Hydro assist in Brody's heap

[Brody]

In a couple of weeks, I am going to be installing a PSC hydro assist kit into my heap to help compensate for the big tires I am currently running.

Actually, I should say that I will be helping Scotty at Addicted Off Road with the install as this is a long awaited B-Day present and I am under orders from LaDawn that part of the present was that I wouldn't be doing the work. We compromised....

Anyway, the kit consists of the following parts: a high volume PS pump and remote reservoir, hoses and fittings, a rebored (for the hydraulic fittings) standard Toyota IFS power steering box that has been rebuilt, and a single throw hydraulic ram for the steering. All the parts are coming from PSC, as this is one of the best and most trouble free set ups out there.

West Texas Off Road is going to be doing the boring of the IFS box as well as the rebuild. I am planning on mounting the new PS pump and reservoir, then I will be labor when Scotty does the install of the actual ram assist.

Since this isn't a 'watch and learn', I will take pictures and post them as the install takes place, as well as document any items that are critical to the install that may cause problems.

Here are pictures of the items that I am purchasing from PSC, a completed install and a link showing step by step pictures of a typical installation:

http://www.rockfrogs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2027&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

[1freaky1]

Wow Pete you are moving right onlong on getting this mod going.

[Brody]

Since this was last July's B-Day present, I wouldn't say that! Still, it is going to be nice to finally get it done. Those poor little under psi'd Toyota PS pumps aren't really designed to turn big aired down tires. There are a couple of mods that you can do, but they tend to burn the pump up fast..done them...now I am running the life time warranty Car Quest version.

The pumps are one of the reasons that I only air down a little bit..if I get down down below 18 lbs, my box/fluid gets so hot and full of air that I got to manual mode...and it takes both hands with all I have to turn the wheel an inch...Last trail we ran where this happened, by the time we got down, I felt like I had been doing one of those weird Jack LaLane 'use everything you have and push on both sides of the door frame for an hour' exercises...

Getting the 84 for a DD work truck is a big help in finalizing my rig..I no longer have to finish a project in a day or weekend in order to drive it to work on Monday...oh...wait...I don't have a "drive to work Monday" job at the moment.....

[1freaky1]

a DD work truck is a big help in finalizing my rig..I no longer have to finish a project in a day or weekend in order to drive it to work on Monday

I know that part really stinks when modifing them and having to drive them at the same time, I started looking for something 2wd (truck for cheap that I can drive daily while I do what I want to the ranger.

[Dan]

I look forward to seeing the posts as I have been considering the same thing for my rig. I actually had it planned for a winter mod (along with a bunch of other things), but lack of work led to lack of $$, which led to no mods for me this winter :mad:

[Brody]

I decided to go with the PSC as the many folks that race and many of the people I know that have buggies and race have beat the absolute crap out of these units with no problems...even after years of use and abuse. The whole set up, minus the PS box boring for the hydro, is so far at the $650 figure. West Texas Off Road is going to do the boring and tapping of the box as it is one of the few outfits that will not only bore and tap the box, but do a complete rebuild (getting rid of any metal particles) and guarantee their work.

Trail Gear, Redneck Ram and Howe also make good units..Howe's is supposed to be the absolute best of the best, but you end up paying easily twice as much..and you are still dealing with some limitations on the stock Toyota PS box itself.

Anyway, a full write up with pictures will follow, along with a how it all works follow up. I talked to Ken at GeckoCycles and he said that just the addition of the PSC PS pump alone made it so that on the road the wheel turns with the passage of air from his hands over the wheel...I think that I am going to really love this set up...and LaDawn, too...

If you do decide to go with this, we probably need to see if the standard Toyota IFS box is what you are currently using on your rig. If it is, I do have an extra box that we can put on yours while it gets bored and tapped if that helps out any..I am sending the extra one out and will again have an extra one as soon as Scotty and I do the hydro.

Has work started picking up there yet? I am still slow here...

[Dan]

If you do decide to go with this, we probably need to see if the standard Toyota IFS box is what you are currently using on your rig. If it is, I do have an extra box that we can put on yours while it gets bored and tapped if that helps out any..I am sending the extra one out and will again have an extra one as soon as Scotty and I do the hydro.


I am running the OEM Toyota box on my rig. I have heard something about reverse swing on the Land Cruiser boxes compared to other yotas...I haven't looked on other rigs to see for sure, maybe you know about that. On mine, the pitman points toward the front... I appreciate the offer for the extra box. Mine is not a DD, so it can sit for a week waiting for parts and whatnot, but another box might allow for less down time and more trail time :thunb: I won't be doing it for a little while. It works fine on the road, but with aggresive trial driving, the fluid becomes hot and airerated. I'm thinking about wider, maybe bigger tires and I deffinately need it for that.

Of course, without the dough, neither will happen :(


Has work started picking up there yet? I am still slow here...

I start a little job for Vail Resorts this week (weather permitting). I have looked at several other jobs for them, but they have cut back on their projects for the year also. Had some good client meetings with our Architect this week...hopefully that turns into something... so far though, I have had more free time than I like... I know things are slower on the front range, I have been getting a lot of calls for work from guys from COS to Greeley. Actually hired a framer from Greely for this next job. I hope things pick up for you!!

[Funrover]

Because you weren't built enough...

[Brody]

Because you weren't built enough...

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????

There you go with that' one foot in the magic kingdom' thing again, Aaron...

[Gecko Cycles]

That is a good price. I have $810 in my setup and I have a few extra parts too being I bought some used stuff and have duplicates of some things but that doesn't amount to more than $100 of extra stuff.

Let me know if you need some TIG work done.

[Brody]

Thank you for the offer! I will do that.

I expect to get the PSC pump, hoses, reservoir, mount, ram etc tomorrow or Friday. PSC is also doing the bore, tap and rebuild of my extra box and that should be here early next week. I am going to mount and plumb the new pump and reservoir, then take the rest of the mess up to Scotty at Addicted to help with the install...part of the hydro gift..I don't do the install, but I did get cleared to help....

I can't wait!! This is been on the board for almost a year and I have been talking about it longer than that. Every time I step up in tire size it's been "Hydro is next..."

[Brody]

I started on the install of the hydro assist today. The remote reservoir had to be located and a bracket made for it, the non drilled steering box had to come off and the new one put on, the old power steering pump had to come off and the new pump put on and all the hose run and the system bled.

I had to do two tries to get the right shaped bracket for the reservoir so that it was off set from the air intake. I also wanted to be able to weld part of the bracket to the existing shock tower and to incorporate the shock bolt into the set up.

Next was the pump and pulley. This is a Chevy style pump with a much higher flow rate and volume. It also has a Chevy style push on pulley that is a much smaller underdrive pulley, giving increased fluid at low rpms. The first pulley installer/remover set I got from the auto store was butchered too much to use. I took this back and the other three sets they had were all missing critical parts...I finally got this sorted out at another store and put the pulley on...only to take it right back off as the bolts that I was so used to being able to reach through the older, bigger pulley wouldn't fit anymore. I ended up having to mount the pump with all the bolts, then install the pulley while it was mounted. There was just barely enough room for this...I used a straight edge across the pulleys to get a straight line on the belt...a piece of 1" flat steel work really well. Due to the undersized pulley I also needed to get a belt that a little less than an inch smaller than the stock one.

Next was the steering box. After the usual banging with a hammer and a large pickle fork (I could've used a puller here, but I had purposefully hosed the last install down with anti sieze and didn't tighten it to the 200 lbs needed) , I got the pitman arm off, located the half way point on the steering and reattached everything.

Attachment of the hoses was next. PSC didn't give me quite enough 300psi line to run for the low pressure line, so I had to source some from a local hydraulic place. Other than that, everything else went into place fine.

I bled the system and the truck now turns like it has a set of skinny little 28" tires on it...and this without the hydro...In fact, it turns better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee we have which turns really well. I actually have to keep a very light touch on the wheel..

I have only a couple of issues to deal with next: Because the steering box was moved pretty far forward (because the axle is moved 2" to the front), where the lowermost hydraulic fitting is, I will have to remove some of the body panel to get room. The second issue is because I am not running a 3.0 or the 22RE and instead am running a 3.4L with a reverse mounted T100 oil pan, I cannot mount the hydro assist cylinder to the back side of the tie rod. It will crater the oil pan...

I will need to fab some additional mounting points and possibly some armor in order to mount it to the front side...Niether of these is a big deal, just another reminder that ANY KIND of custom work on a modified rig always takes longer...

Here are the sources I used for reference in addition to what I sourced from the PSC site:

http://www.pscmotorsports.com/tech/install/sg-cylinder-pump-route.pdf

http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/psc_hydro/index.asp

http://www.rockfrogs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2027&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/tech/0904_4wd_2001_toyota_tacoma_prerunner/photo_14.html

And here are the pictures so far:

[Brody]

And yes..there wasn't very much wiggle room. My hands look I have been teasing starving rats....Oh, yeah...The zip tie looking deals are what I had the power steering cooler mounted with. I had to cut off the originals to run the heavier hosing and knew that I couldn't find the nice ones it came with to remount it. What I did was to cut off the remaining round plastic from both ends and drill it out just enough to get a regular zip tie through ti, but not big enough for the head. I used the same foam and plastic pieces, slid the zip tie through the back, then through the cooler, through the outer piece of plastic and then used another zip tie to lock it into place. Worked pretty well for a quicky fix...

[Chris]

I bled the system and the truck now turns like it has a set of skinny little 28" tires on it...and this without the hydro...In fact, it turns better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee we have which turns really well. I actually have to keep a very light touch on the wheel..


Looking good Pete, now you can get out of the garage and wheel! ;)

[Brody]

Getting closer, that's for sure! I am not supposed to install the hydraulic cylinder, but I might just do that anyway. I have basically gotten everything down to four brackets and a re bleed...And I am not working...and idle hands and an idle mind....

[1freaky1]

Wow Pete you made pretty good progress since I was by on Tuesday, I need some of your energy.

[Funrover]

AWESOME, I am looking forward to this being done....

[Dan]

SWEET!!!! :thunb:

[Brody]

Hydro Assist Part 2

The first item that needed to be addressed was installing a new tie rod. Awhile back I had broken one of the tie rod ends and being unable to find another tie rod in town, picked up a drag link, cut and sleeved it and it has been on there ever since. I have had the new tie rod and ends for a bit, waiting for this.

I started by removing the old tie rods using a pickle fork and a soft blow hammer. I then cleaned out the holes and coated them liberally with ant-seize compound. Next I used a couple of squares and matched the length of the tie rods. The new rod was then installed.

Next I decided to work on the clearance issue for the fitting at the very end of my steering box. If this had been a customer’s rig, I would have removed the box to have better access, but since it was mine, I decided that having a somewhat butchered hole where no one was going to see it wasn’t going to bother me.

I used a pry bar, a large hammer, and a 3 foot length of 1” pipe to gently(HEHE) push the body panel back the ¾” I needed for the fitting and hose. While doing this, I also noticed that where I had run the cables for my from plug in and winch had gotten pinched by the body. This was caused by the body bushings slowly wearing down and the body settling. I then had to re route these wires out of the way.

[Brody]

Finally I can get started on the actual hydro cylinder install. Due to the fact that I had moved my front axle 2” forward and that I was running a 3.4L conversion with the 100 reversed oil pan, I couldn’t install the clinder on the rear of the tie rod. It would have hit the oil pan in full compression. So I had to figure out where it was going to ride in the front.

The first picture of this shows a test to find the height. I found that using a piece of 2x2x3/16 stock on top of the already existing differential armor gave me the right height. Next I measured the half way points on the rod ends as well as the half way point on the cylinder shaft itself. I then installed the rod ends with the mounts, centered the wheels and centered the cylinder.

Next in line was getting the front end aligned. I took a carpenter’s square and measured the same distance up on both front wheels, marking this in the same spot on each tire, front and back. I then measured this distance, looking to achieve a 3/16-1/4” narrower measurement in the front. This is your toe in.

Since I had just recently done this and since I matched the tie rod length, my measurement was fine and I didn’t have to do any adjustment. This would have been done by loosening the lock nuts at each end and turning the tie rod one direction or another to achieve the ¼ or so toe in. If you 4wheel with a straight axle vehicle, you really need to learn how to do this very simple alignment procedure. It will save you big $$ .

[Brody]

This was then tack welded into place, both on the differential, and then on the tie rod. The wheels were then raised into the air and cycled from lock to lock to check for fitment issues. Since there were none, everything was then welded up and a wrap of flat stock was then welded onto the 2x2 on the differential armor, tying it all back to the axle itself, giving it a lot more strength.

I am essentially down to hose and some paint. I will also double check all of my welds and probably add a piece of armor onto the axle truss to protect the cylinder from rocks. Oh…some grinding, too..Grind ***** was over last night dropping his old bumper, which will eventually find it's way onto the 84, off (Thanks GB! And we'll feed ya anytime you are over...no prob)…I should’ve grabbed him for the grinding part!!

[Screweder]

Oh…some grinding, too..Grind ***** was over last night dropping his old bumper off (Thanks GB!and we'll feed ya anytime you are over...no prob)…I should’ve grabbed him for this part!!
Thanks Brody... I'll eat your grub and grind your truck any time! It is a sexy truck... I may grind the axle and hump your exhaust, but the job'll get done :lol:

[Brody]

Thanks Brody... I'll eat your grub and grind your truck any time! It is a sexy truck... I may grind the axle and hump your exhaust, but the job'll get done :lol:

If you don't mind, I won't watch if you want to get down with the exhaust...Don't know what it is with you guys and exhausts...you Randy, Josh and Andy all have some serious issues....Randy with his truck, and all of them with the Sammi...

You ever need an extra hand with your rig, let me know. Thanks for the bumper!

[4Runninfun]

looks great Brody! i'd love to do this on mine. but there are many other things in line first.

[DETN8R]

Awesome work their Pete.

[Dan]

looks good Pete. Someday I'll do mine too

[Brody]

The hydro assist is done and the difference is like switching from regular skis over to parabolic skis...'think' turn and you are already there ...with no effort. Not very much road feel at all, but that's no biggy, and I noticed absolutely no 'lag time' in turning response.

The hardest thing was installing the cylinder in front of the axle housing because of clearance issues, but even that wasn't too bad. There wasn't very much room anywhere, so all the work was done in very tight confines and hose routing took some time. Bleeding was no drama....

Here are the latest pictures. Note that I ran safety wire instead of cotter pins. I hate cotter pins and think they are cheese and not even worth picking your nose with...

The last thing I will do before I call things done, is to double check my alignment and, if it is dead on, throw a small tack weld on my jam nut on both ends of the tie rod. This will keep the tie rod from rotating if the nuts come loose causing binding at the cylinder/tie rod attachment point.

[Screweder]

Beautiful build Brody! Approximately how much did this project cost overall? Just curious for future reference. Can't wait to hear your review of its performance after you get back from the trail run this weekend!

[WINKY]

nicely done man excellent work!!:bow:

[Brody]

Thanks! I feel pretty good about this, too, and have enough 'left over' $$ in the budget that LaDawn gave me to get my throttle body tricked out and overbored!

The total cost was right at $1k. The PSC kit was pretty complete, but was for a stock 3.4L and didn't take into consideration the additional length of the low pressure line for a 3.0 to 3.4 conversion. I had to pick up an additional length of high pressure hydraulic line from some guys down the road from me. I probably didn't have to use the high pressure line for this, but had already had some issues with blowing out the regular low pressure line, so it was a 'what the heck', I'll run high pressure throughout and save myself some grief.

This price included the rebuild, bore and tap of the IFS steering box, the hi volume TC style PSC power steering pump, the remote reservoir and brackets, the PSC ram, all brackets, fittings and hoses and shipping. I actually receive enough hydraulic line and fittings to make up a compete spare hose, too.

FYI, they supplied the reusable hydraulic fittings which not only are a breeze to use (and reuse), but are ideal for a do it yourself project and let you custom fit everything with no drama. This worked well for me as, even though I had diagrams, I wanted to double check the throw on the cylinder before I started cutting hoses. I was able to keep the hoses as is, connect the fittings, check that I had gotten everything right, then simply reuse the same fittings when I got my hose measurements right. I highly recommend these to anyone doing doing any hydraulic lines in the future.

I am going to add some armor to protect the pump today as it is a little vulnerable as it sits.

FYI...I had absolutely no problems with the stock pump (with cooler) until I went from a 12.50x35 up to 13.50x37, then I started having PS issues as the pump couldn't keep up. The addition of the TC style pump would surely be an asset as would be the remote reservoir. The hydro assist shouldn't be needed unless you plan on running really big meats, and the cylinder can always be added later on. My total fluid capacity at the moment is running about 1/2 gallon..

The basic TC pump and reservoir kit from PSC ran $415 and was a straight bolt up.

[1freaky1]

That is cool that you got it all done Brody, sounds like you are enjoying so far!

[Funrover]

Looks great Pete! Wanna do mine next? LOL... Did it take much to get used to the fact you no longer have return to center?

[Brody]

Looks great Pete! Wanna do mine next? LOL... Did it take much to get used to the fact you no longer have return to center?

With the tires I have, there really wasn't a 'return to center' to miss...and if I don't do yours, I can certainly give you a mess of pointers...

Here is the last of the bunch. I tacked the tie rod jam nuts after double checking alignment. It is crucial that the tie rod tab mounts do not rotate more than the rod ends allow for. This simple trick keeps the jam nuts from backing out and letting this happen.

While I was at it and the garage was still a mess, I decided that I would give my heap a much needed nose job. I cut and redid the bumper to allow for a much better approach angle. I gained about 5" as I had built my bumper/stinger directly in line with the front spring perches. I also located my front receiver hitch higher up and lost the two side bars.

Last, but not least, before the next run, I am going to run some 3/4" or 1" tubing out from my existing horizontal axle gusset to protect the hydraulic cylinder from major damage...

So, today my heap got a nose job and its summer clothes!!

[sd_carl]

Looks awesome, Brody. I had a PSC hydro assist set up on my previous truck, an F250 mall crawler with 40" tires. I loved being able to spin the steering wheel around with one finger on dry pavement!

[Chris]

Well done Pete! :thunb:

[4Runninfun]

looks great pete as always. i might be tempted to ask if i can do a figure 8 in the parking lot on sun just to see how it feels.

[Swath]

The Movie Mad Max pops to mind for some reason....:confused:

Excellent work Brody, well built rig there.

[Gecko Cycles]

I am going to add some armor to protect the pump today as it is a little vulernable as it sits.



YEA! That looks great! Really like the nose job.

You said you needed some armor for the pump? Did you move it down lower or is this misprint?

The cylinder looks up and away but I could see the concern for that component protection.

So this is where you must have been lately. I was thinking you got some work that paid. :lol:

[Funrover]

:thunb: Very sweet!

[Brody]

YEA! That looks great! Really like the nose job.

You said you needed some armor for the pump? Did you move it down lower or is this misprint?

The cylinder looks up and away but I could see the concern for that component protection.

No, it is pretty much out of the way, but all the same I am going to run about 4 pieces of 3/4 or 1" tubing at an angle and connect them with a cross bar. It'll keep the biggest rocks away if I am driving badly enough to warrant it. Kind of a 'better safe than sorry' thing...Got the time, the welder, the tubing...what the hey...

So this is where you must have been lately. I was thinking you got some work that paid. :lol:

As if....should have a bit of trim carpentry coming my way Monday that pays. Looking forward to it if it comes through...

[WINKY]

good luck pete! hope it turns out for ya!

[Gecko Cycles]

Cool.
I can't believe this work situation is so down. In Lincoln the Handyman business is booming. I did manage to land a 4 hr job yesterday.

As much as I hate to I am going to make some signs.

What about the pump armor? Did you mean ram armor?

[Brody]

Cool.
I can't believe this work situation is so down. In Lincoln the Handyman business is booming. I did manage to land a 4 hr job yesterday.

As much as I hate to I am going to make some signs.

What about the pump armor? Did you mean ram armor?

Yeah, the work situation sucks. Usually when things get so slow, I can start picking up 'handyman' type stuff and end up in the same neighborhood for a month or so. Even that seems to have dried up...and I know stuff is breaking in people's homes...and they have plumbing leaks...and sticky door and drawers..etc, etc...Where is da work???!!!

Yeah...just some tube to protect the actual hydraulic ram and a little bit of the hoses. Chances are that my tires are going to hike everything high enough to clear by this point, but ...yeah...but...I can picture the Rock Garden or the earlier nasty big rock section on Spring Creek cratering the hydraulic ram especially if a tire slipped off at the wrong time...

[Gecko Cycles]

I hate the thought of advertising even with just a sign on the truck or out front of the shop. Word of mouth has done me so well in the past years and strangers open the door for John Jones and his S&W to come calling. Although it has only happened to me a couple of times but it sits so strongly in my mind still.

I thought that was what you meant unless yo moved the pump since the last pictures of the install. You can't be to careful with those low hanging bits.

So are you ready for Chinaman Sat?

[Chris]

Yeah, the work situation sucks. Usually when things get so slow, I can start picking up 'handyman' type stuff and end up in the same neighborhood for a month or so. Even that seems to have dried up...and I know stuff is breaking in people's homes...and they have plumbing leaks...and sticky door and drawers..etc, etc...Where is da work???!!!

I'm confused by the whole work situation myself. I need a new roof (recommendations welcome) but the HOA won't let me hire guys like you. I amazed at how many roofers don't even bother to show to give a quote. They must be doing okay or have given up. :confused:

[Brody]

email LaDawn @ : ladawn13@gmail.com. She has a roofer that she was happy with and would be pleased to recommend them.

[Chris]

I can't send any emails because Comcast seems to have messed things up, I can receive so if you can ask her to send the name I'd appreciate it Pete.

[Brody]

I can't send any emails because Comcast seems to have messed things up, I can receive so if you can ask her to send the name I'd appreciate it Pete.


Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me , Major Tom?

Maybe better to call her or I'll have her call you. She has to find the information anyway...

[Chris]

Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me , Major Tom?

Maybe better to call her or I'll have her call you. She has to find the information anyway...

Comcast sucks. Their "tech support" more so.

You use a Mac? Call Apple!
You don't use IE? Call Apple!
It works in SmartZone! WTF is that!

Idiots...

I told the dolt I know how to set up an email program but that their smtp server wasn't working, I can receive and not send. He was stumped, probably scanning his definition cheat sheet when I hung up.

My FR emails all work fine since they never connect to Comcast.

[Dan]

Chris - sent you a PM for a good front range roofer

[Chris]

Thanks, I'll give him a call! ;)