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Tapping end cap of p/s box for hydro-assist

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6.2Blazer

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I've been researching hydro assist for months now, and the few people who have tapped the OEM aluminum end cap on the p/s box say you should weld an extra piece of aluminum on before tapping it.

Okay, so I've taken the stock end cap to 2 different fab/welding shops and talked with several very experienced people (in fabrication...obviously not this specific subject) and they all say the stock cap is plenty thick enough to tap as is and would not weld on an additonal piece because "I didn't need it".

Does anybody on here run a stock cap that is drilled and tapped, and has had no issues with it?
 
6.2Blazer said:
Does anybody on here run a stock cap that is drilled and tapped, and has had no issues with it?
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are plenty, but then there are those that have blown the cap out of the box.

There are several aftermarket outfits that sell thicker drilled and tapped caps.
 
6.2Blazer said:
That would mean spending $300+ dollars, versus using the stuff I already have sitting on the work bench that was substantially less.
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$300? His cap is $45 and well worth the money. If you tap your end cap without making it thicker it will blow the fitting out of the end of the box. I have seen caps that had extra material welded on the the weld ended up cracking and I have seen others work with no issue.

How much would a shop charge you to weld the material on? Is it close to the cost of the end cap?

I run JKWs cap it has given me trouble free wheelin with a welded front and boosted Pump flow and pressure.

Dik
 
For $45 you can't go wrong with the JKS cap. I am all for thinking outside of the box and doing your own thing but there are certain things that shouldn't be done "cheap". You don't have to buy a super cool name brand ram but you shouldn't skimp on something important, something that could cause your steering to break.
 
I've rebuilt several steering box's and the end cap is plenty thick to drill and tap it. The problem that "some" people have is that they mod the pump so far that it makes too much pressure and that can explode anything, not just an end cap. The caps are at least 1/4"-3/8" thick which is plenty.
 
I've done several without any problems. With that said it's important to keep the line properly supported so it isn't constantly tugging/vibrating the fitting on the threads. And also don't get carried away with the pressure on the pump as 4X4HIGH said it will blow everything apart sooner or later.

Don't waste your time with trying to weld anything on to the stock end cap. The aluminum is usually so porous and nasty that it probably won't be worth a crap when it's all said and done. If you think that a 1/4" of threads isn't enough then go buy a good cap.
 
sandawgk5 said:
$300? His cap is $45 and well worth the money. If you tap your end cap without making it thicker it will blow the fitting out of the end of the box. I have seen caps that had extra material welded on the the weld ended up cracking and I have seen others work with no issue.

How much would a shop charge you to weld the material on? Is it close to the cost of the end cap?

I run JKWs cap it has given me trouble free wheelin with a welded front and boosted Pump flow and pressure.

Dik
Click to expand...

Read the entire post where I mentioned $300, including the reply I quoted....
 
4X4HIGH said:
I've rebuilt several steering box's and the end cap is plenty thick to drill and tap it. The problem that "some" people have is that they mod the pump so far that it makes too much pressure and that can explode anything, not just an end cap. The caps are at least 1/4"-3/8" thick which is plenty.
Click to expand...

Yep, I measured it and it's at least 1/4" thick, and thus the reason all the shops say there is no need for extra material. I think I will just try to tap the stock cap and see what happens, and keep the spare cap in the toolbox in case this one ever blows out (takes maybe 5 minutes to swap them out).

I only did very slight pressure mods to the pump.
 
Problem with welding it is, Aluminum is porous and I don't think you can get it clean enough after having power steering fluid in it for years. It has absorbed. So basically you can clean all you want and you will still have contaminents in the weld. Maybe if you brought the temp of the piece up very high first and tried to boil out the oils.

I'd say tap it and go or buy one already to go.
 
Take it from me..buy the jkw one. I tapped mine and about 3 weeks later it got a hairline crack in it which was un noticable and one day it blew the cap into pieces and had atf all in the road, and I lost my brake b/c of hyrdro boost. Now I run the Jkw one, he had it to me in 2 days. I made the mistake of listening to a buddy who had no issues on a jeep box, maybe it was the hydroboost, b/c there is alot more pressure....I dunno
 
I decided to just try tapping the stock cap, but "reinforced" it by JB Welding a fender washer on to it including a layer of JB over top the washer, over the entire cap, and build up ender the edges of the washer (it's flat, the cap is convex).

Total out of pocket expense was about 25 cents (had a coupon for the local hardware store and used it to buy the JB Weld). It may be ghetto, but for basically free I figured might as well give it a shot.
 
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