I did a write up on my first attempt at a
full hydro steering setup back in
2003.
Be sure and check out that article for the pros & cons of full hydro steering.
This write up shows how I did my latest setup with the biggest difference being
the addition of a double ended ram and a new way to vent the reservoir that I
picked up from an online bulletin board.
Why a double ended ram?

The biggest reason to go with a double
ended ram is because it has the same fluid capacity on each side of the piston
so the number of turns lock to lock will be the same, just like a normal
steering box. Also, load reactive steering valves are not designed to work with
single ended rams so you may experience some wander (you also void the warranty
on the valve). In my case the double ended ram was much easier to mount than the
single ended ram so the extra cost was worth it. Actually, with a single ended
ram I would have had to completely change my link design and use a panhard bar
due to space constraints.
Plumbing

The heart of your system is the steering
valve and that's where I will start. I mounted the valve where a steering
box would normally go to keep the high pressure lines away from the passenger
compartment and to minimize the distances between the various components on the
low pressure side. The valve is connected to a TC style Saginaw pump via a -6
(3/8ID) line.


From the valve I ran -6 hi-pressure lines
down the links to the cylinder ports. Hose length is not a concern on the
hi-pressure side.


On the low pressure side hose length
should be kept under 24" between components to avoid restrictions. In
addition, you should increase the hose ID after each component, again to avoid
restricting the flow. So in my case I ran a -8 (1/2" ID) hose from the valve to
the cooler (first picture above), then from the top of the cooler I ran another
-8 hose to the filter. Notice how short the hoses are.


From the filter I bumped up the hose size
to a -10 (5/8" ID) which runs to my reservoir. The reservoir feeds the inlet of
the power steering pump via another -10 hose, never use anything smaller. To
vent the reservoir I installed a fitting and some 1/4" air line which loops
under the transmission to a small vented catch can on the other side of the
engine bay. I made the catch can from some 1.00 x .120 wall tubing, capped
both ends and then drilled and tapped them for fittings. I used a hose
barb on top where I attached a small K&N filter, the bottom fitting takes the
1/4" air line from the reservoir.


A little about the reservoir. This
is a homemade unit made by my buddy Randy. It is approx 6" in diameter and
8 " tall. We installed a baffle that sits just under the top. The
baffle has a 3/8" hole drilled in the center to help keep the pump from sucking
air when off camber or upside. I am a firm believer in having lots of fluid
capacity in your hydraulic system. Having more fluid in the system helps
keep the system cooler which makes the fluid last longer. I have seen a lot of
people use the small circle track reservoirs. The big problem with these
is they are not designed for off camber situations and many times their feed
port is too small (remember you want at least 5/8" ID). On my reservoir the
fluid is fed in from the side about mid level then exits on the bottom. I
also installed a small valve to make it easy to drain the system if I need to
service it or replace a component,

There are lots of ways to mount the
steering ram so I won't go into that here. Just keep in mind that the
angle of the steering linkages changes as you steer so you may get to a point
where you bind your links. That angle also effects how much stroke you
will need from your cylinder. In my case I ended up using about 6.75" of
stroke so I had to limit the rams throw by installing some shaft collars behind
the clevis blocks on the cylinder.

The stock D60 knuckles are not designed
to run a high steering arm and the 4 bolts that hold the arm in place can easily
work loose. I mounted my ram so I could spread
the steering load between the upper steering arms and stock tie rod mount on the
knuckles. If you do this make sure you use a welding rod designed for dissimilar
or cast metals (typically a high nickel content rod) for attaching anything to
the knuckles. I tried using my mig but the welds broke after a few runs
and it looked like the material from the mig wire and knuckle did not mix at
all.
If you want more in depth information on
this topic, check out
this article on the Pirate 4x4.com website.