Benefits of SAS over D35??

[GTFIRE]

Hello,
I am comtimplating on doing a SAS on my 94 Ex, just curious what the benefits are of doing the swap, or any disadvantages...what has been everyones average cost for the swap and any important things i should keep in mind if i do decide do do the swap and can the stock coil buckets still be used or will some need to be fabed...steering also, what can still be used and changed?
Thanks alot!!
Nick

 

[4x4junkie]

A lot of people tend to cite better suspension flex as a reason to swap... I've found this is more a function of the coil springs you have though, not the axle itself (stiff TTB lift coils always bring teh suck for flex).

With the SA, you can lift it taller before you run into major issues with the steering geometry (4-6" lift is about the max on a TTB without major fab work, whereas with the SA it's easier to go up to 8-10" or more). Nosebleed lifts like that don't really make a capable offroad vehicle though, not unless you also go significantly wider anyway.

Downsides are cost, vehicle downtime, street manners can range from moderately trucklike to absolutely horrendous, depending on how good your attention to detail is during the swap.
Any decent axle swap candidate will have a different lug pattern, requiring rearend mods and a wheel swap.

The HP D35 TTB is a good sturdy little axle that'll easily handle 35" or so tires... What are your reasons for wanting to swap?

 

[JTX]

Mainly strength and flex for me. I did a D44 swap because with 35" tires the wheel hubs on the Dana 35 kept taking a dump. For normal wheeling the dana 35 is stout and will hold up fine. I ran mine with 33"s and 4.56 gears for a while and never broke anything.

 

[Tbars4]

..JTX...Just curious but, are you running the same exact type of tire (33's vs. 35's) or are they more aggressive???...:scratch:

 

[JTX]

The 33's were BFG Mud terrains, and the 35's were Mickey Thompson Baja Claws. It could've been the tire, i never thought of that. Maybe the gears to? That makes sense, with 3.73's i wouldn't be taking off as fast = less force on bearings.. etc.

 

[Tbars4]

...It could be a mix of the tires and that you are a little more aggressive yourself and taking on tougher terrain...

...I know with a locker or a good working LS up front, all it takes is getting one wheel in the air while in forward motion and when it lands, BAM...You could help this by doing the j**p hub upgrade but you may start going thru ujoints as often as you were going thru hubs...

...My only reason to do the SAS would be to deal with fewer parts to break/replace...The initial cost and time to fabricate everything I see as a luxury at this time in which I can't afford...

...There are several threads here that ask the SAS question and go into detail of the cost and parts...There are different setups to, springs, coils, etc..

 

[JTX]

I just got sick of messing with the wheel bearings, that was my main reason.

 

[Tbars4]

...I believe all my wheel bearing problems were resolved with the rotor swap I did last year, almost a year...It may be getting time for ball joints and I've already welded my drop bracket..

...If my lift kit and Dana 35 decide to hold together for a while I'm going to keep my set up...If not, I may just strip it, fix it good, install it on my Ranger, and do the SAS on the X...

...But I need to hit the lotto, find all the parts I need at once, and have enough time to get it all done in 1 week...

 

[4x4junkie]

I've never once had a wheel bearing issue on the 35 running 35x12.50s (14,000 miles now with the 35s, another 22,000 with 33s before that on the same bearings). It's all about proper preloads and tightening of the outer locknuts real good, Using a good quality bearing grease helps too.

 

[94 Crawler]

Well a sas is a good place to dump abought 3 grand. I got rid of my ttb due to tire wear issues. Loved the flex 6" skyjacker soft rides would compress till they coil bound. Just the steering above 4" of lift gets wacky. If you realy think abought it by the time you buy a suspension system and super runner steering you are 2/3 the way to a sas. Unless you buy from camburg or one of the high end makers of ttb lifts then it would be more than a sas. It comes down to what you want and what you are going to do. Some dana 35 to 44 facts. D35 and 44 use same U-joint. The reverse cut d-35 gear set is as strong as the standard rotation 44. So go with a high pinion 44 prefrebly with weld on wedges, so you have more options for suspension set up. Or better yet hp d-60. Ttb spindles and outer c's on a 44 will fit the d-35 you will also need the outer shafts for a easy front brake upgrade.You will have to change rear to match bolt patern. I woke up one day and said _ _ _ _ it and started my sas. Good luck