Manual to power steering swap on 84 CJ

[Lightnin 1]

What do I need to convert from manual to power steering on my CJ. Attempting to make it more "wife friendly"!! It's got a 2" spring lift on it. Thanks!!!

 

[Petescj]

You need the pump and resovior along with the bracket , upper double groove pulley , single groove add on lower pulley , return and pressure hose , steering box , and the coupling from the steering shaft for the power steering box.

The hardware along with the above mentioned parts make it a pretty simple swap. One thing to be aware of is that the box mounts to the frame and some times the captured nuts inside break loose. While the steering box is off look for cracks in the frame around that area.

 

[Lightnin 1]

Converting over to a 350 Chevy. Will this make any difference on a pump???

 

[Petescj]

Im not really familiar with the Chevy in a Cj thing , I prefer to keep mine purebread.

Im pretty sure all the things that I mentioned that mount to your 350 need to come from the Chevy. Id look for a Jeep steering box just to make sure , but others may chime in that are more familiar. The ones Ive done have been all Jeep parts. You may or may not have an issue with the power steering lines length. Wait for more opinions from the Chevy/Jeep guys.

 

[Lightnin 1]

Im not really familiar with the Chevy in a Cj thing , I prefer to keep mine purebread.

Im pretty sure all the things that I mentioned that mount to your 350 need to come from the Chevy. Id look for a Jeep steering box just to make sure , but others may chime in that are more familiar. The ones Ive done have been all Jeep parts. You may or may not have an issue with the power steering lines length. Wait for more opinions from the Chevy/Jeep guys.

Thanks for the info..... Some one might have an answer to fix this "Mutt"!!! LOL

 

[csuengr]

The 350 will have a Saginaw pump, just like Jeeps used. Just have to make sure you get a metric pump with a metric box. The fittings that is. You don't need a steering box from a Jeep either. You can get one from a GM vehicle. S-10's are good candidates.

 

[Lightnin 1]

Thanks..... I can buy a new Jeep P/S box for around $140.. Is this a good deal??

 

[tarry99]

Thanks..... I can buy a new Jeep P/S box for around $140.. Is this a good deal??

Since your buying new you should buy a variable ratio gear box.......meaning in a short vehicle like a Jeep the ratio at the center / straight ahead is slow so the vehicle doesn't want to wander.......as you turn the wheel L/R the ratio speeds up to turn faster out towards the ends.
The Jeep box is OK...........but not knowing what model it is may not be..... Jeeps in the late 70's and early eighties were using the Saginaw Model 800 HD 4 bolt box.......by far the best steering gear produced. Still available to this day and duplicated and adapted among several car manufactures. Uses the standard Saginaw ham can looking Power steering pump or any direct replacement.
Your Jeep probably has a 3-bolt Saginaw now so the mount will need to be changed although other smaller Saginaw Power boxes are available in a 3 bolt mount...........depending on what you have now versus the new gear the mount or forward steering shaft may have to be changed as the manual versus the power are different overall lengths. Also the Pittman Arm needs to be replaced as there is a size difference between manual & Power.........
I believe you have bolt on mounts on your Jeep now they should be replaced with the aftermarket Heavy Duty mounts.

 

[hagar]

You need the pump and resovior along with the bracket , upper double groove pulley , single groove add on lower pulley , return and pressure hose , steering box , and the coupling from the steering shaft for the power steering box.

...and a p/s pitman arm.

 

[NorthwestCJer]

I converted my 84.

I pulled the pump and bracket from a 2.5 ltr Cherokee. (same bracket) $10.00
Used a fast ratio box from a wagoner. $5.00
stock power steering belt. $12.00
called Borgeson and ordered a new shaft. $125.00
Bought a stock 84 CJ7 pressure hose from Napa. $25.00?

Took about an hour to install. The junkyard pump was bad, so I checked Napa and found the power steering pump is a pretty universal GM Unit and was $40.00
And ended up using the factory part number for replacement.

I did not need to do any pulley adding or changing. I bought the factory belt for a CJ7 with power steering.

The Wagon/truck boxes use a different spline/size than the CJ. Also the manual to power box is different spline/size.

Your CJ has a smaller steering wheel than older jeeps and the faster ratio box will not be a problem. I have converted 6 or more jeeps with GM boxes without issues.

Good Luck