74 Chief Restore

[cu4whln]

Hmm, bout time you got some tunes..

Might want to go look at my Tan build.. I did a stereo write up.
You are going to have to add a sub son.. the speakers I have were all matched for power and output.. NO BASS. Added a sub, oh yes, now rocks...

I know you... you NEED music.. you WANT loud clear music.
Required to drown out all the road noise.

Just saying Bradley Ol Boy ...

[bkilby]

Oh, I plan on getting a sub. Eventually. Need to get more interior stuff done first. I'll go freshen up on the tan build. Maybe it'll give me more ideas.

[bkilby]

Been slowly getting stuff done. Front speakers are in, door panels on and Kenwood head unit installed. I like the black panels but think I'm gonna recover them eventually. Speakers sound great.....if you don't mind the door panel rattling. Lol. It needs vinyl and padding to make the clips hold tighter. And yeah, the door handle is on backwards. I like it that way.

[Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81]

And yeah, the door handle is on backwards. I like it that way.

That's exactly how I have my door handles. Passengers could never figure out how to open the door with them the other way

[bkilby]

Lol. We're just rebels.

[bkilby]

<cough cough> <Blowing off cobwebs>


In my normal business activities, I buy and sell Govt Surplus. Anything from airplane and helicopter parts to automotive stuff. A few months ago I came across a steering gear (box) from an H1 Hummer. Tossed it on the shelf. It was a new, never been used unit. Well last week I decided to research it a bit and found out that this is a very desirable gear that a lot of Jeepers switch to. So... I did just that. Swapped out my J20 box that I didn't like for this H1 Hummer gear. (aka "box")



The differences? Well, the J20 is what's referred to as a Saginaw 800 box and the H1 is a Saginaw 808 box. The piston in the box is larger on the 808. Also, the H1 box has a variable ratio of 16:1-13:1. The input shaft is the same spline count, the sector shaft is the same size and most importantly the J20 box is something like a 4.5 turn box (lock to lock) where as the H1 is around 3.25 turns lock to lock.


So, I have swapped the box, battled a couple of leaks but got those solved....I think. Will know tomorrow. But for now, a few pics. I'm not done and will update more tomorrow.



The black gear is the old J20, the clean one is the H1.





The piston size difference.

[bkilby]

Also worth mentioning is the J20 box had inverted flare connections where as the H1 box had 16mm and 18 mm O-ring connections. When dealing with custom stuff like I've been doing, you simply buy the adapter fittings to create AN -6 hoses like I've done. A lot of companies sell the fittings. Here is some good info if you feel like reading up.

https://leepowersteering.com/pages/tech-info

[SJTD]

But does it go straight when the wheel is centered???

[asphaltrockdweller]

Hmmm That is pretty cool there.
Now do you get these steering gears often?

[bkilby]

But does it go straight when the wheel is centered???

Yes it does.

[bkilby]

Hmmm That is pretty cool there.
Now do you get these steering gears often?

No, but not saying I can't find more. Lol.

[Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81]

Interested in hearing how the steering feel is. I like to be able to steer with my pinky

[bkilby]

As far as effort goes, it's about normal. It's not super easy like an old Chrysler car and it's not heavy like my Dodge truck. It does feel good though. The steering wheel is straight but really, I think it's all because of the ujoint on the steering shaft. It's not keyed so I can move it a tooth or two each direction to get better results.








The "tranny" cooler in the radiator became the PS cooler.







The box installed. Here you can see the steering shaft and ujoint with XJ boot, hose routing, box brace and the dropped pitman arm I used. I think it's F350 but can't recall exactly.

[bkilby]

We got the opportunity to address the center console the past couple of days. We needed to modify the inner box thingy. You know, that chinga you toss all your junk into. It was too tall and needed to be cut down to fit. So, a couple of measurements told us to cut 1/2" out of the rear and 1" out of the front. This is Brandon slicing it with a hack saw blade. Lol. After a bit of deburring, a two part glue was used to glue it back together. I hope it holds.







Ready to bolt back in.

[rang-a-stang]

man you guys do awesome work! Looks great!