Ramming the Steering System

The previous ram-ready box disappeared, but the stock-style pump remains, mounted to the K10’s Ram-Jet 350 crate engine. Going with our “if it ain’t broke” theme, Offroad Design helped fill in the blanks. The company sells PSC-built hydraulic steering components for GM trucks, and it recommended the Economy steering box for this street/trail K10. This particular econo-box begins as a clean-core ’80-’87 Saginaw unit from a 2WD application. The ’80s cores are generally in better shape than the earlier ones, and 2WD versions have the stronger fully splined sector shafts. PSC rebuilds these base boxes with new seals and fresh internal parts as necessary. Because we’re adding a hydraulic ram, we got an assist-ready box tapped with ports in the optimal locations for feeding the ram cylinder. (A hose kit is available with the ram; we’re getting custom hoses with AN-6 fittings from Aeroquip.)

The previous box and pump had the later metric O-ring ports. The jury is hung between these and the earlier inverted-flare fittings. One school (the old one) says that inverted flares are more solid and less likely to leak. The other school answers that if you do spring a leak, it’s likely from a failed O-ring—a cheap, easy fix. Our existing engine-mounted pump/reservoir and the PSC box have metric ports, so we’ll connect them with the later-model OE-spec O-ring–style hoses.

Offroad Design says that the existing stock-style steering pump and reservoir are marginal—the assist cylinder and extra lines ideally call for increased fluid capacity. A PSC pump with remote reservoir would be optimal, but we’ll run what we brung, then upgrade when it dies. (When you’re retaining the OE pump, Watson recommends updating the older bolt-on pulleys to the later, more reliable press-on ones.) Because we’re running moderate tires and adding ram-assist, Offroad Design doesn’t feel that any high-flow tweaks are necessary. Some of the DIY tricks include drilling out the pump’s main fitting to increase flow, increasing pressure with fewer or thinner shims and by grinding the limiting stud, and stretching the spring to maintain the pressure at higher engine rpm. See the sidebar for other, more extreme tricks.