V8 Swap Smaller Steering Box suggestions

[djschick88]

I swapped in a 302 into my ranger and by doing so I needed to use a oil filter relocation kit and this made everything very tight in the power steering box area.

My question is has anyone found a smaller steering box for these trucks.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

It's not really needed if you buy the right oil filter adapter kit. Though, it's gonna be tight there regardless, but nothing should hit.

 

[Shran]

A manual steering box may be slightly smaller but you lose your power steering.

Another option is a rack and pinion conversion. I don't know if anyone has done it on a TIB/TTB Ranger.

But like Bird said, it's tight, but the oil filter adapter clears the steering box by a mile. I have at least an inch or two between the adapter and the steering box on mine... it's so far away in fact that I was able to easily replace the steering box without removing anything else.

The Ranger steering box was used in pretty much every F series and Ranger truck from 1980 up to 1996 and they are fairly unique in how they are shaped and how they mount... I don't think anything else will bolt up to that spot without a lot of modification.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The Ranger steering box was used in pretty much every F series and Ranger truck from 1980 up to 1996 and they are fairly unique in how they are shaped and how they mount... I don't think anything else will bolt up to that spot without a lot of modification.

I don't think they got changed until fullsizes went to rack and pinion in the 00's.

I have read of people going to a outside the frame Toyota steering box, it would take some doing to convert to that though.

 

[djschick88]

alright, thanks for the help. It does clear but the routing from the block mounted piece can only be run forward sending the lines into a kinda dangerous place for a off road race truck. I may order some different fittings and see if I can make it work.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

If you use the L&L oil filter relocation block, then it can be clocked however you wish.

 

[insaneranger]

I have a Trans-dapt relocation kit & it works great. I mounted it forward of the steering box on the outside of the frame, but you can mount the filter bracket anywhere you want as long as you use hoses that will reach.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

The problem with the TransDapt is that you're stuck with wherever it decides to tighten up, unless you can find different thickness oil filter "o-rings" to try out. Again, the L&L oil filter relocation adapter is far superior to nearly all other brands. It allows you to clock it in any direction you wish, and it made from far superior materials.

I'm running the TransDapt myself and it works, but I trashed the junk fittings and rubber hoses and swapped all of the fittings over to AN stuff and Russell braided stainless hose.

 

[djschick88]

L&L sounds like it is similar to the canton unit i'm using. I can also orient the lines in any direction. The thing is that I can run them straight forward without an issue but I don't like the loop the line creates in front of the motor in order to get to the location I want the oil filter mount.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

I tried the Canton and it was too tall. I could make it fit but it would have still hit the steering box occasionally, and tightening the bolt to hold it down was a nightmare with the steering box in the truck. The L&L is shorter and more compact. I may switch over to the L&L one of these days..

Someone needs to make one as low profile as the TransDapt model that has a center bolt through it that allows clocking the unit. That would be the best of both worlds.

 

[djschick88]

Yes that would be ideal!