Steering Need Help Choosing A Suitable Steering Set Up

[Bog Rat]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum, but many years ago I had a membership over at jeep-forum.com where I was hoping to make a build thread for the Bog Rat when I first set out on the painful journey of CJ ownership.

Anyway, I've finally been able to afford a full custom trail rig build, and I have to make some important decisions. One of the decisions we're struggling with now is choosing the right steering set up for the job. We are shooting for rolling the Bog Rat on 38" tires when it's finished and need to figure out the best option for turning the large rubber.

So I am wondering if anyone here has a suggestion based on experience that could benefit us. Will we need to simply upgrade the current steering box, or should we go with a modest hydro assist system in order to turn these large paws? I need this Jeep to be able to handle highway speeds and be legal to run on the street, while still being capable of dealing with some rather difficult trails.

 

[CJ]

What percentage is your ON and OFF road driving going to be? Do you have a budget?

 

[Bog Rat]

I figure the Jeep will end up being offroad at least 60% of the time I use it. But I love the old CJ, so I'll probably be wanting to drive it quite often in town.

I do have a bit of a budget. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars. But I do need to have a suitable solution that is durable enough for some hard core offroading.

 

[j6824]

38s are a lotta meat for 44s, especially if you're planning on wheeling it hard

 

[Bog Rat]

That's what I understand. But I also understand that they should be fine if we truss them and beef up the internals with some chromoly shafts and better diffs. Of course I'm operating on 10 yr old knowledge that might have been proven wrong. They'll be built well, and I'm probably going to have some ARB air lockers in them. That is, unless my builder convinces me to go electronic lockers.

I should also add that I am aiming for getting 38's under it and building it to handle them, though I am actually expecting to end up running 37's or 36's. Mostly I am hoping to overbuild it to accept 38's so that it can handle what I plan for it. Mostly the size will be determined by the room we have in the wheel wells once it's complete. In other words, we're waiting until the end to choose the proper size tires, but I want to make sure we have a durable rig.

 

[Bog Rat]

This file might help you guys to help me. It's the build sheet for the Bog Rat in pdf format. We put it together to keep track of what we purchased, what we've done, and what needs purchased and doing. It will give you all an idea of where we are and where we're going with the build, but it will also help you understand whether we can actually handle 38's or not.

 

[j6824]

I am hoping to overbuild it to accept 38's so that it can handle what I plan for it.

Don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, just trying to share some perspective.

Most builds like yours start from knowing what tire size will be first, then building around it. Plan first, purchase second.

Your choices in suspension, axle and tranny are about as disproportionate to your motor and desired tire size as they can be.

Since you've already started, you've got two choices. Sizing down is going to be the cheapest and easiest thing for you at this point.

I'd recommend you do some researching...see what guys running 38s have done with suspension/axles/trannies.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but I'd strongly urge you to give it some thought.

 

[Bog Rat]

Don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, just trying to share some perspective.

Most builds like yours start from knowing what tire size will be first, then building around it. Plan first, purchase second.

Your choices in suspension, axle and tranny are about as disproportionate to your motor and desired tire size as they can be.

Since you've already started, you've got two choices. Sizing down is going to be the cheapest and easiest thing for you at this point.

I'd recommend you do some researching...see what guys running 38s have done with suspension/axles/trannies.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but I'd strongly urge you to give it some thought.

Thanks for the advice, it is in fact what I want to hear. I'm not looking for an echo chamber. I need to make sure I understand what I'm doing before we get too far into the build and make a mess that can't be fixed. I only have one shot at this due to Limited funds, so I need to do it right the first time.

With that said, I want to reiterate that when I said I am hoping to overbuild the Jeep to accept 38's, I was trying to say that what I expect to accomplish by doing so is to make the Jeep durable enough to handle 36-37' rubber(understanding that many tires are marked possibly up to an inch larger than their actual size). I don't actually intend on running 38's, as I understand the logistics of the build will need to drastically change when rolling anything larger than 37's and I do not want to have too many specialized parts. My only goal in the acceptance of 38' tires under this Jeep is purely for clearance and durability concerns.

The way I am viewing this is, that if the Jeep can comfortably roll on 38' tires with the proper clearance and durability to not break on road, then it will be overbuilt and durable enough to roll on 36-37' tires over some of the more extreme trails in my local area where it will be used most often. I don't plan on taking this to Moab or entering competitions with it. It will be used solely for getting my family and myself into the back country to enjoy some pristine camping experiences.

Now, to be clear on what you are saying, do you think the chosen drivetrain and suspension will be suitable for running a 36-37' tire without issue given the usage it will see? The Jeep will be carrying plenty of weight over really rough terrain and I don't want it breaking on the trail with family and a full load.

And with that understanding, I know I don't need to go with a full blown custom hydroboost system for steering, but what DO I need to make sure I can turn these tires in the rocks or at a dead stop? Is there any factory GM/Ford/Chrysler heavy duty hydroboost systems on the market? If I'm not mistaken, some factory systems connect the brake system to the steering system in some manner. Is this correct? And I want to say that the brake booster I got out of a 95 YJ for this build has something to do with hydroboost or hydroassist. Forgive me, but its been 10 years since I even bought the booster and I fear I've almost forgotten the reason I got it now! But I want to say that this hydroboost style system is in my 2002 Chevy Silverado as well.

Steering is of particular concern to me because of my previous experience driving this Jeep for the past 10 years. I used to describe it as riding a bulldog down the road, because it liked to wander all over the place on the pavement. Turns out that was because the steering box was slowly tearing itself away from the rotted frame, but still. Once I got the frame repaired the Jeep was much more responsive on 33's, but it went from the repair shop to a trailer headed for a restoration shop, so I didn't get many miles worth of experience with the repair.

So yea, steering is important to me, but so is durability and clearance. I want to have plenty of room to articulate, I want to be able to maneuver in tight spaces, and I don't want to be needlessly breaking things.

So, given that I will in fact be rolling no larger than 37's and I'm building the Jeep with the intent of making it strong and durable enough to handle personal offroad usage for family outings, and understanding that I am not wishing to build something flashy and specialized for competition(of course I'm still gonna want to show it off), What would be the most suitable and reliable option for the steering box on my build?