i replaced the old manual steering box(1980 cj) with a remanufactured power steering unit, I bought everythign i needed to make it work with my steering and all, then I had lines made to use it with my small block chevy and its power steering pump(1979)

The porblem is when I filled everything up and started the engine the wheel would shake back and fourth very harshly then if i would try and turn right it would turn harshly left and if i tried to turn left it would yank the wheel out of my hands and go back to the right, I double checked to make sure the hoses were hooked up correctly and the appear to be...it shakes so bad that if stripped the new grant steering wheel splined peice off of the steering column....Any ideas whats wrong and how to fix it?

Hmmm........Could you be putting the high pressure fluid into the wrong port on the box? If the pump is pumping fluid into the box backwards it might resist movement. What if you pull the belt off the power steering pump and unhook the lines at the box? Does everything turn right (or left) armstrong style?

You have the high pressure going to the wrong side of the steering gear, Either that or your new box was built wrong...

I checked and doubled checked the lines, then with it at idle I pulled the return hose off the fitting and it was for sure returning the fluid...I am certain that they are hooked up correctly...could there be another problem. possibly with the actual pump? Its got me stumped.

Take the steering gear back and get another one. Whoever built it put the wrong spool valve in it. I've seen it several times. Hell i've even done it by mistake. A friend that works up at the dealership even had a brand new cherokee that was doing it when he was checking it in as a new vehicle. ( i couldn't believe that didn't notice it off the assembly line!!!)
But as long as you have double checked the pressure line then that is definatly the problem.

The box was bought remanufactured from auto-zone and was said to be tested at the factory..I have a spare pump i will throw on to see if that makes any difference, I dont think it will, I will check the lines again..some onme with a CJ help me make sure I have it right....the fitting closest to the engine would be the pressure and the one back and to the right would be the return..I think thats what I had figured.

Thanks

No the fitting towards the front is the high pressure, and the fitting to the rear is low pressure return. Maybe that's your problem.

Just echoing what TheLakeRat said. The pressure port is closest to the front bumper, return port is closest to the engine.

Don't feel bad, my buddy's step-dad wanted to put a new steering box on his Dodge pickup, even though we told him it was the steering shaft causing the problems. Anyway, he went to a junkyard a swiped a steering box off another truck, not realizing that his truck was an assembly of an older running gear with a 90's body on it, so he takes all day to swap boxes, gets everything all hooked up, backs down the driveway turns the wheel and goes the opposite direction! Seems he got a box meant for a different pitman arm setup. He actually drove that death trap all the way back to the junk yard (20 miles) and bitched about the box they sold him, the whole way steering left to go right and vice versa! What an idiot!

He ended up putting his stock box back on a getting a Borgeson shaft and that solved everything.