will i have any difficulty, or need any additional parts, when i switch out my power steering box for a new manual unit? What should i expect?

1983/5? CJ-7

reuben...

The steering shaft (between the column and box) is different, as is the pitman arm. I'm sure there are more differences, but those are the first two that come to mind. It's not difficult, as long as your prepared, and have all the right parts.

so i'll need a manual shaft and pitman arm?

do they vary over the years?

r...

Is the shaft really different though? I switched my manual steering over to power a couple years ago in an 84 CJ7 and I bought the new shaft, but I sure couldn't tell the difference between the one I took out and the one I put in. I did use the new shaft though, IIRC, so I could be wrong.

what about the pitman arm?

I'm almost + pitman arms are different, look in a quadratec they list 2 different part numbers for drop pitman arms for a cj 1 for a manual and 1 for a power box. I do know cj and yj/tj/xj power boxes won't interchange without some steering shaft work (the diamiater of the splined part where the steering shaft mates is different). Make sure you use a flare nut wrench on the power steering lines if you ever want to use them again or there's a good chance you'll strip them out. Why would you want to go from manual to power steering anyways? Seems like you are taking a step back instead of forward to me.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Why would you want to go from manual to power steering anyways? Seems like you are taking a step back instead of forward to me.


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Did you mean power to manual? Or was that question for me (I posted about the manual to power...)

I woulda thought that manual to power would be an improvement... unless there's something I'm missing.

well, i use my CJ more for distance than for wheeling.

It was built with the intention that it would be for travel, specifically in Central and South America. It looks like hell, completely rusted out, and held together by sheet metal. But the 304, T-150, and Dana 20 are all rebuilt, wiring reharnesseed, and it's (almost) ready to go.

i had power steering on a CJ i drove from NY to FL, and it was very difficult to drive. Granted, it had a three inch lift, 33s, and no sway bars.

Anyway, i picked my setup for simplicity, less gears, less luxuries, so that i have less to worry about in the middle of nowhere. For highway miles i'm looking for less wobble-open steering.

if anyone can give me some certainties on the steering box swap, and whether i'll have to get a manual shaft or pitman arm, i'ld much appreciate it.

And if anyone in Southern Cal or the area would like to trade these parts for the whole power steering setup, drop me a line.

Scott...

Scott:

Reading your post I get the feeling you may have your caster set incorrectly. A more positive caster will cause you wheels to track straighter. If your <nobr>jeep</nobr> is kinda squirrelly, you may need more caster.

I may be way off base but that's what it sounds like to me.

I had an 81 CJ7 with 3+" of lift (leaf springs + 3/4" shackles) which had power steering. When I first got it, it was very squirrelly. After some research, I adjusted the caster to around 5* and it drove wonderfully on the highway, even at 75 mph.

While it's impossible to tell what the prior onwner had done with things in the yellow Jeep. As Rabid_Tortoise has already said.... When we swapped his CJ over from manual to power the steering shaft was exactly the same, but replaced because we already had a new one and the old one was a bit loose.

I tried to research that and my best guess is that after 1981 (through 1986) the manual and power steering column to gear shaft was the same. There isn't alot of information about the minor changes (like none on the manual setup that I could find).

The pitman arm is different in that it is not mounted to the steering box with the same diameter spline.

There is also a difference in the mounting of the steering box to the frame. One or the other needs an extra plate - since the manual box is smaller I'm thinking that's were you need that extra plate. Don't hold me to that I have slept more than a couple times since wrench'n on it. But it would also be logical that the power box should be braced better (automotive engineers logical?).

I would think that if you want to swap to manual there are lots and lots of parts out there from folks that swapped the other direction. I have some eBay sellers that will work with me, drop a note if you would like for me to ask them.

Good Luck,

Dale