resonable prices. Not cheap, and not $$pecter.

What's the maximum tire size you guys would use with the stock power stearing on an fj40?

Thanks

I put a stock PS on my 78 with 32s and it was far better than arm-strong steering. I'm doing a frame off right now and I'm going to put the PS back on, but I'm putting 35sw on it, so we'll see how it works. I bought the whole thing for $100 canadian. Pump, brackets, pulleys, lines and box. So it was the best 100 bucks I ever spent on my ride. we'll see how it holds up to 35s. It's good to know it's worth money to sell it all though. I've old cars with the saginaw and they don't give much feedback and don't come back to center very well, but my stock unit was great with my 32s. Just my $0.02