More Pics of the Install in the Photo Gallery
After I installed new leaf springs my drag link interfered with my U-Bolt when I tried to
make a right turn. The short term fix was to cut the U-bolt
and weld on the remaining "L" bolt. The pitman arm would tap out so I cut off the
bump stop on the mounting plate, this still limited me to about a half right turn, not
very good. Requirements:
I was in the market for a way around this, but every option was either unsafe or expensive.
I finally decided that if I was going to do anything I should go the whole nine yards.
The All Pro kit was just that, an entirely new system that was stronger and provided more
clearance than anything else.
Like all crossover steering systems the solid axle push/pull steering box needs to be
replaced with a box from an IFS (86+) pickup or 4runner. This was the only part of
the installation that I was apprehensive about.... Unlike your conventional cross over steering
system the All Pro kit moves the tie rod above the leaf springs, so that you don't kink it on an un-friendly
rock :-)Installation:
The first big hurdle was to get the stock steering box and mounting plates out. After 17
years of harsh San Diego whether some of the bolts that were nearly impossible to get to
had rusted together, why is it always the impossible to get to ones.... A
few hours, assorted wrenches, and a lot of liquid wrench finally did the trick.
After everything is pulled off you can install the steering arms, I had a little trouble
with my left side (see problems). Once this is in you can install the tie rod and begin
to install the steering box.
I started off by cutting off the top frame mount for the torque rod, I went a little crazy
with Sean's Tiger Saw and cut a little into the frame, be careful. Be sure to grind
everything down nice, because chicks did the professional looking IFS steering box mounts.
Next is to drill the mounting holes in the frame. This was very
time consuming to say the least. I used the one of the original holes as a starting point,
however this hole was not dead center where I needed it and I eventually had to ream the
sleeves to get the bolts to fit. I followed Roger Brown's advise and mounted the box about 4"
in from the frame. After drilling and constantly checking to see if the box would fit,
it was time to reinforce the box. I didn't want to mess with metal fabrication knee deep into
this project so I shelled out $19 for the all pro reinforcement
plate, but it wasn't what I wanted so I called up Bumpass and he fabbed something up. 
Bumpass pretty much copied the All-Pro plates but used thicker metal and we used two plates
welded on both sides of the frame and a piece of tubing to
reinforce the box against the front frame rail. We decided that overkill was called for here
especially after reading about what Roger Brown went through....
After this it's pretty simple, All Pro's directions were very well organized and easy to
follow. Set the alignment and re-attach your power steering lines.
Be careful not to mix up the lines because the in and out lines have different thread pitches
and will strip easily.
Hooking up a stabilizer was next, I actually drove around for a few weeks with-out one, it wasn't so bad
but I'm used to a harsh ride (it's a live axle thing). There are several ways that people have mounted
stabilizers using this kit. I decided to mount it behind the tie rod, because this is simple and clean looking.
I used the mounting plate and U-bolts from
my old stabilizer and had Bumpass once again fab something up for me. We simply made a plate reminiscent of the
movie 2001 with a hole drilled into it and welded it to the top of the axle, and ran the stabilizer from the
axle to the tie rod. See picMore install photos here Overall Impression: 
This system is very crisp and responsive tough and well built. I've had no problems with
the functionality of the system. I was a little worried about doing an alignment
because of what my IFS friends have to do, but they are no problem, just twist the
tie rod and measure correctly.Regrets/Problems?
The biggest problem I found was that the left side steering arm would not slide into the bearings,
it was too thick. I wailed on it with a BFH for hours before I realized this.
I actually created a ridge on the arm from all the pounding, so I knew that I hadn't put it in crooked.
We used a file and a lot of test fitting to get the piece to fit.
One problem I wasn't expecting was for it to rust at all or as quickly as it did, I thought
that the parts were treated at the factory. If I did
it all again I would paint everything before installation.
I've also had a minor fit issue, the pitman arm would hit the factory skid plate
on full left turns. I thought about letting it hit itself
until it had enough clearance but the noise got annoying so about 10 min with a BFH fixed the problem.Conclusions:
Turning right never felt so good! Yes it was
expensive (Kit + mounting plate about $650 plus $200 for a used IFS steering box from a local yard) but it was
worth getting right the first time. Steering is important and I didn't
want to sell myself cheap with this system, no Kragen parts here.Update: 
Well after about six months of running this I was over at Kev's and noticed my radiator
had just puked up some green stuff. The reinforcement bracket Bumpass made for me
rubbed away at the lower tank when the body moved against the frame. Not a big deal,
just put some sodder on the hole and took out the angle grinder to grind down the
top part of the bracket. You're still fired Bump ;-)Helpful Links All Pro's web page Franken Taco's pictorial of the various Toyota steering set-ups, stock and custom Roger Brown's crossover steering plenty of info about his dealings with steering Back to Words |
