1965 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 45 - Project FJ-Hybrid - Part I

The new straight-shot Borgeson shaft, U-joint, and yokes replace the Toyota manual zig-zag factory setup. The first step is to use the supplied shaft to determine where the crossmember hole needs to be to allow the splined slip-joint onto the Saginaw gear box input shaft. The shaft includes a certain amount of play (slip yoke travel) during frame flex on the trail.

The lower rpm circuit of the AGR-modified Saginaw box is specifically designed for off-highway and extreme four-wheeling situations (e.g., heavy slow-go trail use, big tires). The gear box needs to find a comfortable position against the frame to allow for the male-end input shaft and lower female slip yoke to join and turn without frame contact. Here, the exact center is marked with chalk. Our Super Box 2 has a variable turning ratio (17:1 to 13:1) for more all-around higher-speed pavement and/or lower-speed trail performance. For more hardcore applications, AGR has the Super Box 1, which gives a 16:1 turning ratio with valving set to low steering effort.

Nothing less than an acetylene torch is practical to cut through a Toyota FJ frame. The inside wall hole of the boxed front crossmember will have to be at least two inches wider in diameter to accommodate the lower slip joint, as the gear box butts against the frame. In our FJ frame, a rear hole already exists. Before making any tack welds, C-clamp the box and measure the proper shaft lengths, U-joint included. All cuts should be smoothed inside and out, to eliminate the rough edges, then primed to help prevent rust. In addition, this is a good time to check motor-mount and other frame clearances. We had to cut away a piece of crossmember (top) to allow the lower slip joint to fit.

The key is to make sure all the measurements in shaft length allow for the lower slip joint to mount at the midpoint of its travel (spline length), not flush with the box. With the exact length determined, make a clean 360-degree top yoke weld and assemble the U-joint. Tighten the set screw of the bottom joint. Properly measured, the splined attachment points should have close to a full inch of travel during flexy trail twists-very necessary for what we have in mind. The final step is to fully weld the steering box bracket to the frame. Without an engine, we'll have to deal with pump issues down the road.

The kit includes a 7-inch pitman arm, the standard choice for Saginaw gear boxes (3 1/8 turns lock-to-lock). The arm mounts to the gear box sector, then attaches to the supplied right-hand-thread tie-rod end. The new tie-rod can use the existing left-hand-thread Toyota rod end and mount right back to the factory steering linkages.

The finished setup is easy to like: It's simple, clean, and performance is much improved. It's worth noting the our Saginaw box does not have internal stops, so the final step to a box-only install would be to make sure the steering stops are appropriately adjusted. Areas to watch out for when doing your own install (but which didn't cause us any problems at this stage) include motor-mount clearances, radiator mounting brackets, possible front grille notching, and aftermarket bumpers.