4x4 power assist or power steering or both?

rjewkes · Post by **rjewkes** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:35 am

Wich should i get? rght now the crew has power assist i'm not shure if it is power steering as well it is a '70 f250.

gbrett · Post by **gbrett** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:53 pm

if the power assist is working good I would leave it alone there is no power steering that is a direct bolt on but it can be done

rjewkes · Post by **rjewkes** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:09 pm

ok the assist seems to work but i don't have evrything hooked up yet.

heep70 · Post by **heep70** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:42 pm

Some say the power assist works dandy when it is in good working order.

PS is pretty easy to install in the F250 4x4, but is a bit harder in an F100.

rjewkes · Post by **rjewkes** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:12 am

what is a good donor for the 250 4x4?

what will i have to change in my steering setup?

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:55 pm

You haven't even tried the power assist yet. Why are you in such a rush to tear it off and scab a PS box on?

The power assist has a bad rap from guys that buy a beat down abused old highboy with umpteen million hard miles on it and find the power assist is sloppy and leaks. They may go as far as to actually price out repair parts from the local parts house for the power assist and get a shocker, but more than likely they just ask thier buddies who tell them the stuff is trash and costs a fortune.

In reality, the power assist is a very tough setup that works extremely well if it's in good shape and you keep it clean and grease it now and then. Also, you can't afford to buy the parts from the local parts house, but if you're somewhat handy, have some patients and don't have an itch to hack up the frame of your truck you can have even the most beat down power assist working perfectly for a few hundred bucks.

You can use the 68-79 2wd power steering box which doesn't fit very well and has a serious lack of power for a 4x4 or you can use the 78-79 F-250/350 4x4 power steering box which fits a bit better but still requires frame modification.

The power assist and a power box do exactly the same thing. The only difference in the grand scheme of things is the power box uses a torsion valve while the assist uses a push-pull valve that wears over time. The upside to the assist is the ram puts the steering force right to the tierod. It will turn the tires no matter how big or what they're up against and won't stress the steering linkage as much as a power box.

rjewkes · Post by **rjewkes** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:01 pm

i was wondering if both could be used but if the assist works fine i'll keep it.

thank you for the information. i think i have to replace the frot axle anyways cuase the guy who owned it before fordfool boogerd the heck outa the shock mounts.

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:08 pm

You can run the power assist ram in conjunction with a power box by eliminating the power assist control valve and drilling the power box for ports to power the ram and having custom lines made up. This is what 460crew is doing with his truck only he's using a better aftermarket ram.

gbrett · Post by **gbrett** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:09 pm

there is a dodge box that fits good but limits tire clearance since it mounts outside the frame but it does not require butchering the frame

heep70 · Post by **heep70** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:43 am

averagef250 wrote:You can use the 68-79 2wd power steering box which doesn't fit very well and has a serious lack of power for a 4x4.

I disagree with ya on the lack of power part. I have no issues with mine what so ever and the frontend is locked.

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4x4 power assist or power steering or both?

4x4 power assist or power steering or both?

re: 4x4 power assist or power steering or both?