Fearing Steering
I own a '56 CJ-5 with an original F-head 134 drivetrain. I've been collecting the parts to do the power-steer conversion and believe that I'm finally ready. Is this job going to be like opening a can of worms, or is it something an intermediate knuckle-buster can do?
Jerry U.
Via e-mail
The easy answer is: it depends. There are a couple ways to go about it, and there are a few things to take into consideration. First, you'll need to make sure the pump brackets fit the engine and the pulleys line up so you won't be throwing belts all the time. Also, you'll need to make sure you know what pump and box hose ends you need. Some boxes are standard thread, some are metric, and some are metric O-ring. If you're working with an older box and pump from the '70s, it's bound to be standard. I'd take the box and pump to the auto parts store and match up the hose ends before mounting them on the vehicle. Once you match them up, you can probably use the factory hoses from a '76-'85 four-cylinder CJ-5 or CJ-7.
Second, I don't know what type of box mount you're working with. If you're doing one that mounts the box along the framerail like those from Advance Adapters, you're going to need to cut and notch the front crossmember for the shaft to go through. If you're using a '72-and-later box mount that places the box below the framerail, then you can pretty much use stock Jeep parts and don't need to modify the front crossmember.
You'll also need a tie rod and drag-link setup from a '72-'75 CJ-5, as well as a U-joint and bronze bushing to connect the stock steering column to the new steering shaft. You're going to need to cut off the worm gear of the Ross cam and lever setup, trim the column tube for length, drive the bushing into it, and affix the U-joint--or you can just use the whole steering column and shaft from a '72-and-later CJ or DJ-5 Postal Jeep.
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