Another steering question

With the seemingly myriad combinations for converting a 67 CJ-5 with the 225 from the Ross steering gear to power I'm lost. I have Herm's steering kit for reverse Ford applications, so should I find a manual steering box and go that route. I have some pictures from a gentleman that has some brackets to spare, but even after searching I'm not sure which of those is correct. If necessary I could sell my Herm's stuff and go with McRuff's.

What I really need is a recipe that makes it plain for folks with no steering or front-end experience like myself.

Thanks,

 

The only problem is there are so many options that making a one-size-fits-all recipe is really tough to do. Your best bet is to pick a path and just see it through to completion. There are pros and cons to every setup. I personally used the McRuff kit because it is really clean and McRuff is awesome to work with. If I already had the Herm kit, I may just continue on that route. Are you planning on converting to saginaw manual or power? The best thing about your problem is that there a ton of guys on here who have been down this road and everyone will help as much as they can.

 

If you're going to the effort to make a steering conversion, take a few more steps and go power! Being able to steer your CJ with one hand while shifting in a tight situation is priceless!

 

pm sent

 

On the other hand, getting in a tight situation, killing the engine, and not being able to steer at all would really suck! Just playin' devil's advocate...

 

Power steering works without the pump running it just turns into manual steering then.

 

me too
after 25 years of manual Saginaw, I'm glad I went power.
shoulda done it a loooong time ago...

 

I'm pretty handy with a drill, grinder and welder, but reading things like o-ring gearboxes vs flare type insits and outsets just boggles my mind. I guess I'll start by asking what does the pump bracket look like as I have a lead on some. My water-pump has a double pulley. Once I have the pump and bracket I need a gearbox that can be hooked-up to the pump--right?

Thanks for all the help--I really have been searching for answers on my own.

 

the P/S pump will drive off the crankshaft pulley, not the water pump.
early to mid 80s rear wheel drive Buicks V6 are the brackets I'm using.
the o-ring vs flared fittings is no big thing; that argument can go on forever....
get what's easiest to find; preferably they both use the same fittings.
the most difficult part is the route for the steering shafts; from the column to the box.
You'll need a u-joint where the shafts meet, and you'll need a flex coupler of some type and variety on the steering box.
Most go under the front crosssmember and thru the motor mount; or angle away.
I think it's easiest to make your own shafts; this requires cutting and welding of the shafts.....you're putting your life on the line with your own welding.
and that debate has been argued till the cows come home....
other than that...it's easy.

 

The single crank pulley I have now is the harmonic balancer right? Is it easy to find one with 2 grooves?

Thanks,

 

A 2 or 3 groove crank pulley should be easily sourced. Any small block Buick V8 or RWD V6 engine should be a good donor. There's a few on eBay, however this one is overpriced IMO: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150445533758

 

The pulley bolts to the harmonic balancer. No need to remove or replace the balancer. I think I have a spare crank pulley from a 231 (bolt on to a 225) with the grooves you need. PM me if interested. One thing is you'd need to measure where the grooves are so we could make sure the spacing is correct for your other pulleys, water pump, etc.

 

Regarding the flare vs o-ring setup. I had the (older) flare style and decided to change my steering box. The new box had the o-ring style connection so I just had a new hose made at a local rubber hose/hydraulic shop. So, my new hose is flare fitting on one end and o-ring on the other. Very easy.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Buick-Jeep-Dauntless-225-V6-Power-Steering-Pump-Bracket-/150446304432

How about this bracket?

I think I can do the work necessary to connect from the steering column to the gearbox. I added the PTO Koenig winch to my 47 2A so at least I have some experience in that vein. I'm going to use McRuff's kit so if anybody needs the Herm's reverse Ford bracket let me know.

Thanks again for the help.

 

here is the set-up I pulled off the Buick.
Everything is bolt up and the pulley lines up with the crank pulley.
I don't have much room in the 2A engine compartment, but you can see how compact this set-up is. You may have more room in the CJ5 compartment for the ebay bracket you linked to. I would still prefer the GM brackets, as even though they are getting harder to find, you chance at finding a replacement is probably a whole lot better than with the other bracket.

 

regarding the shafts, I used donor 72-75 CJ steering shafts.
We cut the shafts, using the splined ends and retaining the Jeep factory u-joint used on the 72-75 modles. We then re-welded the shafts for length to fit the need. I use the factory bellcoupler at the steering box. I used a 72-75 steering wheel as well.
Borgeson and Speedway were unknown to me back in 1976 went I put the Saginaw in. This type of conversion has been done decades before I did mine and we used what we had on hand at the time. The Jeep u-joint is huge in size compared to what's offered and I look at today.
Keep in mind your planned exhaust system as you begin the process. Headers make it so much easier.

 

My power steering bracket is simialr to Jims but had the smog pump bracket built in. I cut it off witha 3" grinder. Not sure about the ebay bracket, never seen one quite like it. If you get a GM style make sure you get the front and back bracket parts, the part on the engine (back) is the one most guys forget and it makes the rest useless.

 

Thanks so much for the pictures; they help a lot.

 

I have a Herm's saginaw bracket. As said before there is no one size fits all conversion. There is always engineering issues most solved with a little thought and some trial and error. I needed a little more room under my p/s pump so I modified the Buick bracket.