1 ton SAS into a '91! (build thread?) | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

1 ton SAS into a '91! (build thread?)

Did you check caster (and pinion angle) before you welded the spring hangers / shackles ?

On the rear, yes, the pinion angle matches the angle at the t-case.

on the front, since i wasn't removing or modifying the perches on the axle, i just slapped it together as it was, there was quite a bit of negative caster but i believe negative caster is a good thing... well in this case i guess too much of a good thing causes problems! the front drive-line has a DC on top and a little pinion angle at the bottom right now, but as i back the caster off that'll go away.

i'm also having some issues with the tire clearance in front. i sawzall'd it out quite a bit in front, but with the shackle in back combined with the front spring mount being higher than the rear, the tire moves back quite as it moves up on suspension compression. so rubbing is an issue in front.

to fix the caster problem, as well as the slip-yoke problem (it doesn't have enough travel) and also the tire clearance problem i think i'm going to try putting the shackle in the front of the spring. that way the tire should pretty much go straight up on compression instead of up and back.

i'm also going to add a pan-hard bar. and i still need to make traction bars for front and rear as well to deal with axle twist.

here's a pic of how it looks now
257712341_photobucket_11433_.jpg
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Just a little update....

I've been extremely busy and haven't had a chance to work on it for a while :( hopefully next week I'll get it completed. I'll keep you all posted.
 






update!!

Got some more work done it it today!! here's the latest, with pics!

On the front axle, to fix some of the issues i was having i moved the shackles to the front of the leafs. so i cut and modified the spring mounts at both ends and moved the shackles... here's some pics.
(yes, it's braced on the top!)
2010-11-04_10-35-35_494.jpg


Here's how the front shackles look now
2010-11-04_10-35-48_856.jpg


It reduced my approach angle by a tiny bit.. but i think it's still pretty good. with the axle hanging it's a couple inches lower than it normally would be, but this gives an idea anyway. i actually have the downward travel of the axle limited quite a bit because the brake lines i have now are a bit short.
2010-11-04_10-36-05_545.jpg




and for the rear, i got a traction bar in.. and it doubles as protection against rocks and high centering and stuff for the drive shaft. yes it's a silly looking design, but i think it's very functional. right next to the drive shaft, and just slightly lower. the pivot point is right below the t case U joint so it'll always move right with it and stay there.
2010-11-04_10-36-29_332.jpg

2010-11-04_10-36-38_350.jpg

2010-11-04_10-36-54_140.jpg




and i took it out for a little testing.. i tried to twist it up a bit, for some poser pics, but this was about all i got.
2010-11-04_11-04-02_37.jpg

2010-11-04_11-21-53_84.jpg

2010-11-04_11-22-12_551.jpg


All i have left on the suspension is the front traction bar, and then it's on to the exo-cage!
oh, and a little more fender trimming.
 






looks good man, I have a 93 that im currently doing a sas on only im using halfton running gear hp44 and 9in i bought a 77 ford f150 that wasnt running and stripped everything out from under it and I was debating going with leafs or coils but I think im gonna try to stick with the coils and radius arms out of the f150, so did you figure out your castor problem?
 






Yeah, i got all the caster stuff squared away. its explained in my last update there above the pics, but i just flipped the shackles to the rear (that was for another reason, but it also benefited the caster problem) and i adjusted the spring mount points some as well. caster is perfect now and it goes down the road fine without death wobble now.


for another update.. i have also ordered 5.38 gears front and rear, a lock-right for the front, and a detroit locker for the rear. and i picked up the steel for the exo-cage and fenders. If my work schedule gives me a few days to work on it, i'm hoping to have it ready for wheelin' within a month.
 






I made some more progress.... (got the exo-cage started) here's pics.

Some progress on the right front fender area, and rock sliders.
257712341_photobucket_16923_.jpg


I brought the tubing out a bit (i'm going to make it into a fender with sheet metal) the rear's will come out further, flush with the edges of the tires.
257712341_photobucket_16921_.jpg


Also the rear bumper is off, going to replace it with a simple piece of 2"x4" rectangular tubing. pic of John torching at it.
257712341_photobucket_16922_.jpg


I won't get a chance to work on it again until Tuesday at the soonest... but at least its progressing!
 






Okay, made some more progress today. the exo-cage is pretty much finished except for some sheet metal/skin for the fenders, paint, trimming the ends off the rectangle tubing in a few places and plating the ends, a cross brace (to frame) near the back, some little gussets... and a few other things.. but its basically taken it's shape by now.

the only thing i'm not really happy with is the way the rear bumper came out. it looks too huge and bulky, i'm going to take about an inch off the ends, and cut them at an angle to make it hopefully look better.

anyway.. here's some pics.. what do you guys think so far?

257712341_photobucket_18183_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_18184_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_18185_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_18186_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_18187_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_18188_.jpg




i had to trim the door some to clear the "fender" piece.

257712341_photobucket_18182_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_18181_.jpg
 






thats awesome. nice work.
 






thats awesome. nice work.

Thanks.. here's another update..

i got some more done on it today... all 4 fenders are built, the front traction (axle warp) bar is built, and i modified the rear bumper some to make it look better... i didnt' think to take many pics today though, although i did get some pics of one of the front fenders... so here's how that looked. more pics of the rest to come later

cut out the fender bigger
257712341_photobucket_19569_.jpg


had to trim a lot on the firewall... but its got plenty of clearance now (i haaattttee rub!)
257712341_photobucket_19570_.jpg



and got some sheet metal cut and welded in for the inner fenders.. looks pretty sweet i think.
257712341_photobucket_19571_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_19572_.jpg
 












...And got some sheet metal cut and welded in for the inner fenders.. looks pretty sweet i think.

Very Sweet indeed :cool:
 






it's getting there! only a few more details left!

i modified the rear bumper a little on the ends so it doesn't look as horrible.
257712341_photobucket_20424_.jpg



then, even though i have a little more to do it on (the cross support bar in the rear part of the cage), i painted it all since it's supposed to rain this weekend.
what do you guys think about the color... i couldn't decide weither to paint it all white like the body, or black.. ended up with gloss black.

then i took it out for a little testing

the wheel-rub test.. passed! it looks like there is no wheel rub, which is nice
257712341_photobucket_20430_.jpg



then time for some fun.. who says a 150hp v6 can't turn 37's and one tons?
257712341_photobucket_20431_.jpg

257712341_photobucket_20432_.jpg


still gotta get the 5.38's and lockers in it, and a couple finishing touches on the exo cage, and then it'll be time for some wheelin' i can't wait
 












tore the axles down... got the lock-rite in the front carrier. still need to get it all reassembled

257712341_photobucket_21556_.jpg


257712341_photobucket_21365_.jpg


rear is apart too
257712341_photobucket_21557_.jpg
 






Update.. more progress has been made. Detroit locker and 5.38's are in the rear, i had to get a different yoke and U joint to fit the new gears (arrrg!) but its all together now.

turned out the front gears i got were standard cut, not thick cut... so i have to switch to the 4.56 and up carrier which sucks.

ok. pic time.. i had my wrench wench helping
257712341_photobucket_24133_.jpg


and tightening down the pinion nut on the crush sleeve.. damn it takes a ton of torque to crush a 1 ton crush sleeve.. not like a 9"
(hanging from the breaker bar,... just for show yes)
257712341_photobucket_24134_.jpg
 






Well it's been raining.. but I wanted to try it out in this awesome mud today, and i had the day off.. so i the axles the rest of the way together this morning, and tested it out, it works!
257712341_photobucket_25414_.jpg

257712341_photobucket_25413_.jpg


I got some video today as well, so that will be coming soon.
 






ok and heres the mud video. it doesn't have the horsepower to really clear the tires and do awesome in mud, but it did pretty well i think.



here's my friends "bronco" (well it was a bronco once) as well
 












Took it to Gorman yesterday. got some video!!
also i learned what modifications i need to do before its ready for TDS... such as spring things to keep the springs from twisting up

by the way there is some more "truck stuff" in gorman now.. which is nice for a change.

 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





You got a nice rig. I like what gov done to it.
 






Back
Top