I recall seeing a thread on where to drill & tap your power steering box for the ram assist but I can't find it now. Does anybody have this readily available? This is for a 2000 D2.

Here you go:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282913&highlight=ram+assist

I will be doing this in the coming weeks as well. I think the D2 box is basically the same as previous years with regards to this mod.

Do a search for Hippie Hydro. I posted a thread on how to do this a while back.

Thanks, guys! I would have done a search but this newbie pirate fails to wear a red star to do a search.

Larry- let me know how it goes or if you need a hand. I'll bring a few beers over.:D What ram are you using?

Not to put a damper on the pirate "Do it yourself" flavor that we all know and love, but....

I chickened out and sent my pump and box over to the pros to recondition the pump for higher flow and drill and tap the box. My box came back tapped very differently than the pics show in the treads here I have read. Not saying that one is right or wrong, but for $75 I would recommend having someone who knows these boxes well do it. There may be some differences in the boxes from year to year, I am really not sure.

Not to put a damper on the pirate "Do it yourself" flavor that we all know and love, but....

I chickened out and sent my pump and box over to the pros to recondition the pump for higher flow and drill and tap the box. My box came back tapped very differently than the pics show in the treads here I have read. Not saying that one is right or wrong, but for $75 I would recommend having someone who knows these boxes well do it. There may be some differences in the boxes from year to year, I am really not sure.

Who does it for $75? Westtexasoffroad; the best & least expensive I’ve seen charges $150 just for drilling and tapping… If your guys can recondition the pump for higher flow, drill and tap the box for $75, and guarantee no metal will show up and fail the system, they will get my business. It seems a bit unrealistic.

Thanks, guys! I would have done a search but this newbie pirate fails to wear a red star to do a search.

Larry- let me know how it goes or if you need a hand. I'll bring a few beers over.:D What ram are you using?

I have this one sitting in the garage.

http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006081622323328&item=9-4410-08&catname=hydraulic

I'm going to upgrade the PS pump as well since the stock one probably isn't up for the task.

Tapping the box is easy, don't be afraid. There is a multitude of places to tap as long as you hit within the same hydraulic cavities. Keith has a really easy way to tap it if he would ever let the cat out of the bag...

I spoke with him and he wont give it up; it can't be that big of a sercet.. Keith, just set it up and lay it on us.

Who does it for $75? Westtexasoffroad; the best & least expensive I’ve seen charges $150 just for drilling and tapping… If your guys can recondition the pump for higher flow, drill and tap the box for $75, and guarantee no metal will show up and fail the system, they will get my business. It seems a bit unrealistic.

Sorry,

$75 was just to tap the box. I think it was another $150 for the pump recondition and tweak up to 3 gpm. $150 sounds good. All I know is the whole system works perfectly.

Edit: Err, I just realized that you meant $150 to do just the drilling. That seems high to me. But I don't really know what is normal.

I spoke with him and he wont give it up; it can't be that big of a sercet.. Keith, just set it up and lay it on us.

Well I can't give it away for him. He must have some plans!

Either way it's doable.

Secret?

It was posted here over a year ago ...

Anyway the pipe that goes around the PS box can be tee'd for steering right pressure and the bleeder can be opened up and a fitting installed for steering left pressure ... I plan to do this on my car someday and we have been struggling with Alex's steering (wish I could be there).. While the system seems to work well he's having some trouble getting the whole thing to bleed properly

I am unaware if the D2 Box is the same.

No secrets, no plans.

Why not offer to pay him to divulge his secret?

JP

Whaa ?

Pendy gots that new laptop at the shop, or are you still goofin' off at home at this hour of the day ?

KAA

Sweet engineering makes a servo that goes between the steering wheel and the box that is all set to go right out of the box, no drilling, no tapping.

Funny what you can learn admiring stock car setups.

PT

Sweet engineering makes a servo that goes between the steering wheel and the box that is all set to go right out of the box, no drilling, no tapping.

Funny what you can learn admiring stock car setups.

PT

How much is that piece? I'm guessing not cheap, but interesting none-the-less.

http://www.sweetmfg.biz/products2.asp?edit_id=33

No pricing on-line. I've spoken with them and they are excited that this might be a new market for them, but not excited enough to give me one to try :flipoff2:. I have also spoken with them about their boxes, but they are more than a new Rover box from the stealership. Even used and rebuilt, the price is prohibitive. I'll keep buying used Rover boxes and dump them when they start to leak.

When I built AFI's truck and we put the big tires on it, it quit turning when stationary. Now that we're gaining some experience with the NAPA pump, AFI tells me we may not have to go hydro to turn his truck. He put a NAPA pump on a truck with 34s and it was turning the wheels with one finger. Not bad for $100, and it's a lot better than trial/error trying to increase the pressure on a ZF pump. That cheapie little pump might just be a new common mod.

I found a price for that servo here, they have it listed for $298.

http://www.northwestracing.com/catalog/vendor.php/Sweet+Manufacturing

I couldn't find an explanation on how it works though. Would this be use to pressurize the cylinder instead of taping the box?

Would this be use to pressurize the cylinder instead of taping the box?

Yes. The stock car guys use them for hydro assist.

It looked like a slick way to do it without having to run the risk of wasting a steering box, nor having to go with an orbital valve for full hydro.

Now that we're gaining some experience with the NAPA pump, AFI tells me we may not have to go hydro to turn his truck. He put a NAPA pump on a truck with 34s and it was turning the wheels with one finger. Not bad for $100, and it's a lot better than trial/error trying to increase the pressure on a ZF pump. That cheapie little pump might just be a new common mod.

Perhaps Gary can come on here to answer this, but since you're here, PT :flipoff2:, what NAPA pump is this? And what is involved in swapping it in?

Perhaps Gary can come on here to answer this, but since you're here, PT :flipoff2:, what NAPA pump is this? And what is involved in swapping it in?

I suspect their talking about the "Canned Ham" Saginaw pump. For the discos with the pump up top it's an easy swap. If you have a RRC like me it's not so easy...

I just installed the NAPA 20-874 (?) I think ....

I can't imagine it flows enough to make a difference...its o.e. application is a 4 cyl '87 Sunbird .... works just as well as the o.e. Rover pump and it was $65 !

I just installed the NAPA 20-874 (?) I think ....

I can't imagine it flows enough to make a difference...its o.e. application is a 4 cyl '87 Sunbird .... works just as well as the o.e. Rover pump and it was $65 !

That's it! AFI seems to think it might be the solution to difficult to turn steering.

It's also spec'd for the '85 Astro van.

PT

thta's the pump i'm running with ram assist. plenty of power to steer in the rocks. not one finger, but one hand with 12.5" tires aired down to 8 PSI on a high traction surface, while standing on the brakes. it will actually move the vehicle if a tire is wedged against a rock, or a curb.

I had modified one of these pumps for more pressure, but had to revert to a stock one because it was making my steering box come apart at the seams. this was a new meridian box, mind you, not a stock POS with 150K miles on it.

edit: this is not the inegrated reservoir pump like Larry suggests. It is the same size and shape as the ZF pump.

edit: this is not the inegrated reservoir pump like Larry suggests. It is the same size and shape as the ZF pump.

Not exactly, the supply hose is not bent like the stock one. Keith was kind enough to do the work to confirm that it can be run on a truck with a distributor with apparently, no adverse effects or heroic plumbing needed.

Now, if only someone will pony up the $ for a Sweet steering box so we can see that is really will withstand the greater pressures and not leak.

Not exactly, the supply hose is not bent like the stock one. Keith was kind enough to do the work to confirm that it can be run on a truck with a distributor with apparently, no adverse effects or heroic plumbing needed.

Yup, no real issue with the dizzy clearance. I did simply replace the low pressure hose with a new generic piece ... a little looped / arced portion allowed the hose to (1) clear the dist / block and (b) not turn tightly enough to cause a kink in the hose. The o.e. hose was only, what 12 years old ... it might have deserved replacement anyway :)

Ed: And I need to mention that I'm not the genius that figured out the part number .. thanks Darkstar / Alex.

I got the part # from Keith K. (Revor). or was it Lane?

anyway, I did not come up with it!!

So Keith your just using the stock res with the NAPA pump and reconfiguring the low press hose with a generic one?

Oh ya axles are working great the wife and I went out on a rock crawl the other day and abused them a little. They worked perfect:smokin:

Stock res Stock HP hose, and a piece of new return line... That easy.. The fun part is pulling the pulley adaptor off the old pump, use a good three jaw puller and a little heat... It presses onto the the Sag pump just like any other press on pulley...

The idea came from me the PN came from Lane..