I am going to fab up my own mini-truck steering box mount. Seems pretty straight forward, but can anyone take some detailed pictures of the mounting plate? Maybe even some measurements? I do need to see how much offset the flat mounting surface for the box is compared to the frame rale mounting portion.
Thanks, Dan

why mini?

A few reasons Georg. I am not planning on a major crawler. I had that with my old CJ. I plan on a very capable trail rig with a rear locker and I probably will leave the front open so I can still drive on the roads around here in the winter when they are covered in snow. That is not fun to do when the front is locked up too. (Sure I could go ARB, but that is way out of my budget). There is a place by Bass Lake that I like to go at the end of May, but the road still has a bunch of snow on it and it is really curvy. A front locker would make this way to dangerous. Sure some will say that driving on a paved road covered in snow with a locker is fine, but I have done it and I don’t like it for my own personal opinions.

I will not be going over 35" tires and most likely I will have to stick with 33s or LTB 34 10.50s or 33x13.50s as I need to be able to park it into my garage and lowering and raising my air pressure to get it in and out is not something that I want to do especially since I drive the rig 3 to 4 days a week to work. If I went bigger than 35s with my lift height, I would never enjoy just driving around unless I planned on it (getting it out of the garage). Also playing with tire pressure at 6 in the morning would suck.

I figure with a rear locker, mini steering and 34s and plenty of articulation, I will be able to get to some pretty killer fishing holes and the Con wouldn't be a problem if I wanted to run it on a nice week long vacation. (on a side note about front lockers, I seldom ever used my front locker in the CJ unless I was going over/up/down a ledge and I never had to turn my tires much anyways. I would just pop it in and out of 4 low relying mostly on 2 low. The same would be for the cruiser if I ever locked the front).I cut out my rear wells so I will have a lot of vertical travel with that tire size and minimal bump stops. I want to keep it as stable as possible. Sure I could have gone with a 2.5” lift but I wanted the clearance over logs and such that fall across the roads I travel on getting to the camping spots.

So after weighing the pros and cons along with the financial differences, Mini is the way to go: one locker, 33s (34s), and mild wheeling. I know for a fact that I will keep my mods as listed. My CJ was fully locked and ram assisted (for a time) and way cool, but it wasn't very practical for where I am now in my life and that is why it had to go. My son is my focus for the trails and getting to the fishing and camping places is the purpose of the rig with an occasional moderate trip up the mountains.

So in short, it makes the most sense since I will save a lot of money and be able to afford a locker for the rear (I decided against welding the rear as I drive it too much on the road and it would tear up my tires and driveway). I can also find the parts a lot easier and quicker with nothing to have to order, just a day out at pick in pull in Fresno. I have the alternator bracket and the pump bracket so all I need is:

) Power Steering Gear Box from a mini-truck or 4runner 1979-1985.
2) Saginaw Power Steering Pump (I have a core so that is cheaper)
3) Pully for Pump
4) Hoses and clamps

At least that is my thinking about why I am going mini. If you can argue a reason why not based on the purpose of the rig, let me know as I would differ to your opinion since you are the cruiser god and rethink my logic.

Dan

I know for a fact that I will keep my mods as listed.


bawahahaha, that's what they all say!:laughing:

since you are the cruiser god
Dan

you're way off on that one! i've been playing with cruisers for a few years now but to put me in the same league as texican, butchbuilt, mudrak and others would be ridiculous. but i do appreciate the compliment.

i hear ya loud and clear on your choices as to why you want to run mini stuff. i assume you're gonna run something like a jto bracket and replace the manual box with the mini box, right?

the only real drawback with this setup is the fact that eventually the tie-rod going from the box to the bell crank will bend and possibly break. if not the tubing then the TRE at the box will take a dive on you. i've seen it more than once. next time you see one of those setups, take a close look at that link and see how it looks. it's not a question of "if it's gonna happens" but "when it's gonna happen".
so as long as you're aware of it i'd say go ahead and run it. it's definetly gonna be the cheapest way to go ps on your rig. i would certainly closely inspect the link before and after every wheeling trip. and carry a spare.

Thanks for the info in the rods and TREs. I will plan on getting a spare or two for a quick swap out if needed.

Oh and I am serious about no further mods. I really got tired of doing body damage and other types of mayhem too only have to come home and see the wife fuming about the amount of money it would cost me to "up grade" from the last trip. Maybe it was a "jeep thing"