Steering Bracket

Anybody have any pictures of the brackets that mount to the frame and the steering box.I lost that bracket and not sure what I need. This is for a cj5 73 manual steering

 

There is only one bracket. It is a casting, and machined to slot into the frame rail. There was a 3-hole bracket for the manual steering and a 4-hole bracket for power steering. These matched the number of mounting bolts the steering gears had, resp.



This is from a long-gone eBay listing.

You can use the 3 or 4 bolt bracket for either steering gear. Jeep only listed one bracket for these years, Jeep PN 998238.

There was somebody - Extreme Custom Parts - that was selling a replacement manufactured from steel plate.

Jeep calls them a spacer. They are not plentiful on the used market. The bracket for '76-up is completely different and won't fit.

Maybe try Daryl or BostonBob.

 

I've got one I'm not going to use.

I can snap some pics tomorrow evening.

 

The later AMC 2-piece stamped steel brackets work too, but the cast bracket Tim posted is the best version.
-Donny

 

Huh. I have never heard that the later brackets will work. My memory is not flawless, but pretty sure I've heard or read the opposite. Have any references or threads or whatever showing that Donny? Worthy of some further investigation if the OP decides to go that way, I'd think.

 

I think You're right .

 

It has been a good while since I changed to power steering on my 74. If I recall correctly I was looking at a steering gear on a 1980 cj, the cast gear support bracket on the 74 had the same bolt pattern on the gear mounting as the stamped metal one on the 1980 cj. The main obvious difference was the cast bracket mounted the gear parallel to the frame rail, while the stamped bracket mounted the steering gear at a slight angle to the frame rail. Why the change? . I did find that the power gear from the 1980 bolted right up to my old cast bracket that had manual steering. However the pitman arm was pointing about 15 degrees off to the left more than the old manual gear pitman arm was, so it needed clocked one spline to put it back into the correct orientation.
I cannot say if the stamped bracket had the same bolt pattern to the frame rail or not. I did not look at it too closely because the gear was going to bolt right up to my cast bracket anyway so there was no need to swap the mount bracket. The cast one was obviously a much better setup anyway.

 

Though I prefer the cast bracket if I can find one, most of my steering conversions have utilized the 2-piece steel brackets. They’re cheaper and easier to find. They do locate the steering box with a better “angle” for both the pitman arm and steering shaft, but require more bracing so the steering box doesn’t torque the front frame extension. I typically mount a lower brace on the bottom of the steering box just above the pitman arm, and extend the brace diagonally over to the right frame extension.
My first steering conversion used the stamped brackets back in 1976. I went to the Jeep dealer and bought the two brackets, copying how then-currents Jeeps mounted the Saginaw box.
I have salvaged the cast bracket from Commandos that I have parted out. I’m not sure what else used them.
-Donny

 

To me, the important issue here is whether the newer bracket will bolt to the older frame, without any changes. Just looking at the front cross member and frame horns, I'd say no. Not the same. All the steering gears are the same, so it's granted that the steering gear will bolt to either of these brackets.

I suspect that Donny is mounting these brackets on an early frame, which has no holes or cross member in this area. He's not putting them in an intermediate, because those already have Saginaw steering.

Likely the COmmando bracket is the same as the CJ, but I have no parts book that covers the bullnose COmmandos.

This brings up an interesting point - if someone wanted to convert an early Jeep to Saginaw steering, these later brackets might be a usable option. The brackets are available aftermarket, and may only need some trimming and straightforward welding to work. Aftermarket heavier-duty replacements are available that might work better.



https://www.quadratec.com/products/56103_01.htm?msclkid=ba763f6ab1811395054e5db2da15fa59

 

I'd guess that's because the new column puts the steering shaft at an angle to the frame rails, and the shaft lines up with the steering gear. That angle does not matter to the pitman arm, as long as it's centered so the tie rod travels to full extension in both directions.

 

That’s the rub, with the later stamped multiple piece mount that angles the steering gear differently the pitman arm has to be clocked different for the steering gear to be centered properly when straight ahead. The ‘76-up Pitman arm master spline is clocked differently than the ‘72-‘75 Pitman arm to account for this difference. We used to stock both units depending on what vintage CJ we were working on. When we converted early’s to Saginaw steering using a flat plate we used the ‘72-‘75 version to properly center everything and get proper and equal steering travel in both directions.
The other thing is the stamped ‘76up bracket is prone to cracking big time. That’s why companies like M.O.R.E. (Mountain Off Road) came out with solid steel replacements that were very beefy.

 

Exactly, I simply added a spline to the blind spline on the pitman arm with a "V'' shaped file so I could clock it a little. The reason I chose a gear from the later 1980 model was they were easier to come by and most of all I wanted a slower ratio gear. The intermediates all appeared to be 3.25 or so turns L to L. The later models were 4 turns.