School me on steering mods

[buffblazer]

well i have the 1 tons in, the motor built all the good stuff yada yada and i come to find i have a steering box leaking.

truck is a 86 k5.

now whats my options for upgrades? the truck will see mostly street kinda a 60/40 split on street and dirt since it will be my daily driver again.


so school me on crossover, red neck rams and full hydro and anything else i may have left out.

im figuring the full hydro is out because i know its not a good option for the street but anything else im open to.

kinda looking at functionality and cost effecency.

 

[Kenny78]

What size tires? Still 35"? or are you going bigger? If I remember correct, doesnt your axle have the necessary correction for stock steering to hold you for awhile?

 

[G-Force8]

Borgeson u-jointed steering shaft ($200) ,much stronger than the stock rag-jointed steering shaft. You can have your steering box sent off to www.westtexasoffroad.com and rebuilt/tapped for hydro-assist. They will also re-valve your power steering pump for better flow and are reasonable cost-wise.

Crossover steering is ideal,but not necessary. Check out www.offroaddesign.com for details on quality crossover steering components.

www.pscmotorsports.com also has top quality ram-assist kits

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Before you spend the cheese on the Borgeson shaft check out the XJ shaft steering mod. It's in the Tech Tips and Tricks section.

Steering box brace(s)?

 

[badmix]

1) Steering box brace

2) XJ steering shaft, can get a good one (not worn out) at junk yard for cheap, mine cost 5bux and took 15-20min to install, well worth it. Best cheap mod for K5s todate.

 

[buffblazer]

well i have the 35's and will run 37's after i wear them out.

i was thinking of just running a new stock box because i dont see myself going real extreme with this truck anytime soon, but yall keep mentioning the steering shafts so are those what cause the box to start leaking?

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

well i have the 35's and will run 37's after i wear them out.

i was thinking of just running a new stock box because i dont see myself going real extreme with this truck anytime soon, but yall keep mentioning the steering shafts so are those what cause the box to start leaking?

You don't want to do hydro assist with the stock draglink, that is, unless you feel like tearing the steering box from the frame.

It will bind, and either the frame, steering box or hydro ram will fail (and I promise it will be the frame).

That is unless your suspension has very little flex, then it might stand a chance.


Crossover steering actually reduces steering force by ~30% compared to the stock setup, though it does GREATLY increase steering control while the suspension is flexing.


You haven't told us anything other than you have a leaking steering box which is probably an easy and cheap fix.

 

[G-Force8]

If you're not going to use the truck in extreme or even moderate situations then theres no point in delving into ram-assist or crossover steering.

Your stock box with 35-37" tires would be fine. However,crossover steering does GREATLY improve handling,wherever the truck is used.

I say just buy a remanufactured steering box or rebuild yours and leave it be,but if you do decide to go crossover for the all-around steering improvement then you're going to need the steering box from an '80-91 2wd solid-axle pickup/blazer/burb ,then have high-steer arm mounted on your passenger side steering knuckle and have a custom drag-link built to connect the two.

www.offroaddesign.com can supply or build everything

 

[buffblazer]

You don't want to do hydro assist with the stock draglink, that is, unless you feel like tearing the steering box from the frame.

It will bind, and either the frame, steering box or hydro ram will fail (and I promise it will be the frame).

That is unless your suspension has very little flex, then it might stand a chance.


Crossover steering actually reduces steering force by ~30% compared to the stock setup, though it does GREATLY increase steering control while the suspension is flexing.


You haven't told us anything other than you have a leaking steering box which is probably an easy and cheap fix.

well im doing basically a full buildup, axles, motor, tranny ect ect and i noticed the box was leaking and i was weighing my options. i was thinking about just leaving the stock setup but was told that in the rocks with 35's or bigger it will be very hard to steer.

so i was thinking of hydro assist down the road, and was thinking if i need a new box anyway why not get one tapped and drilled for hydro assist that way i have the box when im ready.

i also learned that crossover works hand in hand with hydro assist so i wont have to worry about buying new parts one day and replacing them down the road cause i went with a different setup.

i was basically trying to look ahead and spend my money wisely.