Thanks for the write-up on the DOT Regulations; that is quite educational. You've convinced me that cross-over steering is probably not the best alternative -- purely for legal (and not technical) reasons. It also points out just how egregious was the Dodge decision to cease sales of the steering box mounting plates when they had thousands of them in stock. There are likely to be future conversions to cross-over steering simply because that mounting plate is no longer available. Shame on Mother Mopar.

Back to bothering you with a technical question:

The reverse rotation box has a 13/16" input shaft while the OEM box has a 3/4" input shaft? If so, could Chip at PSS provide a rebuilt steering gear with the OEM shaft size and thereby allow use of the OEM steering shaft?

A couple of suggestions:
1. A Borgeson steering shaft, although expensive, would eliminate issues with straightening the steering wheel.
2. The FSM recommends removing the vacuum pump and power steering pump as a unit. This might have made your install of the new PS pump slightly easier.

Thanks again for a wonderful write-up.

 

Your welcome. I tried to be as thorough as possible.
The RR steering box has the 3/4" input and the OEM shaft is 13/16. Personally, I think the OEM shaft is crapola, so I'd do something otherwise.

Chip explained to me that the 13/16 shaft-ed input gear (my 92 had it) is different than the newer version 3/4" one. He can explain it better than my memory can recall, but he 3/4" unit surpasses in design (internally in the gear) and that's why he switched it over to begin with. Just so happens that the Jeeps 1/2 shaft matches... so win win for me. He wanted me to buy the borgeson unit as he feels it's the safest all around. I'm comfortable using the jeep unit, and i don't need to further elaborate.

From what I remember (and you must realize that this is my 45 year old memory talking here, so I may not be 100% correct on this)

the 3/4" shaft has "fillets" in the internal grinding of the input shaft, which move fluid differently, based upon speed of the vehicle. These "fillets" add variability to the gear turning ability and became the newer truck standard..The 13/16 gear doesn't have these "fillets" and wont' give you the variable pressure (which changes the ratio of the gear), and it's the reason why my new gear has been "updated to the 3/4". Instead of having a constant ratio, it's altered from 13 to 1 to 16 to 1 depending on how fast the pump is spinning, and the vehicle is moving..... hence easier to turn during parking maneuvers.

I wanted this "variability" but more importantly, the higher ratio of 16 to 1 or less, as it's made it a completely different ride. I do regret not having sent him my PS pump at the same time to have it built as well, but the Napa cardone pump works fine. Remeber that's from memory, and I may not have explained it completely, so call Chip and he can re-explain it to you.

From a legal standpoint, I guess you can be harassed for any alteration on a vehicle, but for me it's the "degree of the alteration" that means most to me. When I do snow plowing, I do not offer "ice management" and I just plow lots and driveways. I chose this route, as when you start "de-icing" in addition to the snow plowing itself, you alter your legal liability in doing so.

Per my INS representative: if you just plow snow, then the automatic assumption is that the lot will still have trace amounts (or more) of snow on it, and it's the responsibility of those who transverse it to "be careful". When you add de-icing to the process, you are making the claim (not verbally, but just in assumable actions) that the recently de-iced parking lot or sidewalk is now completely safe to walk on. This may or may not be the case, and if someone falls, this "higher level of responsibility" you're being "paid for" now opens you up to greater liability if someone falls. I do deicing for some, but I charge a lot extra for doing so, as risk must ~ or = reward.

 

I may have missed it but can i use a factory replacement steering box and just add the other parts and make this work? I have a Red-Head steering box in the truck now. My truck steers much better than stock but i want to put a 2" lift on it and I am afraid once i do that my steering will not be as good and i will be breaking the mounting plate to often.

If i do go this route and i put a 2" lift on the truck will i be able to use a adjustable drag link to compensate for the lift and still have a truck that steers great?

 

I'll let you know by the end of the week.

I pulled my defective SDsprings out of my truck today, and dropped them off at the spring shop that's nearby. They're rebuilding them, tossing out that main spring, installing another leaf just below it that "cradles" the main spring, and installing a 3" overall increase in height, which, as I requested, would settle down 1" or so, to give me a 2" lift to level the front and rear of the truck out.... or close to it. The rear was 3" higher than the front, and I'm trying to get it just a tad shorter in the front, yet not look like it's driving down hill.

Don't think it will bind, as I jacked the truck up and let the springs hang down quite a bit, the draglink didn't "look" out of line, but I guess we'll have to see it when it's put back together.

 

cool, be sure to let us know what you find out.

 

2" lift will not affect this setup. I just installed a 3" set of springs in mine, and it didn't affect the positioning or the draglink at all. The only thing it actually did was to correct the steering wheel positioning that was off since I swapped the new gear system in. The wheel was about 20 degrees to the passenger side (bottom of the wheel). When I put the new springs in, it corrected this to where I don't have to change the steering wheel at all, as it's perfectly centered where it was supposed to be.

 

Folks, this thread is about retrofitting your steering gear. Not about crossover-steering and it's legality.

I've cleaned-up as best I can without picking paragraphs out of individual posts.

Let's stay on topic. It's flat rude to hijack another's thread.

 

a Sticky-worthy thread at that...............

 

Yup.

 

Nice writeup! Is there any more clearance between the drag link and the tire on a hard right turn now?

 

I never noticed any issue.

There are Threaded stops on the axle which prevent the tires from turning in too far. Mine are set to stock depth, so I never had any clearance problems.

I guess when I put my mudders back on in the winter, I'll check for it.

 

I ran this setup with 37" tires. No rub on flat ground. I never got it flexed out too much though.

 

I noticed after my crossover i have some "reverberation" aswell, trying a steering damper setup to see how it changes that.

 

There is slight movement in my front axle from side to side as well. A panhard bar is the cure...and in fact, many vehicles that came "stock" with crossover-like steering, also have a panhard or trackbar.

--Eric

 

That may be my next add-on, see how the double inline damper setup helps first.