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| Cost - Power Steering Upgrade |
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Whether you are upgrading to power steering for a V8 304 or an I6 258 engine, it is
pretty much the same thing. You will need the same stuff to get the job done. When performing this upgrade, you can
go with a setup off an existing rig, or go with all new parts and get into more fancy steering as well. This will
end up costing you a lot of money, but from what I hear, the results are well worth it.
Not having a ton of money to spend and not a lot of experience to boot with power steering, I started off by getting
a setup off of a 1979 CJ-7 V8 304 for my 1976 Jeep CJ-5 with the 304. I got all the stuff in the mail a few weeks later
and the package consisted of the power steering pump, the power steering gearbox, and 2 hoses. Brackets came
and were attached to the pump. Unfortunately the previous owner shipped the package with the pump full of fluid. It
was nice and messy when it showed up. You will also require a new power steering shaft that connects the steering
box to the steering column. This can be done with a new shaft or a coupler with your existing shaft. Basically you
need to convert the end to the right spline count for the input shaft of the steering box.
The install is very straightforward and requires some basic hand tools. There are no hidden costs with this
installation, although you could use a second set of hands to help hoist the power steering gearbox into place.
Also, you can opt for extra protection with an upgraded Heavy-duty power steering box bracket as well as a
heavy-duty power steering box brace.
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Cost Center
Complete Power Steering Setup - 1979 CJ-7
Heavy Duty Power Steering Shaft
Big Daddy Heavy Duty Steering Bracket
Currie Heavy Duty Power Steering Brace
Power Steering Pressure Hose
Power Steering Return Hose
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Cost
$340.00
$150.00
$120.00
$70.00
$20.00
$15.00
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$705.00 |
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Total Time:
5 Hours
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| Cost - Offset |
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| To offset the cost of the buildup, I sold off the old manual steering setup after
I had finished the buildup. I was surprised that someone wanted a manual setup and equally surprised that it went
for $105.00 for the pieces of the old setup.
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Cost Center
Original Manual Steering Mount
Original Manual Steering Gear Box
Original Manual Steering Shaft
Original Pitman Arm
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Cost
$15.00
$25.00
$40.00
$15.00
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$105.00 |
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Total Cost:
$600.00
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| Conclusions |
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The total time should be around 5 hours all said and done. That being said,
I spent a lot of time to get the original pitman arm off the manual steering box. Looking back, I should have
sold the whole thing together since it only netted me an additional $15.00.
Also, when it was all said and done, I wish I had done a seal fix during the time that the power steering box
was off the rig. I ended up having to drop the power steering gear one more time to fix a leak that developed.
This is cheap insurance at $15.00 and would have made a huge difference.
As you can see, the offset of the over $100.00 for selling the old manual steering setup helped with the project
quite a bit. All this said and done can be had for around $600.00 or less depending on what you replace with new
parts. It is up to you and what you decide and how much you want to brace and secure the new setup to the frame.
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