Datsun 720 power steering swap.

[leeloo98]

Hi everybody. I'm glad I found this forum and hope someone knows about this.

 

I have a 1982 Datsun 720 pickup with the sd22 diesel engine. It did not come with power steering but it's my understanding that the power steering assembly works with both the gas and diesel engines. Is this correct? Can I just take the power steering assembly from the gas 720 and put it in to the diesel pickup?

 

If so, anything else I should be aware of?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[wayno]

No it doesn't swap over from a gas engine, at least the fan belt driven pump on the engine doesn't.

I have one SD25 diesel engine that came from Canada that had a power pump steering on it, it is totally different than any other power steering setup anything else has, the pump is below the engine controller down by the oil pan.

What I do is make my own mount in front of the injection pump, the photo below is of a Pathfinder PS pump with a remote reservoir.

The photo below is of my rebuilt SD22 with a Nissan Z24 engine PS pump, I made the pump adjustable, it's not that easy to do unless you are good at fabricating things.

If you were closer I would help you, but you are a ways away.

What you will need is everything including the PS column, the rag joint is up near the firewall on PS trucks(not on the steering gear), you need the PS steering gear, the lines that go to the passenger side, and the PS pump, it would be best to get the type of pump that has the reservoir on it, as using a pump with a remote reservoir is a lot more complicated unless it comes from a hard body, but it is still more difficult, as you need the correct year hardbody(D21).

The issue with the column is that you need to use/have the type of column that you have now so that you can bolt all your interior column stuff(electrical stuff) from your column on to the PS column, if you have a non-tilt column, you need a non-tilt PS column, if you have a tilt column, you will need a tilt PS column, as everything is different and not interchangeable, if you go from one to the other type of column, then you will have to make the combination switch you need to work with your year wiring harness, it's a pain in the ass to make one.

I have a few Nissan/Datsun diesel rigs that I have been playing with for years, I put power steering on all of them, it helps to have a bunch of 720s in the same wrecking yard at the same time to do it, not a lot of them in the yards anymore, makes it harder to do.

[leeloo98]

Hey thanks for the information. I was gonna purchase a 1982 power steering assembly at a junk yard from a Z engine but looks like the way to go is just to find an SD22 that came with power steering and install everything that way.

Thanks again, you just saved me some bucks and probably a big headache. 

[wayno]

Hey thanks for the information. I was gonna purchase a 1982 power steering assembly at a junk yard from a Z engine but looks like the way to go is just to find an SD22 that came with power steering and install everything that way.

 

Thanks again, you just saved me some bucks and probably a big headache. 

No, like I said, the only SD series diesel engine I ever found with power steering was on a Canadian spec truck that came from Canada.

In all the years I have been looking at 720 diesel 720s in the wrecking yards, there has not been one with a power steering package, and I have looked at a lot of diesel 720s over the years, even the diesel guys on the diesel forum wanted to see photos of it, as they had not seen one either, they are rare.

If you want power steering, you are going to have to make it.

Since you have an 82, I would try to find an 82 720 with power steering, as that year will likely have all the parts you need, if you cannot find one, then find a Z24 720 with the same type of column you have now, then buy the bare column all the way to the steering gear, the steering gear, the pipes that go across the frame to the passenger side and the PS pump with hoses, everything will bolt into your truck except the PS pump, that you will have to make yourself from scratch, I almost forgot, you will also need a diesel double groove crank pulley/harmonic balancer, I am hoping you already have one, if you don't, you will have to find one, maybe I have an extra, first check to see what one you have now, it has to have 2 grooves.