40 series shock towers for power steer

[steve47series]

g'day experts,

i'm doing up my 84 HJ47 ute.

i have read some threads on this forum but i need some more technical answers.

what im doing is putting 60 series power steering into the ute as i need space for my extractors from the V8 diesel.

i have 1
removed the shock towers(left and right)and was thinking about swapping left to right and vice versa.will this work?i have moked it up and it looks alright to me.Will this mod pass the pits? i am not modifing the suspension as i want to keep it stock.

2 how far should i mount the box in mm from the front of the chassis.

3 i am thinking i should pack out the shock mounts with 10mm plate,fully welded and bolt the shock towers back on to have a bit more clearence from the power steer box?

be great to get some more info from anyone else who has done this conversion.

steve

[RAY185]

You shouldn't have to move the shock towers at all. You just need to notch out a bit of the stiffening ribs to clear the end of the box and the uni joint.

[TWISTY]

Depending on what you have planned for suspension, have you thought about running some F250 shock towers, they look factory and allow you to run a much longer shock up front (12" travel).

Pic of mine.

[flyology]

I put 60 power steering on my 55, but removed the shock towers all together and used 75 series towers welding on to the chassis, then used 75/60 series plates for the diff with the lower shock mounts. You will have to put the upper U bolt mounts on the diff. Mine was engineer approved in Qld also.

[steve47series]

thanks for the pics fella's

the photo's are invaluable to see exactly what it's going to look like,and how to position everything.

i suppose i'm going to have replace the shock towers in their original position and bolt them on.

could i still pack them out with the plate or is there no point?

i'll upload some pics when i figure out how to do it

steve.

[fjn00b]

perfect timing, i'm looking at doing this soon, thanks for the pics.

[RAY185]

thanks for the pics fella's

the photo's are invaluable to see exactly what it's going to look like,and how to position everything.

i suppose i'm going to have replace the shock towers in their original position and bolt them on.

could i still pack them out with the plate or is there no point?

i'll upload some pics when i figure out how to do it

steve.

You could pack them out if you really wanted, might reduce the amount of notching required to clear the box and uni. Only problem is that the original shock tower mounts to both the vertical face of the chassis and the top of the chassis so if you use a spacer plate on the vertical face, your top mounting holes won't line up. I personally don't see any advantage in spacing it out from the chassis. If anything, look at going for a F truck tower (like Twisty suggested) so you can run longer shocks if you want.

[vk7ybi]

I quite like this idea http://www.man-a-fre.com/pa/40serieslon ... towers.htm
Its probably the way I'll go eventually, but I'll build my own..

[fjn00b]

i'll probably just notch it out, in the pics above have you put a plate on the other side of the steering box (can't really tell in the pic)?

How'd you go making the holes? just lined it up and did a best guess?

Hard to drill through?

[RAY185]

i'll probably just notch it out, in the pics above have you put a plate on the other side of the steering box (can't really tell in the pic)?

How'd you go making the holes? just lined it up and did a best guess?

Hard to drill through?

No I didn't use a plate between the steering box and chassis. As you can see in the pic, I used a plate on the other side of the chassis (effectively turning the C section chassis rail into a box section) and welded crush tubes to that plate. I didn't see the need to fit a plate to the box side of the chassis, it's installed just like a factory 60 is (box section chassis with crushtubes - no spreader plate). Putting a plate there might help spread the load I guess but will give you big clearance problems with the stock shock tower. Mine has been on like this wheeling 35s for quite a few years now with no dramas.

Not sure what you mean about making the holes. I mocked the box up in position with clamps, then when I was happy I centre punched the holes, removed the box and drilled. It's not too hard to drill, just use sharp bits, slow speed, some cutting oil and drill it in stepped up sizes. You might need to do some clearancing on the other side of the chassis to make room for your crush tubes.

[fjn00b]

do you have any pics of the plate and holes before you mounted the box and the chassis work?

[RAY185]

No, they are the only pics I have. Bubs (a member here) does a mounting kit with plates, bolts and crush tubes.
http://www.budscustoms.com.au/product.asp?ProductID=913

[fjn00b]

wow thats awesome! thats exactly what i need. thanks again.

[steve47series]

i've decided i am going to pack out and swap the shock towers around(put the left hand side on the right)and vice versa.i looks to me that the pins still line up for the shock and the position i am mounting my steering box doesn't interfear with my guard mounting in the original position.i'll get some pics up soon.i've also modded the original steering colomn outer shaft with double bearings so it looks like a 55 series(i could'nt find one anywhere).i got the actual shaft cut down and splined to fit 75 series steering rods also.

[shorty_f0rty]

heres my build thread.. http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic139 ... highlight= might be of use to you guys..