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Power Steering With A Ross Box & Pto Winch

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by Howard Eisenhauer, Sep 2, 2021.

  1. Sep 2, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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    Introduction-



    As Tonka gets older (or maybe it's me) I'm finding the effort required to crank the big'ole'bus wheel in stopped or low speed conditions to be getting harder & harder, power steering seems like the answer.

    Ideally this series of posts would be a straight forward "how to" but the fact is every situation is a bit different so the exact details of my solution may not work for any one else contemplating doing this. There will be a lot of info on how I selected the components & settled on a final layout, probably much of which will fall into any one person's "Way to Much Information" category:shock: But some may find the design process useful if they want to go this route.

    Plus I have way too many photos I need to do something with. :rolleyes:

    Speaking of which you may notice as you read through there's some discontinuity in the pics- things did not get done in a nice neat orderly manner so if you notice paint appearing & disappearing, parts magically changing position etc. don't be confused.

    So to be clear straight off a Saginaw swap was completely out of the question.

    First- I'm a bit AR about making mods that can't easily be removed to return Tonk to a purely stock condition so if it's not purely a bolt on, or at least easily removed leaving no trace of it's existence I'm naturally inclined against it.

    Second- I have a Ramsey PTO winch that precludes the mounting of a Saginaw to the front frame horns anyhow. There are solutions that mount a Saginaw style (actually ford?) gear box beside the shock but use of these with an F4 motor is known to be problematic.

    Third- I like to live under the delusion that any mods I make are "period correct".
    Or at least hidden where no one can see them. :ninja:
    Besides the Saginaw swap there are a few other less-well known options available, some practical, some not. Some period correct, some not.

    Now all hydraulically assisted steering uses the same basic components- a pump, some variation on a spool valve inserted into the linkage between the steering wheel/steering gear and a hydraulic cylinder to provide the boost to the steering linkage. Units such as the Saginaw incorporate the valve & cylinder into the same housing as the steering gears-

    saggy cutaway.jpg

    A few like the Ross unit below put the valve attached to the the gear box but with a separate assist cylinder/piston; this setup is usually typical on large commercial vehicles.

    upload_2021-9-2_11-13-37.png

    Unfortunately the form factor and size pretty much exclude them from being a CJ bolt on.

    There's rack and pinion conversions (typically Pinto derived)- popular with the hot rod crowd they've never really seemed to have caught on with off road vehicles, I believe there's concern about how well they stand up to off road use. Here's one from eWillys-

    rackandpinion.jpg


    Way back in the day a really neat solution was offered by Monroe, this could best be described as "Power Steering in a Stick". These were used as factory equipment by a few manufactures such as Packard but interestingly were available as kits for installation on a number of non PS equipped cars-


    [​IMG]

    Ahhh the Good 'ol Days :)

    As neat as the Monroe unit was it only seems to have been in production for a few years.

    More typically for light truck & passenger vehicles back then the valve would be a separate piece between the steering box & tie rod, usually connected to a drag link. These systems were used by all the major manufacturers from the mid 50's up till, on a limited model basis, the early 80's.

    upload_2021-9-4_22-47-17.png


    These days besides the hydraulic setups there's also options for Electrically Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) units; these are totally electric in operation & should not be confused with systems that use an electric pump to supply pressure to a hydraulically assisted steering system (I will discuss these pumps a bit further on). EPAS systems have become very popular with the hot rod & resto-mod crowds using Saturn Ion & Toyota units, both available for quite reasonable prices on the used parts market. They work very well but for a jeep there is the issue that they go between the steering wheel & the steering box requiring cuts/mods to the steering column to install.

    Toyo EPAS_1.jpg
    Also while they certainly reduce the steering effort for the driver they do not reduce (& will actually increase in some situations) the stress on the steering box & bellcrank, the two prime wear points in the system.

    So those are the possibilities. I elected to go the separate components hydraulic route.

    This is not new ground- these systems have been adapted to CJ's before-

    This one belongs to user Michael Toews

    Michel Towes.jpg


    Here's one put together recently by garage gnome

    [​IMG]


    A different approach by duffer, he used the complete system from a donor including the steering box & drag link setup


    [​IMG]


    So the plan is made- time to start selecting components & figuring out how they'll fit.

     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2021
  2. Sep 5, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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    Parts Selection- Valve

    I've had this project in mind for a few years & have been accumulating parts to experiment with. As mentioned above I like stuff that is "Age Appropriate" to Tonk, that is to say something that would have been available for use way back when. I picked up a steering valve & cylinder for a '56 Packard and a Ford valve & cylinder as well, "Just In Case"

    PS valvecomp_3.jpg

    Packard cylinder, Ford valve & Packard valve. Interestingly the Ford & Packard valves were both built by Bendix. The Ford cylinder, bought as "reconditioned" on Ebay, was trashed & got trashed.

    Now these things, despite the differences in appearance work exactly the same- a sleeved spring loaded ball stud that attached to the the steering gear pushes/pulls on a rod & spacer that are coupled to the spool valve that controls the flow of fluid to the cylinder. There's a nut on the back end to secure the rod & valve together, and in units with a centering spring acts as an adjustment that sets the spool center position so it's in "neutral" when no force is applied to the ball stud.


    Basic spool operation is this-
    upload_2021-9-7_13-26-2.png
    With the spool centered fluid from the pump (red) is free to pass through the valve body back to the low pressure side of the circuit (green) to the reservoir, fluid in the cylinder can move from one side to the other.

    With the spool moved to the right high pressure fluid is now routed to the left side of the cylinder, fluid from the right side is routed to the low pressure port on the valve body. The cylinder moves to the right providing steering assistance.

    Same thing for turning left only different.

    This will hopefully make a bit more sense in the next few posts, I did a teardown on both valves just to make sure they were actually serviceable.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
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  3. Sep 5, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Valve Teardown- Ford

    Ford valve parts.jpg

    Lets start-

    PS valve teardowns Ford_3.jpg


    End cap and adjustment-

    PS valve teardowns Ford_4.jpg

    PS valve teardowns Ford_6.jpg

    Stud carrier separated from the valve body-Not that the ford spacer body is really more of a gasket, they milled a recess into the valve body to allow the spacer to move.

    PS valve teardowns Ford_7.jpg

    PS valve teardowns Ford_8.jpg


    Valve body & valve.

    PS valve teardowns Ford_9.jpg

    It looks a bit worn but it's actually in good condition, tolerances are so close with he body it actually froze into place just as I was re-inserting it & it was not happy abut coming out again. I finally tricked onto rotating it a bit as I put it in, slipped right in nice & smooth :).

    PS valve teardowns Ford_1.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
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  4. Sep 5, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Valve Teardown- Packard

    Note that there's no adjustment spring in the Packard unit, as "road feel" is determined by adjusting springs in most designs (determining how much "real" feel you get from the mechanical linkage. vs. where the spool has moved enough to apply pressure to the cylinder) I suspect Packard had a very light feel to the steering, verging on Mind Control :)


    sm_packard_parts.jpg

    Valve body separated from the spacer body and ball stud carrier.

    PS valve teardowns bendix_6.jpg


    Spacer, seal & valve

    PS valve teardowns bendix_10.jpg


    End cap removed showing the centering adjustment, that since there is no spring, is not really a centering adjustment.

    PS valve teardowns bendix_3.jpg


    Valve body disassembled. Actually it was in good shape, the seals are getting a little stiff but the valve itself was in perfect condition.

    PS valve teardowns bendix_7.jpg

    Ball stud housing, spacer body & push rod-

    PS valve teardowns bendix_11.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Sep 29, 2021
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  5. Sep 5, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Test Fitting

    I had some ideas about how everything would fit together but quickly discovered that my mental model of Tonk's front end undersides did not quite match reality.

    First up was the Packard unit, it quickly became apparent that the valve was not going to interface well with the PTO driveshaft ujoint. Now it is possible to rotate the valve body 180° thus point the hose bosses downwards, this would provide the needed clearance but the hoses & fittings would be pointing down towards the ground just waiting to be ripped off by rock/speed bump/suicidal squirrel.

    PS valve test fit_1.jpg


    Next up is the Ford, a lot closer but not quite enough. Rotating the valve body is not possible on the Ford & the way it's designed would not have bought me enough clearance anyhow.

    PS valve test fit_7.jpg

    PS valve test fit_9.jpg
    Now there is a setup that never occurred to me, if you examine the picture of Michael Toews' jeep above you'll see a Ford valve that's actually mounted in the reverse orientation to what in my mind is "Normal", I suspect this would have worked for me as well but I never saw the pictures of this until I was almost finished with the build.

    Ah well.

    So both valves are a bust for this application. For those of you who want power steering without the frame hacking required for a Saginaw conversion note that either would work perfectly fine without the winch driveshaft being there.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2021
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  6. Sep 5, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Corvette Equipment

    Busting out on the Ford & Packard I decided I'd try a gen 2/3 corvette system, Nate & Duffer seem to have had good experiences with them so I Rock Auto'd a valve, cylinder & the connecting hoses. These were used for over 20 years starting from the early 60's remaining virtually unchanged. In fact they were used earlier than that on Chevy sedans, I can find references going back as far as '57. The difference would be the valve centering spring- the spring is what determines "road feel" The stiffer the spring, the more road feel. As I stated the Packard doesn't even have a spring which probably leads to pinky finger steering effort & absolutely no feeling of connection to the pavement at all. I figure the Corvette sprung version is probably a bit stiffer, "sportier" feeling unit than the one intended for use in a sedan.

    Feebly attempting to stick to "Age Appropriate" I ordered one for a '62. :D

    Oddly enough they seem to have used metric hardware on '62 corvettes, that just doesn't seem right somehow. :susp:

    Comparing all three valves, I like that the Corvette is a lot shorter- I had concerns about the Ford adjustment nut cover getting whacked by the driver side spring during hard left turns.

    PS valvecomp_6.jpg

    PS valvecomp_5.jpg

    Cylinder comparison with the Packard, I think the corvette form factor will work better with the ports on the end, also I hit the Packard with compressed air & it needs a shaft seal kit so it's the 'vette that's going to be used.

    PS valvecomp_8.jpg


    Actual measurement a the end of the bellcrank shows about 6" of movement to get from stop to stop so either cylinder has plenty of range.

    PS valvecomp_7.jpg
    Test fitting, same issue as the Packard. You may notice it's not good enough to clear the hose fittings.

    PS corv valve test fit_2.jpg

    Like the Packard the Corvette body can be rotated 180°, this works a bit better than the Packard but the hoses would still be pointing/hanging down to a unacceptable degree.

    PS corv valve test fit_1.jpg

    What I did find though after some examination is that the 'vette body can, with an adapter plate, be rotated 90° placing the hose connections for the pump/reservoir pointing straight ahead.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2021
  7. Sep 10, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Corvette Valve Modification I

    This was a fairly simple operation, the worst part was having to get creative with two fasteners due to interference with the casting.

    upload_2021-9-10_19-21-38.png


    I didn't do a full teardown on this one working on the theory that, as a new(ish) unit, it's probably in working condition.

    PS valve mods_15.jpg


    While the Packard has a spacer/spacer body & the Ford has the milled recess the Corvette unit uses a plate to allow movement.

    PS valve mods_14.jpg


    Cad/Cam this ain't not.

    PS valve mods_16.jpg

    PS valve mods_18.jpg


    I was going to get creative & trim the new plate into a purdy four lobed work of art but the reality was it wasn't going to be worth the effort.

    PS valve mods_20.jpg

    Just to get a bit more bite to hold the valve body to the new spacer plate I helicolied it.

    PS valve mods_21.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
  8. Sep 10, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Corvette Steering Valve Modifications II

    As the corvette valve is designed to screw onto the end of a center link I needed to fab an adapter to fit it to the drag link tube. Luckily I had a piece of something or another in the junk box just the right size.

    PS valve mods_2.jpg

    PS valve mods_4.jpg


    Test fit

    PS valve mods_5.jpg


    Drilled out the center to 5/8" & threaded with an 11/16" x 18 tap.

    PS valve mods_7.jpg

    PS valve mods_8.jpg


    Added same flats to help screw it into the valve.

    PS valve mods_6.jpg

    PS valve mods_10.jpg

    PS valve mods_12.jpg


    For the threaded section I cut the stem off an old TRE, screwed it in & welded from the back.

    PS valve mods_11.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
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  9. Sep 10, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Steering Pump

    Mounting a steering pump on an F4 can be an issue, while there is a spot on the driver's side of the head I had that spot earmarked for a governor. I know people have done this but I'll be darned if I can find a pic of a F4 install, here's one of a L head-

    [​IMG]


    I looked into an electric pump- the Toyota MR2 Spider units work particularly nicely as they have built in circuitry that cranks the power draw way down when pressure isn't needed.

    [​IMG]


    People also seem to like the units out of the earlier Mini Coopers but thy don't have the on-demand output without a canbus controller.


    People have suggested using Monarch Hy-Lo pumps that mount to the genny but they require moving the oil filter & I kind of like mine where it's at.

    upload_2021-9-26_11-54-18.png


    I considered using a Monroe crank driven hydraulic pump but two problems-

    -They're hard to find
    -They make changing the fan belt An Exercise.

    monroe crank pump.jpg


    One interesting possibility presented itself; back in the 50's a few manufacturers got around the issue by creating a combination pump/generator- here's a Chevy unit-

    Chevy pump_genny.jpg

    I obtained a '55 Chrysler -

    [​IMG]


    Actually what I got was just the pump & rear genny end plate. Here they are (loosely) mated to the back of an old genny case; the pump wouldn't quite fit because the armature shaft needed some flats added so it would properly connect to the drive coupling but this was good enough for brainstorming.

    [​IMG]

    There were a few issues, firstly the generator/pump combo is too long to fit with a stock starter, I got around this by using a Toyota compact starter-

    [​IMG]

    The second issue being that the pump was designed to mount the reservoir to the drivers side- this was not going to work for as the engine is somewhat inconveniently occupying that spot. I looked at a few different options as outlined here but for one reason or another they didn't pan out.

    The Universe hates me :(

    I ended up committed to making an adapter to move the reservoir around to the passenger side; I probably should have gone to a remote reservoir- it would probably have been easier to fab up but I am happy with the way it finally came out, more on that further on.

    One further note on pumps for those of you considering a conversion- pumps come in a wide variety of pressure outputs. Make sure you know what you need & what you have- potential problems range from an under performing response to leaking seals & potentially even burst hoses. Systems such as I'm using are listed in the manuals at six to seven hundred PSI. Rack & Pinion will typically be 1000. For units such as the Saginaw or Ford combination boxes you're starting at 1200 & going *way* up depending on the size of vehicle the pump was intended for. The difference between otherwise identical looking pumps will be the relief valve, actually the spring in the relief valve; these can be swapped to get the pressure you need.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
  10. Sep 27, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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    Pump Overhaul

    As I'm probably the only one ever going to go this route the following will probably be of absolutely no use to any of you so Enjoy :)

    I really just tore it down to see if there was any chance of it working, once apart I found here was not much actual rebuilding to do on this thing - it's in amazingly good shape for a piece of gear over 65 years old. All I ended up replacing was the shaft seal and the drive coupler, both of which I had absolutely no trouble finding from suppliers.


    Not much there- a gearrotor and a relief valve.

    PS pump rebuild_4.jpg


    The rotating surfaces were all nice with no scratches or pitting to be seen, I guess having a filter in the reservoir makes a difference :)


    PS pump rebuild_5.jpg

    PS pump rebuild_6.jpg

    PS pump rebuild_7.jpg


    Looks like 3 thou " to me :whistle:

    PS pump rebuild_11.jpg


    The cavity & cover end surfaces looked good as well, laying a flat edge across the gears in the case indicated about .002" clearance, well within spec. Even the bushings look good o_O


    PS pump rebuild_9.jpg

    PS pump rebuild_10.jpg


    The only signs of wear are on the relief valve that's showing a little scuffing but running my finger over it felt fine so it went back in.

    PS pump rebuild_1.jpg


    The coupling flanges are fine, just the rubber coupler was showing deterioration- replaced.

    PS pump rebuild_2.jpg

    PS pump rebuild_3.jpg


    And that's it for the "rebuild".
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
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  11. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Pump Adapter I

    This is the way the pump is supposed to go together which worked just fine on the Chrysler, but as mentioned the engine block occupies the place the reservoir wants to be. :( It has to be re-located to the passenger side of the genny.

    PS pump mods_41.jpg


    6061 is the material of choice, mostly because that's what I have in stock in a usable size. This piece will bolt up to the pump in place of the reservoir.

    PS pump mods_5.jpg

    PS pump mods_6.jpg

    PS pump mods_7.jpg

    PS pump mods_9.jpg


    This piece will be what the reservoir connects to in it's new location; it's a bit more involved than the pump end.

    PS pump mods_12.jpg


    This is the hole where the reservoir retainer will screw into

    PS pump mods_14.jpg


    Cutting at the right angle to line up with the pump adapter so the reservoir will sit level.

    PS pump mods_19.jpg

    PS pump mods_22.jpg


    The threaded hole at the top is where the pump adapter pipe screws in to feed fluid to the pump; top lower is the retainer, bottom lower is for the fluid return hose fitting.

    PS pump mods_25.jpg


    Continued...
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2021
  12. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Pump Adapter II

    Test fit, everything seems to be correct

    PS pump mods_28.jpg

    Milled some holes for o-rings to keep the fluid where it belongs. I didn't have to do this at the pump end as there was an o-ring recess in the pump body.

    PS pump mods_31.jpg


    Making it look pretty-

    PS pump mods_33.jpg

    PS pump mods_36.jpg

    If you're wondering about the green stuff it's rattle can self etching primer, it actually does a good job adhering to the aluminum as long as the surface has just been cleaned off.

    PS pump mods_40.jpg

    PS pump mods_37.jpg

    PS pump mods_38.jpg


    This may work after all :)

    PS pump mods_43.jpg


    Out & in

    PS pump mods_44.jpg


    I had to make an adapter for the out port, the stock one was straight out aimed right at the block.

    PS pump mods_2.jpg

    That's that for that- a major piece of the puzzle out of the way.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
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  13. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Cylinder Mount I

    The test fit made it pretty apparent exactly where the cylinder has to go, the rod end has to be right up by the bellcrank mount and the best placement is at the back edge of the cross member. The length of the rod and the play of the hoses allows about an inch of leeway; I set things up to be right in the middle of that range.I had some 3/16" plate left over from another project, it worked perfectly for this. I used a piece of cardboard cut out to fit next to the bellcrank mount & transferred it to the plate.

    Sorry no clever 30 minute videos about tea powered Cardboard Assisted Design :(

    Here's the plate cut out & the actual edges of the cross member marked out.

    PS chassis cyl mount_2_2.jpg


    I'm not sure these re-enforcement pieces along the edge are actually necessary but it seemed like a good idea a the time. :shrug:

    PS chassis cyl mount_2_3.jpg


    Made pretty. Had to grind the edge to account for the curve down to the frame rail of the cross member.

    PS chassis cyl mount_2_1.jpg

    PS chassis cyl mount_2.jpg


    Mounting holes in the cross member drilled & tapped

    PS chassis cyl mount_5.jpg

    PS chassis cyl mount_6.jpg

    PS chassis cyl mount_7.jpg

    PS chassis cyl mount_10.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2021
  14. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Cylinder Mount II

    Next up the cylinder connection to the tie rod. We start with a block of 6061, with the intention that this would be a test piece & the "real" part would be carved out of steel.

    PS tierod cyl mount_2.jpg


    Bored to be a friction fit to the tie rod.

    PS tierod cyl mount_3.jpg

    PS tierod cyl mount_4.jpg


    Rounded edges, Just because :)

    PS tierod cyl mount_5.jpg


    Reaming for the cylinder TRE, reamer loaned to me courtesy of user jzeber- Thanks Jeff, couldn't have done it without you Bud :)

    PS tierod cyl mount ream_1.jpg

    This is what it finally ended up looking like, had to make a few changes along the way to fit the reality of the situation but again this was supposed to be a test piece; the paint is a good clue that it didn't work out that way :whistle:

    PS tierod cyl mount_6.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
  15. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    Assembly

    With the parts collected & modified as necessary it's time to put this together. As much as I'd like to say it all went together & worked perfectly the first time that's not the case- a couple of issues that the test fit didn't make apparent popped up & there was a rather embarrassing issue with the valve.


    Because the cylinder is not oriented the way it was designed for I wanted it bled before installation. It took about three days. :shock:

    PS Assembly_2.jpg


    Every time I pushed or pulled the rod in & out after a few minutes there'd be a big bubble pop pop up; I bled it right side up, right side down, on an angle, one end up, the other end up & there'd always be a damn bubble within 10 to 15 minutes. When I thought I finally had it I'd let it sit overnight & the next day there would be another big bubble. I wouldn't think the passageways would be that convoluted but there's more going on in there than anticipated.

    PS Assembly_4.jpg


    Got the hoses, took some running around to get what I needed- apparently hydraulic hose shops don't stock fittings commonly used on 50 year old automotive power steering components. Ended up making my own for the valve return port, copper but it's low pressure; a steel replacement is on the to-do list "someday" (that will probably be the day after it cracks apart).

    PS mockup_3.jpg


    Parts together & ready to go in. Note the cylinder TRE mount is on the drag link- this didn't work out- it ended up on the tie rod.

    PS mockup_12.jpg


    & in.

    PS mockup_6.jpg

    PS mockup_10.jpg


    As mentioned the TRE mount ended up on the tie rod, the cylinder TRE casting is angled a bit, there just wasn't quite enough range in the stud to work with the mount forward on the drag link. I also knurled the tie rod. Again I expected that the aluminum piece would only be a test piece but it's working perfectly so I'm not bothering with a steel version.

    Assembly_TREs_3.jpg


    And plumbed to the pump.

    Assembly_pump in_1.jpg

    If you're having trouble figuring this one out try standing on your head & looking at it in a mirror :D

    PS Assembly_6.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Sep 29, 2021
  16. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

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    BooBoo

    So everything is connected, engine is started , the system is bled, a few drips easily fixed by tightening connectors.

    The valve adjustment calls for cranking the centering nut in to make the cylinder move right & then out until it moves left, split the difference & that's the right adjustment point. I did so & it worked perfectly :)

    Next step- try the steering wheel.

    Turn the wheel right, move easily, turn the wheel left & something feels very different :confused:

    Try it again, same thing.

    Tweak the adjustment a bit till it's just ready to start moving left- same thing.

    WTF. :shrug:

    It's got to be the valve so out it comes & disassembled it is.

    Here's what I screwed up-

    [​IMG]
    There's a spacer washer that rides between the stud carrier plug (14) & the valve seal retainer (13) inside the space plate (16). This allows .030" of movement for the valve to go from "full left" to "full right". In the center position the washer should stand about .015' proud of the interface between the space plate & the valve body.

    The new spacer plate I made is thicker than the stock unit, even at full left the washer wasn't even reaching the interface point.

    PS post valve mods_2.jpg


    I fixed the issue by sticking another washer in with the original

    PS post valve mods_3.jpg


    "Left" now sticks up where it's supposed to

    PS post valve mods_1.jpg


    Tested again, working perfectly :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
  17. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
    Other Modifications

    I made a few changes that, while not actually part of the power steering, either made the installation easier or helped tighten up the steering.

    First up was a two hole knuckle. This is not essential for the conversion- there's plenty of examples of power steering working with a regular knuckle but it did make life a bit easier.

    sm_twoholeknuckle_20210418_160613.jpg

    Here's an example of getting by with a regular knuckle-

    draglink connection.jpg

    or at least only using one hole...

    Of course this required going to a one piece tierod & drag link.


    Second was converting the bellcrank to tapered bearings, thanks to McRuff for passing on advice about doing this to me. :)

    First step- center the crank on the mill relative to the spindle. I bought one of these radial indicators after seeing Adam Savage extolling it's virtues :)

    bellcrankmod_3.jpg


    Second- adjust the boring head to exactly the wrong ^H^H^H^H^H right distance to get the bearing hole the wrong ^H^H^H^H^H right size

    bellcrankmod_6.jpg

    bellcrankmod_8.jpg


    Note how I secured the crank to the table- I found a socket, that in conjunction with a sheet metal shim, made a good press fit into the crank's bore. I bolted the socket down to a t-nut and a longer bolt, along with a number of washers for shims secured the arm to get the crank level & prevent it from rotating while being bored out.

    bellcrankmod_9.jpg

    I got things amazingly right on the bore, ~3 thou under & the bearing cups were a nice press in fit :) I'm not happy about the finish where I milled the crank face- the other side came out perfect, this side wanted to chatter for some reason but it really doesn't affect anything except my pride. :( I also milled a recess for an O ring; used in conjunction with some fender washers they provide a good seal to keep water out.

    bellcrankmod_10.jpg


    Lastly I ponied up the money for a NOS worm tube and a fresh sector shaft. Put it back together & popped on a TightSteer just for luck.

    tightsteer.jpg

    Again nothing absolutely essential but beneficial enough to be worth doing.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2021
    FinoCJ likes this.
  18. Sep 28, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
    Cooler Installation

    So after getting everything installed & working I found that the fluid was really heating up just from circulating from the pump through the valve & back to the reservoir.

    Let's be clear here- the pump moves a lot of fluid very quickly, it has to in able to keep up with the demands of sharp quick turns required in emergency situations.

    How much? How fast?

    If, for some odd reason, you were to run the system at idle engine speed without the cover on the reservoir and the filter not installed the fluid would come shooting up & out in a graceful arch completely emptying every last drop in under 10 seconds. :shock:


    *DO*NOT* ask me how I know this.:susp:

    PS Assembly_7.jpg


    Moving that much fluid that quickly through the pump , hoses & valve will heat it up just due to turbulence. It wasn't so hot that I couldn't touch the reservoir but was well up over 100° F. Probably the use of rubber lines instead of steel wasn't helping so I picked a cooler kit off of Amazon & threw half of it away.

    PS cooler_7.jpg


    I fab'd some new end caps to save space & made up a mount set that connects it the the cylinder mount and a bracket that screws to the cross member.

    PS cooler_5.jpg

    PS cooler_6.jpg

    PS cooler_2.jpg

    PS cooler_1.jpg

    Does it help? Well it doesn't hurt & probably does indeed do something while Tonk is moving.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2021
    jeepstar likes this.
  19. Sep 29, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
    Conclusion-

    First drive test was a Genuine Shock just pulling out of the garage & turning around o_O, I was not expecting it to be as effortless as it was, far less road feel than I was hoping to get. :cry:

    I'm not totally happy with the pump, I'd prefer something that would allow the stock starter to be used; I have a solution in mind but this is fine for now.

    Now I had to jump through some extra hoops here because of the winch, if you don't have a winch this would be a far easier project to implement. I haven't added up all the costs involved but for the part's I actually used there was about $300 for the valve, cylinder & hoses, ~ $150 or so for the single piece tierod tubes & maybe another $100 or for for various bitties. If you have the opportunity to scrounge parts then the cost would be considerably less. I used my machine tools quite a bit but really the only thing that couldn't be duplicated otherwise was the threaded adapter for the valve/draglink, probably not pricey to get done at a machine shop.



    So worth it?

    Hell Yeah! :D
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
  20. Sep 29, 2021
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
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