Good Quality Ross Parts

I am sticking with the Ross steering on my jeep so I want to rebuild my box with the best parts. Any suggestions? I saw a reference that the Ross box can be rebuilt better but I can’t find that link anymore.

 

The M38a-1 and V6 powered CJ5’s used a Ross box with a larger diameter sector shaft. This box is generally recognized as the “best” version. Also, back in the 1960’s, the steering boxes from early ‘50s Hudsons (column and all) were known to be strong donors for Jeeps.
Willys trucks and Wagons used their own stronger Ross boxes that sometimes found their way into CJ’s.
The biggest problem with the Ross boxes is the two “pins” of the sector shaft wear, as well as the spiral the pins engage on the end of the column. Finding NOS or good used sector shafts has been an issue. Apparently, some ingenious folks have pressed the worn pins out of the sector shaft and rotated them 180 degrees to press them back in so they have a “new” wear surface.
There is more discussion on the forum over the years, but that may take more searching.
-Donny

 

When i rebuilt mine, I ordered the parts from either MidWest Military or Peter Debella. They sell NOS and only good reproduction parts. It was for an M38A1, but the steering is the same. That was years ago. The shaft was in pretty good shape, and I turned the round pins on the cross shaft so the flat spots were not contacting the shaft and he re pinged them in. The busing did not fit very well and I had a machinist friend knurl the bushing and make it fit correctly.
It hasn't leaked now for several years.

Dave

 

You may find this tutorial on rebuilding the Ross TL box useful - Moses Ludel helped me out a great deal with this when I rebuilt a couple of them several years back:

https://forums.4wdmechanix.com/topic/691-rebuilding-the-jeep-ross-tl-cam-and-lever-steering-gear/

 

I would not recommend Ross steering with lockers front and rear this is with an open front.
I bent the steering wheel here.
No one I can respect will give you trouble for steering or brake upgrades.

 

Cool video. I realize that I should go right to converting the steering, but it seems fraught with issues. Right now, I want to get my little jeep running and together to enjoy. My situation here in Florida is a little different—no real rock crawling to be had. Famous last words.

 

The Ross steering is ok IF you have stock-ish sized tires and all the steering components are in good condition. A Saginaw conversion should be on your radar if you plan a lift and big tires.

 

Stock wheels and tires and I’m planning a rebuild of the entire steering system.

 

Mines just manual Saginaw now (that rock pile and a tree pushed me to swap) copied from this. The issue with the ross steering is that it takes a beating as the suspension cycles. Every bump changes the toe and the bellcrank gets hammered up and down. Then the worm and two pins wear more in the center than at the ends of travel letting it wander around in the middle.

You can do a manual Saginaw swap without too many complications. You just need to stick to the tried and true method of passing the shaft through the motor mount frame bracket (inside the bracket) and under the front crossmember. Then cut as little off the column as possible. Then use a double u-joint on the column. The frame bracket for the steering box is a 6x6x.5" plate that is flush to the top of the boxes frame horns.




Don't mind the double joint here, it doesn't have the support on the shaft locking it down:


Here is mine now, it's getting longer shackles soon.
20240416_125047 by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr

 

Is the passenger side dual hole knuckle available in aftermarket? Or do I need to chase one down?

 

Single hole knuckle, double would be better for leverage and with a single hole the drag link can rotate the tie rod if ther are not parallel.
The double tie rod end on the passenger knuckle is from the bellcrank and I have a cut down and rethreaded d30 tie rod (make sure you cut the standard thread side)
the drag link may or may not be the long original tie rod.
you can also get common length tie rods from jegs, summit and the like (I have access to a lathe so i modified what i had). There is a floor plate made from the clamp that holds the tube onto the ross casting (this is in the Advance adapter instructions)
and the bushing for the base of the tube can be bought there.
The biggest change here from the advanced adapter instructions is that you cut the ross worm gear off at the ball bearing and use a set screw collar at the lower bushing instead of having the double u-joint tight to the lower bushing.
The double u-joint is needed regardless of actual column and shaft angle because it effectively lengthens the steering column so the shaft can be lower.

 

Put a WTB add in the classifieds of the forum and you will probably find a two hole knuckle.

I am starting on my first Saginaw conversion on one of my projects. I have the Saginaw 525 out of a 73 CJ5. The link below has some pictures which show how we boxed the front frame horns (I ordered boxing plates from Brennan's Garage), mounted the steering box, and tunneled through the CJ2A tubular cross member.

https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/mb-clone-project_topic53465_post550228.html?KW=saginaw#550228

 

You both have me really thinking about this conversion now. I saw that Advance Adaptors offers a kit but they say on their site that it won’t work with the F134 engine. Why won’t it work and can something be modified to make it work?

 

Have always wondered why they say that. Plenty of conversions have been done on Jeeps with the stock four cylinders, but you do have to be careful about where the gear is positioned and the routing of the shafts. Some modification is necessary, on mine the tunnel in the cross member and the positioning of the gear allows the shaft to be routed under the base of the engine stand. This will be the first Saginaw conversion I have done, but wasn't the first Tyler had done in his shop. So, I am certainly no expert on it. Many different approaches have been successful.

The AA "kit" is crazy expensive in my book. It can be done for a whole lot less, especially if you can source some parts from a Jeep which came with the Saginaw. My steering box, steering column, and shafts came from a 73 CJ5. The 70s era Postal Jeeps have steering columns and shafts that will work, but not the steering gear since they are right hand drive.

 

It might be due to the exhaust, the 134 exhaust wraps around the ross box and the drag link is offset towards the block.
the conversions put the shaft in line with the column instead of that jog. The jeep i copied has the Clifford header (mark's race jeep is geared crazy fast for a 134).
I had my left bank follow the 134 route and it needed some pie cuts to snuggle the block better.

 

I’m getting ready to tackle this project too. I ordered my rebuild kit from Sal at Vintage Jeeper. I can’t speak for the quality just yet bc I haven’t opened the package yet. But I can say that the other parts he sells are good quality, so I expect these to be the same.
My biggest question is - will the Ross box come out through the bottom of the Jeep? It looks really tight in there, with the V6…. I sure don’t want to have to pull the engine to get the steering box out.

 

I called AA. It won’t work because it runs right into the motor mount. I agree. It’s expensive. But, my time might be worth it so I don’t have to track every nut and bolt down. And have instructions to boot. Just my take.

 

You should be able to drop it down and out.