1961 Willys Wagon in Spokane

allfey

Gear Grinder
Jun 19, 2022
8
Spokane washington
First Name
Jeff
Willys Model
  1. Wagon
Willys Year:
  1. 1961
Hello all,
I'm new to the forum. I have a 1961 willys wagon. Perfect condition, except for the steering. I was told that it needs a new steering box. It was given to me and I haven't looked in to It much yet. If it does qn anyone tell if chevy or any other makes will interchange or where I an find d parts to rebuild or replace it. I might wa t to install power steering. Has anyone done this and what power steering colum and pump will fit it?
 
There is a lot of info on steering conversions, it is not for a beginner. you remove all the old steering box and drag link, mount a Chevy box on the front left frame rail in just the right spot, replace the tie rod or get a 2 hole steering knuckle. replace the steering column and wheel with one that fits that you like and then make up a shaft with u joints to turn the steering box from the steering column. It sounds tricky and it is. Unless you have good welding and fab skills just rebuild the box you have. It will almost be impossible to hire this job out, too many lawyers want to sue you if you do this for hire...Phil
 
Hi Jeff,
Hmmm 58-degrees yesterday up there ?
My wife flew up to Kent, Wa., near Seattle yesterday and froze her tushie off. Here in Anderson, Ca., it was only 104. a real Cooker !

If you go to the search bar and use "advanced search" option try some different searches for threads containing "steering" or 'power' and see what pops up. Then plan on several evenings reading pleasure.
My last power steering conversion was in 1996, and I sourced a PS box from a '93 Ford F150 2wd because nobody needs one and they are Cheap and plentiful. I made my own plate to mount the box to my frame. (It was a Ford pickup conversion from 2wd to 4wd).
There are a multitude of options, so someone will chime in with a nice power steering conversion.
Call WFO Concepts and do some internet snooping on ebay for Conversion Kits. They are out there.

Your current Ross manual steering box may just need a new bushing or two and some new seals. Have Fun and enjoy the Forums :)
 
As Phil wrote, the Saginaw/GM power steering box has often been the most popular P/S conversion. Personally, I dislike the box hanging out in front of the grille.
Herm the Overdrive Guy offers a kit using the boxes that Leonard mentioned. They mount behind the grille area and are therefore not seen from the outside. They also use crossover steering (Google it if you don't know the term) which is better than our original design linkage.
However, perhaps you can elaborate on exactly why you think your stock box is bad? Leaking, steering loose, wandering? I thought my box was loose but turns out the drag link was seized and therefore not adjusted correctly. So don't condemn your stock stuff yet.
 
allfey said:
Hello all,
I'm new to the forum. I have a 1961 willys wagon. Perfect condition, except for the steering. I was told that it needs a new steering box. It was given to me and I haven't looked in to It much yet. If it does qn anyone tell if chevy or any other makes will interchange or where I an find d parts to rebuild or replace it. I might wa t to install power steering. Has anyone done this and what power steering colum and pump will fit it?
Click to expand...
Welcome, depending how you plan to use your wagon, it's possible to get fairly decent steering out of the stock setup, but all the components of the steering system -- king pin bearings, tie rod ends, pitman arm, steering arm, drag link, sector shaft -- need to be in good condition and adjusted properly. Good luck and enjoy.
 
Welcome to the forum. If you need parts to rebuild the original steering there's several vendors that carry most all the parts. Kaiser-Willys is one I've done a lot of business with. Good people. Les
 
I have a Steering column and gear box from a 1948 2 wheel drive wagon in very good working condition I am selling
 

Attachments

  • WSW Steer Col .jpg
    WSW Steer Col .jpg
    324.2 KB · Views: 2
  • WSW Steer Gear .jpg
    WSW Steer Gear .jpg
    326.6 KB · Views: 2
  • WSW Steer Gear Ross.jpg
    WSW Steer Gear Ross.jpg
    355.4 KB · Views: 2
  • 48 Steer Column.jpg
    48 Steer Column.jpg
    366.3 KB · Views: 1
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top