was thinking about using a scout steering box on my k5 blazer.

have a few questions. i would search, but looks like search is still down.

i have seen a few boxes on toyotas and other 4x's, but never on a chevy. are there any years that are better than others? they can be tapped for hydro assist, but where? i have seen the howe boxes, and it looks like they add internal stops on the box. is this necessary? what is the spline for the pitman arm? is the long sector shaft a problem? i would be running a hydro assist, so i dont think there would be that much stress on the sector shaft.

anything else im leaving out?

thanks in advance.

Why not just keep the chevy box and run a 2wd chevy pitman arm instead?

because with low lifts ~4 inches and front axle moved 2-3 inches forward to make clearance at the firewall for 42-44's the tires hit the steering gear at stuff when turned right.

if i could mount a scout box closer to axle centerline, i wouldnt have this problem. just trying to feel out my options.

Yes the box can be drilled and tapped for hydro just like any other saginaw box. Search for specifics (use google advanced search, you know, put the following into google:

drill tap saginaw steering box Scout site:pirate4x4.com

it'll find the info you seek. The sector shaft is standard Saginaw spline, you can put almost any arm on it that came frome a saginaw box. I didn't change the inside of the box (stops?) with hydro, don't really know why that would be necessary, but maybe for the protection of the box if something external slammed the tires lock to lock or something? If your steering stops hit first, the box won't be run to the end and should be fine, the way I figure.

good luck

EDIT: The long sector shaft has never been a problem for me. As for years better than others, they are all pretty much the same, but for a slightly different sized input shaft, changed in the later years, I don't remember the sizes or changeover year right now, but it is largely irrelevant anyway.