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Adding Power Steering to an F100 4x4 |
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July 1,
2006 - This page will be fairly slow going,
with sporadic updates, at best. Since I bought a '69 F100
4x4 Ranger in May 2006 for the box to use on my '67 2WD project,
I've decided to keep the rest of the truck as a side project,
one to work on now-and-then when I needed a break from the 2WD.
This project wouldn't be nearly as in-depth though, and I'd
simply rebuild it using good leftover spare parts from the other
trucks I've parted out. I wouldn't be as concerned with making
it aesthetically pleasing, but more into just making it solid,
reliable and fun to drive. Since I have good access to parts
trucks, I could also do some upgrades, such as converting it to
power steering and brakes. This page will detail the research
into the power steering conversion, and I'll post pictures and
updates as they become available.
One of the
things I'm sometimes guilty of is believing everything I read or
am told. Especially if I hear it from multiple sources, I tend
to trust the source(s) and consider it true. One such tidbit of
information that I've always been told (and I believed) was that
converting a 4x4 truck to power steering was as easy as getting
the integral power steering box from a '78-'79 F150 and bolting
it on, along with the other necessary add-on's, of course, such
as the pump, lines, etc. I was told it was literally a bolt-on
affair. So, since I'd decided to keep the '69, I made a trip to
the local U-Pull-It yard to get some parts. I ran across a '78
F150 4x4 with power steering, and since I was always told that
they're semi-rare, I decided to go ahead and grab it, as well as
the steering linkage (drag link and tierod ends (TRE). |
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Fig. 1 |
Here is the
picture taken at the U-Pull-It of the power steering box on
the '78 F150 4x4, prior to removing it. You can see that
it's mounted on the outside of the frame, behind the front
crossmember, right up against the track bar bracket, with
the Pitman arm facing forward. |
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Fig. 2 |
This is the
manual steering box on my '69 F100 4x4. You can see that
this one is mounted in front of the front crossmember, with
the Pitman arm facing rearward, also on the outside of the
frame. (F250s with manual steering have the box mounted to
the inside of the frame.) Also note that the bolt holes are
not the same between the two boxes. |
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Fig. 3 |
This view
shows the curved frame gusset behind the '69 front
crossmember (yellow arrow). If I were to mount the '78 box
onto the '69 frame in the spot it was located on the '78
frame, then this curved gusset would have to be cut out and
replaced with a flat section and then reinforced. |
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Fig. 4 |
Here's a
top view of the curved gusset on the '69 frame. |
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Fig. 5 |
This is
another inside view showing the factory manual-steering box
on the '69. The yellow arrow points to the box's
forward-most attaching bolt and nut. |
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Here is
a view of the bottom-side of the frame rail, showing the
access hole in the frame for the rearmost bolts and nuts. |
So...from studying these pictures and trucks, it seems I
have two options here:
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Option #1 |
Option #2 |
Mount the '78
box behind
the front crossmember, up against the track bar
bracket |
Mount the '78
box ahead
of the front crossmember |
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This would put the
steering box in the place chosen by the factory
for the '78, as shown in Fig. 1 above.
Pros:
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I would be
able to use the '78 box's factory
collapsible steering shaft between the end
of the steering column and the box.
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I would be
able to use the factory steering dampener,
since the drag link would end up directly
under the crossmember, where the factory
dampener bracket was located on the '78.
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The factory
steering geometry would be unaltered.
Cons:
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This would put the
steering box in the place chosen by the factory
for the '69 manual steering box, ahead of (or
actually, right on) the front crossmember, as
shown in Fig. 2 above.
Pros:
Cons:
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Since the '78
box uses a rag joint, I would need to
fabricate a longer steering link between the
box and the end of the steering column.
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I would have
to go with an aftermarket steering dampener,
the stock pieces won't fit.
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So I
posted a question in the FORDification.com forums,
asking the 4x4'ers their thoughts and asked for some
opinions on which way I should go. Didn't really get
much info there, so I posted the same question in the
Pirate4x4.com messageboard and did some some good advice
there. Here's a few of the tidbits of info I was given:
1) I can use the early
Bronco power steering box, since it's mounted in the
same position as my '69's MS box. I did some checking
though, and to get one of these outright from Jeff's
Bronco Graveyard is a whopping $800! Nah, that's
OK...and unlikely that I'd actually find one of these
rare setups anywhere.
2) I can't mount the '78 box in the forward location and
just flip the Pitman arm around, since it'll steer
backwards. (Duh!...why didn't I think of that?)
3) I could use the 2WD box and do a little fabricating
to mount it to the inside of the frame, but we already
knew about that option from the
4x4 power steering tutorial on this site. However, I
didn't realize that wildhorses.com has some custom
brackets that will make it go much smoother....or you
can buy the entire kit with pump, brackets, steering
box, steering shaft couplers, hoses, etc., which ranges
between $700 and $1200 for everything. Here's an image
borrowed from Bronco.com
which shows one of these brackets used to mount a 2WD PS
box:
4) The best idea
yet....and the least expensive....is to just mount the
'78 box in the same location as the '69 MS box, but swap
the spool with one from a 2WD F100/F150 box to change
the steering direction. About all that would be
necessary is the drilling of a couple holes in the frame
to mount the box, and of course rotating the Pitman arm
around 180 degrees. Here's an image borrowed from
BCBroncos.com
that illustrates the difference:
Now that sounds easy
enough, doesn't it? So...option #4 is what I'll be
attempting. Not sure when I'll get around to it, but
I'll keep you all informed about how it goes. And of
course, I'll be taking lots of pictures, 'cause if this
goes as easy and painless as I'm thinking it will, it'll
be the subject of a new tutorial and will answer one of
the most frequently-asked questions here at
FORDification.com.
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