Thanks Max...I'll give that a try. I know Recon had similar pump issues. Early-on I posed the question about "rack" pressure vs. "box" pressure, and several steering companies told me the stock pump should have enough pressure. But...pressure is not flow. I see your reasoning and I'm sure I will be doing some more mods to get the steering dialed in. I've never run a ram-assist so I may hit you up if I get-in over my head.
The front axle is a GM Dana44...nothing special. Low-pinion, small-tube (1973), 1/2-ton (six-lug) hubs & spindles, Eaton E-locker, Yukon 5.13s, stock GM 3/4-ton shafts, solid spicer joints, GM knuckles, a single-hole, high-steer arm on the passenger-side knuckle (for the DL), 1-ton GM ends, and Warn lockouts. This is all over-the-counter stuff, except for the hubs. Those required some minor machining to mount early 90's GM ABS rings to the inside edges of them, and I did some additional lathe work so the H3 rotors could be adapted to them. The rotors are now "flipped"...mounted to the outside of the D44 hub flanges, and they slip-on over the wheel studs, much like a stock H3 (no longer pressed-on the back-side like a Dana). I'm running stock H3 calipers and ABS-sensors mounted to some custom caliper brackets I fabbed from 1/4" steel. I swapped out the 1/2"-13 wheel studs for some longer Toyota 12mm jobbies so the lug nuts match the rear axle. Thats pretty much it. The rotor flip added a 1/2" to the track width but, that's a very small increase to keep my H3 braking system.
The first one is always slow & expensive but, now that I got the whole enchalada figured out...it wasn't really that difficult. The machine-shop work was strictly to adapt the H3 brake system to the Dana axle, and not manditory to get the axle into the truck. I have no doubts that a guy could grab any 4.56-geared D44 from a GM truck and swap it in "as-is" with old-school Dana brakes and run it. Thats what 07Custom's white rig is. The track width is nearly indentical to the stock IFS, and it seems to fit the H3 like a glove. I hope more H3 owners go for the SAS. The work itself is not that hard...its the pyscological terror of chopping up your truck that is so difficult to overcome. Once you commit...it gets easier.
