I'm in the middle of plumbing my home made hydro assist (tapped the caps on the Saginaw box). Every post I've seen says "hook it up and try it". Come on, this really can't be that hard. One line goes to the driver's side, one to the passenger side. One line comes out the top cap, one comes out the end. The reason I'd like to know is that I'm using crimp style hoses, and the routing will come out a cleaner if I don't have to guess on the lengths. The only thing that could make a difference (as far as boxes) that I could think of is maybe whether it sits outside the frame (full size) or inside (Jeep, etc). But my head starts to hurt when I think about it too much. So, if anyone has this, which goes where?

Thanks,

Pete

fire the truck up with the ports on the box open, start to turn one way, and I'd think you would have fluid spurting out of the one port, and dribbling from the other, hook it up so that the ram pushes the same direction as the box was being turned with the port that was spurting out supplying the pressure to move the ram that direction.

Good question. I would think most rams are built the same so can someone take a pic of what they have and post it up? I can't get any answer but " you can only do it one of two ways ". Cmon guys, with all the hydro someone has to have a straight answer.

The top cap will have pressure when turning Left and the endcap will have pressure when turning Right so hope that answers it.

he he, I wonder if I got mine backwards?

unbolt your ran and turn it around.:D

would make sence as to why it is not making any difference..

Originally posted by 66CJdean
The top cap will have pressure when turning Left and the endcap will have pressure when turning Right so hope that answers it.

so assuming the piston or rod side of the ram is facing the left of the vehicle when sitting in it the top hose should go to the right side of the ram? In other words the top should go furthest away from the piston or nearest if the piston extends when turning left?

Originally posted by 66CJdean
unbolt your ran and turn it around.:D

clearance is too tight for that, but I can unthread the hoses and switch em :)

Originally posted by 66CJdean
The top cap will have pressure when turning Left and the endcap will have pressure when turning Right so hope that answers it.

I thought I had it figured out from the first response. On mine, when you turn left, the rack moves toward the end cap (forward). I don't have it ready to fire up, so I tried it with the system dry, and thought I may have felt a little air moving out the hole in the end cap when I turned the input shaft left (I had the linkage disconnected at the pitman arm. What I'm wondering is if (your) CJ box is the opposite, ie, when you turn right, the rack moves forward. This would make sense, since the ball screw in yours is on the opposite side of the sector shaft when compared to mine (box on the inside of the frame on yours, outside on mine). This would allow them (Saginaw) to make all the ball screws the same, instead of one left hand and one right hand.

Pete

Instead of drilling and tapping the front cap would it be ok to weld an aluminum hydro fitting onto the front? Would the fitting work with a hydro line or cause probs?

btt

Don't see why it wouldn't work. I had a buddy tig weld a small piece of aluminum (1/4" thk) to the cap on mine, then drilled/tapped it (9/16-18) for a 3/8" straight thread o-ring fitting.

I was hoping to try mine out last night, got it all plumbed, went to bolt the exhaust back up, realized I didn't have any new collector gaskets, and it was too late to fire it up open header.

Pete

Originally posted by pcorssmit
Don't see why it wouldn't work. I had a buddy tig weld a small piece of aluminum (1/4" thk) to the cap on mine, then drilled/tapped it (9/16-18) for a 3/8" straight thread o-ring fitting.

I was hoping to try mine out last night, got it all plumbed, went to bolt the exhaust back up, realized I didn't have any new collector gaskets, and it was too late to fire it up open header.

Pete

I used a union of 3/8 npt to 3/8 hydraulic in the top cap and it was a bitch. One gut ( the guy who would tig the 1/4 inch piece for me ) suggested just welding a fitting right to the cap. My only concern was the strength of the aluminum fitting when a steel hydro line is coupled to it.

Well got it welded on today and it came out sweet. Less weight on the cap no tappin& drilling to fawk with. Pic is sorta dark but you get the idea.

Now that I've plumbed mine I wish I'd done it offset like that; but I've got enough other stuff to do in the next few days that I'm not gonna mess with it any more untill after Moab.

Pete

Originally posted by pcorssmit
Now that I've plumbed mine I wish I'd done it offset like that; but I've got enough other stuff to do in the next few days that I'm not gonna mess with it any more untill after Moab.

Pete

Did you "add" aluminum to the cap or just tap as is? Seemed a little thin to me so i went this route. The offset was done because i thought it would put less pressure on the cap.

Originally posted by pcorssmit
I had a buddy tig weld a small piece of aluminum (1/4" thk) to the cap on mine, then drilled/tapped it (9/16-18) for a 3/8" straight thread o-ring fitting.

My bad. Did you get to test it out yet? I read that you needed a collector gasket so you didn't then, but now?

Originally posted by 66CJdean
The top cap will have pressure when turning Left and the endcap will have pressure when turning Right so hope that answers it.

Thanks Dean, you were right. I had it hooked up backwards to start with. Once I got it right, I couldn't get it to bleed. I eventually figured out that my stock external reservour (hydro boost) wasn't big enough. I don't think it helped that it was a new pump, new lines, new cooler, etc (more air in system). I cut the reservour in 1/2, and am gonna pick up some metal after work to lengthen it about 5" (from 4 1/2"). At this point I just gotta get it done, we're leaving for Moab on Sun AM and I still have no rear bed floor, and no bottom on the passenger side door.

Pete

that is what I am worried about with my ford pump - anyone with a 2" x8" ram use a ford pump?

Some guys have succesfully extended the filler neck with a piece of gas filler hose (don't use radiator hose, it will get eaten). My buddy's planning on cutting the filler off of another pump and hose clamping it to the end of the gas filler hose, so a stock PS cap will fit.

FWIW:
I run hydroboost.
The on-pump reservoir/housing on the hydroboost pumps is smaller than the normal "ham-can" housings (its round).

Pete