Power steering, whats the best way?

[dudewannabee]

Hey fellas, I have been doing some research on adding power steering, I found this post, seems like a good way to do it, is this still the best way, or has there been someone who did it better since? thanks
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=30340

truck is a d100 2wd 383 automatic

[dodgeboykim]

They're is a long thread on power steering here. Been quiet for a little while.

http://sweptline.org/forums/viewtopic.p ... r+steering

[dudewannabee]

I read through that thread, I spoke with cpp and they said to 69 only, my truck is a 71? Will it still work?

[dodgeboykim]

69 to 71 trucks are pretty much the same model for model. Very minor changes. If they think only to 69 then he should be able to tell you why.

Anyone else have any insight.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Maybe they meant up "to" 69, but not "thru" or "including" 69.
Otherwise, if it includes 69, I agree with Kim!

[dudewannabee]

I asked why the tech on the phone wasnt sure, but I spoke to another member from this forum who is VERY knowledgeable on the phone last night and he said the difference is the column connection which can be fixed with a universal...

[hitparader]

Good to know, thanks. I'm assuming that was a universal joint, which would also improve safety.

[johnah]

I did my 1970 d100 back in May, everything worked fine. The only problem I had was hose to pump because I was using Mopar Frderal style pump. Had to have a custom hp hose made at a local vendor. Franicisco Magallance (Frank) is the guy to talk to @ CPP, if he is still there.

[johnah]

I used CPPs rag joint (thinking it was a ford) split and bolted to the dodge column half rag joint.

[413wagon]

I used the CPP box and hose kit with rag joint and CPP pitman arm.newer Saginaw pump. Works OK on my big block 69 4x4 with 33 12.5s. Only gripe is that it doesn't have enough assist at a dead stop on dry pavement, but the kit was not designed for the 4x4 with big tires or the weight of a big block. Nice quick ratio box and looks factory clean too. Just my 2 cents

[Txas2step]

I used the CPP box and hose kit with rag joint and CPP pitman arm.newer Saginaw pump. Works OK on my big block 69 4x4 with 33 12.5s. Only gripe is that it doesn't have enough assist at a dead stop on dry pavement, but the kit was not designed for the 4x4 with big tires or the weight of a big block. Nice quick ratio box and looks factory clean too. Just my 2 cents

That seems to be a recurring problem with the set-up. Longbed67 has that problem and my '66 d200 that I sold to my plumber has the same issue( he finally admitted to me when I pressed him on the issue). Dead stop hesitation until you give it some juice. . Guess CPP needs to address this .

[dudewannabee]

Well this is a 2wd although it is a big block, I plan on going through the front end and putting the ball bearing king pins in that I read about on here, I am guessing there are also a few geometry tricks that will help steering and driveability...

I had a Ford Bronco custom that had a 7.3 diesel installed and a smaller aftermarket (or maybe another brand, but not stock) box installed, the braking system and power steering system were the reason I was able to buy the truck so right' ($5K all restored), at a dead stop with the 35x12.5's you needed help from the passenger to turn the wheel. The front end felt good, had all new parts, a dampner system (That I innitially thought was the problem, but after disconnecting it I found it made no difference in stop steers).
Then my father jumped in the truck and put it in neutral, revved it up a bit and it turned the wheels perfectly... SO after some thinking we just changed the size of the pulley so it spun the pump faster and problem solved it steered like a new truck with 35's lol... The braking issue ended up needing a vacuum assist which we ended up solving that problem with a GM alternator with the vac pump built into it (I think it was stock for an 03 izuzu cab over that came with a 6.0 gas engine, it was like $100 and we made the brackets, that 7.3 had two alternators, but we took one off and just used the gm / vacuum one)...

Funny story, I drove that thing for about 3 months, loved it, a guy at a gas station started talking to me about it and looking at it, asked if it was for sale, I said "everything is for sale", he took my number and asked me to think up a price. I thought about it and figured I would sell it for $10K, I was into it for under $6K after the ps and brake fixes, as well as buying a 5th wheel/tire for a spare and fabricating a back door carrier for it... I didnt hear back from the guy for about 2 weeks, he called and said he couldnt stop thinking about the truck...

Long story short he came up to look at it again and counted out $24K cash to take it home!!!! Anyway, I like that story figured I would share it.. Maybe them pumps need a bit more rpm to turn your 4wd big tire rigs???

[Hobcobble]

Well this is a 2wd although it is a big block, I plan on going through the front end and putting the ball bearing king pins in that I read about on here, I am guessing there are also a few geometry tricks that will help steering and driveability...

I would think that if you put in new king pins, make sure your tie rod ends and
drag link are in good order and have a properly working steering box, you shouldn't
have any problems. Lots of these trucks.... both Ds and Ws, came with manual
steering and had a lot of miles put on them by their owners....
John

[PwrWgnDrvr]

I have a 68 W200, 383, 12x33's, manual steering, easy peasy...

[wally426ci]

Agreed. Unless you hang out at the mall a lot or parallel park in the city often, you are fine.

[dudewannabee]

I prefer power steering, just jamming the cars into my toy box gets tricky, fitting as many cars in and under the lifts all off set from the doors with out power steering gets old fast, I have a gtx with manual steering and manual brakes and pulling that car in and out of its spot is a nightmare, especially with the elephant sitting over the front end...
But with this truck I intend on towing other cars with the 21ft aluminum car trailer so power steering is a must for me, manual may work great for others, but for me disc fronts, power steer, over drive, fuel injection, and a/c has to be..

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Wow, you're going to pour thousands into that truck so u can haul stuff at 8 mpg?
A modern Cummins truck with all those features from the factory will do the job better and be 15-20 mpg.

[wally426ci]

But it doesn't look as cool as an old truck towing it all Terry!

[PwrWgnDrvr]

No p/s
No power assist or disk brakes
No a/c
No radio
No o/d
No fuel inj
No big block
No girlie men driving

[Txas2step]

This '66 D200 ute I recently added to the herd, has the original front end components(well lubed) and the steering box out of the other D200 that had the CPP conversion. It has new 9.50-16.5 tires on it. It is the easiest of all my trucks to steer. Less tread on the ground.