Can anyone tell me if a 1981 4wd 22r with manual steering can be *easily* converted to power steering with a 1981 Toyota 4x4 power steering gearbox with pitman arm, steering coupler, power steering pump with brackets and hoses all in used, working condition???

Sorry for the maybe dumb and/or redundant question, I am just starting to learn about these trucks.

 

should be plug and play. are all 22r heads drilled for power steering brackets? I know 20r is hit or miss. you are looking for three drilled post behind distributor and one on front of head. It may only have been a 20r issue.

 

yeah .. all 22r,re TRUCK heads are drilled . same as the 79-80 20r heads .. truck heads are drilled , car heads are not ..

power steering is plug an play , all boltable from 79-95 22r series engines


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I used a used system from an 82 on my 81, works great. You might have a problem in mounting the reservoir,as some truck are already setup for it, others you have to drill. Remember to get the cooler that mounts in front of radiator

 

Also need to get the crank pulley from the front of the donor. 4 bolts hold it onto the main pulley, I believe there's no need to remove the large center crank bolt.
The 84/85 reservoir mounts on the fender differently than the 79-83 and the pump is different. The cooler, steering box & pulley do work.

 

I converted manual to P/S on my 82. I then added a 20R head later.

I then added an electric P/S pump from an MR2 Spyder about 5 years ago in order to get better mileage on the hwy. Without the motor spinning a pump that's not required at those speeds should save a tad on energy. I also like the rigid feel at hwy speeds with the ability to turn the wheel to lube the drag link is handy. The reservoir, pump, motor and controller are all one piece and the high pressure hose from the truck fits with no mods. The pump does draw 45A in full turns. I also run an electric fan.

 

Cool! Did you actually record better mileage?

One of the best mods I did for a BMW was to replace the constant-pressure steerbox with one that varied the pressure with vehicle speed, but left the variability unplugged. It was halfway to manual steering and felt solid, heavy, and a lot more precise.

 

Hello, part numbers and detailed process if you don't mind. I have a 1981 Toyota truck 4x4 with manual steering now and saw your post and very interested in doing this mod. Thanks. Mike

 

That's a really old post you replied to. My '81 has power steering but if it didn't I wouldn't convert it. My '58 Chevy has manual steering and it works fine, I wouldn't convert it. Though some people use Toyota power steering pumps to convert their old Chevys!