www.ColoradoClassicBroncos.com

I've been scouting the bone yards (picknpulls really) and have come up short.

I'm looking for an 00-04 Xterra or Frontier steering box. It's a Delphi 600 unit. I want to harvest the case and combine it with one of the Jeep WJ boxes I have lying around to make a new steer box for the Bronco. Any help spotting or pulling one if you see it would be appreciated.

01 Xterra at the COS Upull. I'll swing by tomorrow and see if it still has a steering box.

Other than you already having half of it, what's the benefit to that setup?

Once you start putting Jeep parts into your Bronco, it will never treat you the same...AND I'm not even going to discuss Nissan parts!!!

akaFrankCastle wrote:01 Xterra at the COS Upull. I'll swing by tomorrow and see if it still has a steering box.

That would great. If the vehicle has damage that might have affected the steer box, just skip it. It looks like I need to harvest the housing and steering input shaft.

Justin wrote:Other than you already having half of it, what's the benefit to that setup?

Short story:

When I bought my truck, it had a non-original steering box on it. Digging through receipts, I found the PO paid over $1000 dollars to a Bronco retailer for this full steering upgrade kit that including a "quick-ratio" box, Saginaw pump, brackets, hoses, etc. The problem is the steer box was leaking from the sector shaft and I didn't know what the original application was to source a seal kit.

Some further digging revealed the box was a custom unit from Borgenson. Now I know the unit is custom, but it is made from OE supplier parts, because no way is someone going to cast a new box or custom make parts for the Bronco market. There's just not much volume in it, especially with all the 4x4x2 box conversions floating around.

I like the box for a couple of reasons:

- It is "quick ratio". The box is ~3.5 turns lock to lock
- It is a modern Dephi 600 unit, which has modern metallurgy and was used in TONS of applications, making parts availability very good.
- The pitman arm splines match the old Bronco stuff, which is interesting that the domestic OEs have been sharing spline configuration for some time now.
- It bolts up to the Bronco frame with no modifications.
- Some people claim the box is too weak for big tires, but don't back that up with any evidence that I have seen. What I have seen is guys turning 37's with these boxes and frankly I'm not that hard on steering components.

What I did find out is that there is strong indications that the components can be sourced from only two OE applications, a Jeep WJ and a Xterra (or Frontier) WJs are everywhere in the picknpull right now. On top of that I have 4x zero-mile WJ boxes and 1x clean used WJ box in my garage right now. The 4x new units were given to me after a friend moved. I'm more curious than anything at this point to build up an additional unit for <$150 vs. paying Borgenson >$500 for a replacement should I need it.

Box is gone off of this one.

Digger wrote:

Justin wrote:Other than you already having half of it, what's the benefit to that setup?

Short story:

When I bought my truck, it had a non-original steering box on it. Digging through receipts, I found the PO paid over $1000 dollars to a Bronco retailer for this full steering upgrade kit that including a "quick-ratio" box, Saginaw pump, brackets, hoses, etc. The problem is the steer box was leaking from the sector shaft and I didn't know what the original application was to source a seal kit.

Some further digging revealed the box was a custom unit from Borgenson. Now I know the unit is custom, but it is made from OE supplier parts, because no way is someone going to cast a new box or custom make parts for the Bronco market. There's just not much volume in it, especially with all the 4x4x2 box conversions floating around.

I like the box for a couple of reasons:

- It is "quick ratio". The box is ~3.5 turns lock to lock
- It is a modern Dephi 600 unit, which has modern metallurgy and was used in TONS of applications, making parts availability very good.
- The pitman arm splines match the old Bronco stuff, which is interesting that the domestic OEs have been sharing spline configuration for some time now.
- It bolts up to the Bronco frame with no modifications.
- Some people claim the box is too weak for big tires, but don't back that up with any evidence that I have seen. What I have seen is guys turning 37's with these boxes and frankly I'm not that hard on steering components.

What I did find out is that there is strong indications that the components can be sourced from only two OE applications, a Jeep WJ and a Xterra (or Frontier) WJs are everywhere in the picknpull right now. On top of that I have 4x zero-mile WJ boxes and 1x clean used WJ box in my garage right now. The 4x new units were given to me after a friend moved. I'm more curious than anything at this point to build up an additional unit for <$150 vs. paying Borgenson >$500 for a replacement should I need it.

I am going to a little.... - It is a modern Dephi 600 unit, which has modern metallurgy and was used in TONS of applications, making parts availability very good. Um, how are the parts availability going for you??

crawlercreations wrote:I am going to a little.... - It is a modern Dephi 600 unit, which has modern metallurgy and was used in TONS of applications, making parts availability very good. Um, how are the parts availability going for you??

Fair question. I only have two picknpulls in close proximity, neither are heavy with foreign trucks. Plus kids and lack of time hinder this project. I'm trying to stay cheap until I know this pans out. Then I could source parts from a normal salvage yard. Alternately, Oreilly's carries fully rebuilt boxes for 1/2 the price of the Borgenson unit. In a pinch I could buy one WJ and one Xterra, piece them together on the spot and have a new box.

Additionally, 70's & 80's trucks are getting harder and harder to find in the bone yard and any parts guy will tell you that older than '85 is entering "rare parts" status, which means more $$ for parts. Shoot, my 9" drums cost double what they did last rebuild and I will be looking for newer disc brake parts next time.