TOTM: Steering Box upgrades

[ashmanjeepXJ]

Welcome to the next contribution to the
The Official Pirate4x4.com Jeep Talk Bible

Topic of the Month Steering Box upgrades


This includes how to modify your factory box for Hydro assist. What boxes from other models are a good upgrade. Aftermarket boxes. How to beefup your Steering Box mount, steering box bracing.

This does not include Tierod/Draglink steering setups, hydraulic rams, steering pumps, or full hydro.

Also see pirate 4x4 tech article
Where to Tap a Saginaw Power Steering Box for Hydro Assist

[Goatman]

I've run nothing but Tommy Lee (Lee Mfg) stuff with excellent results. I send them my box and they rebuild and modify it. Did this on both the XJ and the buggy. I've never used a stock/junkyard pump or box on my rigs, so I can't add any tech there. Steering is so important, and potentially so problematic, that it's always been worth it to me to spend the $$$ for good parts. Lee builds steering for desert racers, NASCAR, and other stuff so they know what they're doing.

I had problems with the steering that came on the rig I built my buggy out of. It took forever to figure it all out, ended up being the wrong fittings for the assist hoses in the box (from another vendor) and a bad ram. I finally replaced everything with a Lee box, pump, filter, and remote reservoir, and a new PSC ram, and it works wonderfully. Quick, great feel, and I steer with the palm of my hand in any situation. Lee can make the parts with AN fittings or slip fittings. I chose to use the stock steering hoses out of the steering box and slip fittings on the rest, for ease of dealing with future hose failures. They put a large 5/8" nipple on the pump to feed from the reservoir (short 5/8" hose), and the filter goes inline between the cooler and the reservoir with slip fitings. Pretty simple to work on.

One thing that I highly recommend for every steering system is the smaller 4.5" pump pulley from PSC. Really helps the low engine speed steering response.

[Ken Carter / BRUISER]

I went to a Junk yard and found a J20 that still had the steering box on it..

I bought the box and sent it to West Texas Offroad
http://westtexasoffroad.homestead.co...osteering.html

here is my ram on XJ

they drilled and tapped it and sent it back with the ram and hoses.

[XJCracker]

I had mad issues with steering a few years back. Never could get the hydro assist to work out even though I was using 100% PSC stuff including their PSC box all 'spiced up'. I'd try one ram and it'd be too much power and way too slow or another ram where it was zero power and acted if I didn't even have a ram. I eventually threw it in a box and said fuck it and went full hydro

Now that the rig that had full hydro is all but assembled, I have a new MJ project. Called up the boys at PSC and spoke to them about how I should proceed with my steering set up. They knew my problems/dislike for hydro assist so they suggested I get myself a 4x4 durango box and send it off to them for some 'lovin'. They mentioned the 99 durango box with the large bore piston (I think that is what they said) has enough power to turn 37s without the need to use a ram. I already have the PSC pump/small pulley/remote reservoir so I am saving my pennies for the box now

[Xjcrawler736]

I have an XJ box that I drilled and tapped myself with a PSC pump and a 2" ram with 1" rod.

I am not 100% happy with it. The ram is plenty strong for the nasty stuff but it is not quick enough.

I will have to address the speed of the steering before I enter into the RCQ.

[ashmanjeepXJ]

My original XJ box was not sloppy, I bought a rebuild kit for it, dissassembled it drilled and tapped it for hydro assist and reassembled with all new seals. Worked great with a 1.5in 3/4in shafted ram, could easily turn 42in tries with a front spool. Eliminated the need for a panhard bar with front leaf springs that would shift while trying to turn.

[ashmanjeepXJ]

afew more pictures.

I should have use Steel fittings at all ends, I used what I found locally but all future projects never used brass or aluminum fittings. 45 degree fittings would have fit better at the Box.

I used a non bottoming tap did both holes then cut down the tap making it a bottoming tap needed for the one hole. When My buddie needed to do his box we bought a second tap and used mine as the bottoming tap.

[Xjcrawler736]

Originally Posted by ashmanjeepXJ

I used a non bottoming tap did both holes then cut down the tap making it a bottoming tap needed for the one hole. When My buddie needed to do his box we bought a second tap and used mine as the bottoming tap.

I was about to say this. No mater what, you have to use a cut down tap. There is no way you will get enough of the tap into the box. I kept test fitting with a pipe plug (so i didn't kill my new fitting) until I thought I got enough thread engagement. Make sure you don't bottom out the hose fitting into the back of the housing like the tap does. If it does you will block the port from getting the flow you need.

[ashmanjeepXJ]

If you do a V8 swap in an XJ you will need to make room for a big ass radiator. the stock XJ box mounted on the inside of the frame is in the way.

A 1999-2004 WJ steering box can be used mounted outside the frame to make room for the larger radiator. I just went fully hydro we can talk about that in a later TOTM.

[AgitatedPancake]

so Ashman did you drill and tap the WJ box as you did the XJ box before going full hydro?

[ashmanjeepXJ]

Originally Posted by AgitatedPancake

so Ashman did you drill and tap the WJ box as you did the XJ box before going full hydro?

I never Ran the WJ box, but look at it, its the same as a toyota FJ80 box and the scout box that all the toyota guys run.

Do a search on FJ80 boxes or scout boxes and you will see lots of options and the similarities to the WJ box.

First Picture is a Toyota FJ80 box pic I found. Thats what I need for my FJ40...
The International Scout Box is the second pic.

[mudtoy67]

Very interesting. I've been looking at running a scout box on my FJ40. There's tons of WJs at the junkyards...not so many scouts or fj80s.

[hadfield4wd]

Mine is a drilled and tapped stock box. I bought it from somebody that way. No problems. The inside and outside of the frame rails are plated with 1/4" and sleeved with pipe.

[LiLNickT]

Do the 1999 4x4 Durango steering boxes have the same mounting pattern as the XJ boxes?

[XJCracker]

Originally Posted by LiLNickT

Do the 1999 4x4 Durango steering boxes have the same mounting pattern as the XJ boxes?

Supposedly

[GreatWhiteXJ]

Originally Posted by ashmanjeepXJ

I should have use Steel fittings at all ends, I used what I found locally but all future projects never used brass or aluminum fittings.

Explain.

[ashmanjeepXJ]

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteXJ

Explain.

Hydraulic fittings should be steel for their intended use. Air or lower pressure fuel systems can use aluminum or brass like youll find at a hot rod shop or hardware store. No I never had a failure, but if you plan better for about the same cost you can get better materials.

[Goatman]

A little more about my setup.....

I have a small bore XJ box (Tommy Lee rebuilt) and a 1.75" PSC ram, a Lee rebuilt TC pump with a 4.5" PSC pulley, and a Lee remote reservoir, Lee remotre filter, and a cooler. The ram hoses are 4500 psi rated with all steel fittings. Tommy Lee recommended the small more box with the assist to help the speed, and the 1.75" ram gives lot's of power, but it all needs the performance of the Lee pump.

It is amazing how well this all works. Great feel, fast, and plenty of power with 40" stickies. Finished two KOH's with this steering. I've thought of going full hydro to try and work out some more uptravel, but I can't imagine getting the steering to ever work as well as it does now, so no way. I went through a lot to get it to this point........

[ashmanjeepXJ]

Originally Posted by Goatman

Finished two KOH's with this steering.

That says allot right there, the #1 issue for the first KOH race was steering related. There is a huge difference in the demands of trail crawling and racing like that.

[ashmanjeepXJ]

BTT, This thread could use more input.

[Xjcrawler736]

Right now I have a standard XJ box that is tapped. 2.0 ram with 1" rod. PSC high flow pump. Along with a massive cooler.

Power is not my issue. Speed is a big problem. I was running high speed and went around a corner and the back end stepped out and I couldn't counter fast enough. I ended up hitting a rock with the front driver tire at 20 mph that was about 2 feet tall. Kinda scary situation.

Goatman, I know a smaller ram would be quicker but could you educate me on the smaller bore box?

[vetteboy79]

Originally Posted by Goatman

A little more about my setup.....

I have a small bore XJ box (Tommy Lee rebuilt) and a 1.75" PSC ram, a Lee rebuilt TC pump with a 4.5" PSC pulley, and a Lee remote reservoir, Lee remotre filter, and a cooler. The ram hoses are 4500 psi rated with all steel fittings. Tommy Lee recommended the small more box with the assist to help the speed, and the 1.75" ram gives lot's of power, but it all needs the performance of the Lee pump.

It is amazing how well this all works. Great feel, fast, and plenty of power with 40" stickies. Finished two KOH's with this steering. I've thought of going full hydro to try and work out some more uptravel, but I can't imagine getting the steering to ever work as well as it does now, so no way. I went through a lot to get it to this point........

I've got a very similar setup, with a few small differences:

- PSC modified TC-pump
- 1.5" bore Surplus Center ram
- DIY drilled/tapped stock XJ box

It's mostly just pieced-together hoses & fittings, which means I probably have a few more restrictions (and therefore more heat) than Goatman's setup, but it performs extremely well. I drove many of the rough go-fast sections in the last Rausch Creek with only a few fingers on the steering wheel...it tracks extremely straight over nasty diagonal ruts and it takes a lot for it to feedback into the wheel.

Initially I had re-used the stock high-pressure fitting in the PSC pump. This proved to be extremely restrictive, and after opening up the orifice by 1/16" it works a ton better. For the same reasons Goatman mentioned, I chose to stay with the stock XJ box, and even though I'm in the middle of completely redoing the whole front axle and switching to coilovers up front, I am leaving the steering exactly the same for now. The current setup is more than adequate for anything the engine & suspension are capable of doing.

[Xjcrawler736]

Originally Posted by vetteboy79

Initially I had re-used the stock high-pressure fitting in the PSC pump. This proved to be extremely restrictive, and after opening up the orifice by 1/16" it works a ton better.

Sounds like this could be my problem. I will report back with my findings.

[AgitatedPancake]

Vette, how do you like the 1.5" ram vs a 1.75" ram like goatmans? Have you ever had a power problem with it? Is there any reason you think a 1.75" might work better for you? Also, are you running a smaller pump pully like Goat is? Or vice versa, Goatman is there any reason you feel a 1.5" ram might work better for ya?

If you don't have the smaller pulley, maybe that makes up for the difference in ram bore size so Goats 1.75" isn't slower than yours (or negligibly so).


You both seem pretty damn happy with your setups, I'm just wondering if there are any little things you might change if you did it again.

[vetteboy79]

I bought the smaller pulley, but never installed it - after I drilled out the high-pressure fitting it became much less of a priority.

Honestly there's nothing I'd really change right now, for fear of ruining what I've got. After solving my flow restriction issue (for the most part) I've gotten extremely used to the response as is, and while a little extra turning force from the larger ram would be nice, it's more worth it to me to keep the response speed where it is.

As I mentioned, a bunch of my hoses & fittings are cheap and hokey. I'll probably re-do those to try and keep some heat generation down on the longer endurance races, which may open things up enough to run a 1.75" ram as fast as my current 1.5".

The pulley is really only gonna make a difference at slow speeds...when you're hauling ass at 3500+ RPM for extended periods of time it's not as big an issue. Cooling & flow through the system become much more important then.