63 Cj5 Herms Power Steering Conversion W/ Novak Headers

I threw up some more pics. You can see that I’ve only have about 4 inches from the end of the gear box to the first pipe in the header. The shaft shoots out about 25 degrees towards the frame from the gearbox Here’s a picture of the steering shaft. Can I get away with getting around the header? If so, what are my options?

 

Cool! I'll get started on that search. Any thoughts regarding the steering shaft? Is it safe to have a steering shaft do a couple of " turns" to get to the steering column? If so, what's the best method?

 

In my experience, it's pretty tough to get around either stock manifolds or block huggers. Not impossible, but complicated. Yes, the quick answer is the easy route is exhaust outside the frame, unfortunately.

 

Scubabug,

I found a 5/8-18 male inverted flare to -06 male JIC/AN fitting in my garage, which should fit one of the ports on your Ford box.
I also completely forgot I had a collection of-06 Eaton field installable hose ends in straights and 90's with -06 FJIC swivels on the other end. They were used for high pressure fuel injection lines, but I think there might be a suitable hydraulic hose for these fittings... but I need to check the catalog.

 

Sounds good Peter! Let's get together soon.

I pulled the trigger on a set Advanced Adapters fenderwell headers last night from Summit racing, so these Novak's got to go. Which makes me sad because they're really a work of art! Rather than send them back to Novak and pay a 20% restocking fee (ouch), I'm going to throw them up here on the classifieds. If I don't get any bites, I'll put them up on "Feebay".

 

I wrote off headers a long time ago. This set does look nice, but I don't want to fumble with my steering shaft ANY more!

 

My NAPA makes my hoses. I live in a small town in West Texas.

 

They custom made your hoses? Do you have the Ford gearbox/gm pump as well? if so, Id love to see that order! I too have a Napa just up the street.

 

My Napa made hoses for me once, they had the kid in the back do it, and an end pushed off on a Rubicon trip a month later. Never again, for me. That's when I started carrying spares.

 

I went up to Napa yesterday to ask them about making a custom hi-pressure power steering hose. I was just about laughed out of the store !They looked at me like I escaped the looney bin for asking such a stupid question. Which is odd given how many actual looney toon Californians there are out here! Doesn't matter, soon I'll be crucified for burning racist fossil fuels in such an offensive Jeep. I gotta get out of California asap. Anyway I digress...

It seems to me that the Herms power steering conversion on a 225 with a GM power steering pump is pretty common on this forum. Im surprised that Herm or anyone else doesn't know what exact hi pressure power steering hose will work. Nowhere in his instructions say that I'll need to have a custom one made. Not everyone has access to such a place that does that.

 

Actually, Herms website says his Power steering kit is only for V6"s

"Our power steering kits will not fit with the stock 4 cylinder engine. The drivers side exhaust manifold on a V-6 requires a rear exit. Our kit will fit with most engine swaps."

 

It shouldn’t be that hard to find a place that makes hoses. I have two places within 5 miles of me, and I’m in BFE, Idaho. One is a Car Quest, and the other is “Advanced Compressor and Hose”

I just googled “custom hose San Diego” and got a bunch of hits. Top hit:
Custom Car Hoses and Plumbing San Diego

 

Nice! I'll give them a call!

 

Finding a custom fab shop to make hydraulic hoses may not be that easy. I know others here have pointed to that solution, but it may not be possible for everyone!
I tried to find such a shop in the Wichita, KS area, and again in the entire Salt Lake City, UT area to no avail. The reverse flair fittings were the problem for these shops each time I took my mock up in for fabrication.
I found universal hoses that would work for my application, but the routing is a bit sloppy.

 

That's where JIC/AN adapter fittings open up a lot more options for custom hoses. It's standard hydraulic stuff then.

 

Uh. You didn't look hard enough. I spent 17 YEARS of my life in the SLC area, and there's so much mining going on in that part of Utah and Northern Nevada, that there is practically a hydraulic shop on every third corner. Yeah, you might have to wait a day or two for them to order in an Inverted Flare fitting, but I guarantee you, that they can build any hose you want. And I have a seriously hard time believing that there are no Hydraulic shops that can get Inverted Flare fittings in Wichita, KS.

Or do the easy mode thing, like Fireball is suggesting, and I did on mine. Get the Inverted-Flare to JIC adapters. You can almost literally have a hose built at any hydraulic shop on the planet, if it's got JIC ends on it.