Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

As some of you know, I am working on building a parts list for a shortened Dana 44, long radius arm with coil overs SAS. 5:13 gears to match my rear axle and an ARB, maybe an electric locker. I have a pretty good list so far. At the same time, I am going to swap out the rear drum brakes for discs off of a 99 Explorer.

Please note: The plan is to keep this project as simple as possible with mostly off the shelf parts. I am not a fabricator, just a decent welder with a what I would consider the minimum required tools (chop saw, cut off wheels, air tools, welder, etc.), who likes doing his own work. Your opinions are welcome, but what I really need is technical advice. I have been thinking about this for several years and now have the time and cash to make it happen. Please keep on topic with your advice and don't go off on a side track about how you would do it as a four-link, or caged arms, or leave the axle full-width because that is not what I want. I want a simple-ish set up that works.

 

[410Fortune]

very nice!! Ah 9000' I bet it was cooler up there! WE used to live at 8990' elevation, it gets old hahahahaha
Glad the truck is working so well for you! Makes these trips enjoyable
Gotta watch out for those SXS seriously, its just like the 16 year old whos dad buys him a rubicon, with no experience behind the wheel and a rig that capable they get into trouble really fast. Now with all the RZR's out there....... everyone and their uncle is a baja driver on the backroads

 

[Kirby N.]

Truth. It was different when you had to earn it to run the hard trails or go fast- you hd to build it. Now you can just plop down the cash and get into the tough or fast stuff. It’s actually pretty scary. New comers don’t understand the ethics, the risk, or have the same respect for the sport/ the access because they came by it so easy.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

those sxs things are super fast, see em rip by all the time when im froading, got nothin against speed but sometims theres very little warning or they throw dust up at you and fly by

 

[BKennedy]

They have no trail etiquette, which is almost as bad as not having elevator etiquette.

 

[BKennedy]

I drove to Sedona today. 1.5 hours to get there and it was hot. Drove through town, saw a bunch of Teslas. It's like a southwestern version of Del Mar. Ran Broken Arrow. Trail took me 15 minutes and that was with coming across 10 pink tour Jeeps. Took some poser shots at the end. On the way out I saw another line of those pink Jeeps and I was right at the harder side trail. Took that. It's like a mini Moab slick rock trail. It was fun, very steep in a few places. Totally doable. That took 25 minutes. Drove back up the mountain and into a rain storm. I got off I40 at Parks to let the dog out and take a break. Went through some stutter bumps and got mild death wobble. A little diagnosis revealed my new track bar bushing is blown. It was a brand name bushing, I think a Delphi. I remember thinking it was made from much harder material than the old one and would either last a long time, or not long at all. Good drive, about 150 miles.

Side trail

So, now I can say I ran Broken Arrow. Whoopie.

 

[BKennedy]

I was going to have the entire day on video but my camera overheated and shut down. Didn't notice until I was off the trail.

 

[Rick]

At lunch the other day my friend Dave said he wanted to visit Sedona. I told him to skip it and visit Jerome instead.

Sedona is like a mini Moab, but nowhere near as cool.

 

[BKennedy]

What got me about Sedona is its all mountains and trees in Williams and Flagstaff, then an hour away and its crazy red rock high desert. But really, it looked like the south-western version of Del Mar or Beverly Hills. Fake looking pueblo architecture everywhere and roundabouts all through town that no one knows how to navigate.

I am doing some maintenance on the Explorer soon. I ordered a new water pump, severe duty fan clutch and hoses when I realized I haven't replaced that in at least ten years. I know they normally don't go bad, but I like to replace moving parts from time to time so they don't fail when I am out in the middle of nowhere. Water pumps do wear out and the Explorer engine still gets hot on hot days up very long steep grades. I got mostly Gates products (all Gates except for the fan clutch, which is Hayden) and the total shipped was less than $150.00 off Rock Auto.

Still need to replace the lower track bar bushing, got a new one from Energy Suspension. They seem to last several seasons of hard use.

I'm still considering a NWF iBox for a few reasons; it will lengthen the drivetrain four inches, which will put it right where it was when I had the NP231. No more short front and long rear drive shafts. My front shaft is maxed out when the left front droops to the limit straps. The second reason is more obvious, its a doubler. It will give me more options. I can use standard 4x4 at 1:1, the doubler by itself at 2.72:1, or the Atlas II at 3.8:1, or both at 10.3 making the Explorer able to climb just about anything. It does good now, but man it would be cool. It would be mostly for high altitude rock crawling because it really loses power at over 9,000'. Would also help keep the transmission cool because when I'm going up grades off road or driving slow I will put it in low range so I can lock out the torque converter and not lug the engine. Having the in-between gear ratio would work for that very well. I'm just kicking that around for now. Maybe when I get a two post lift I might really jump in as it's a job. I called NWF a while ago and they said I can flat tow the Explorer with one installed, which Advanced Adaptors says you can't do with their three stick transfer case.

I decided to shelve the rear sway bar for now. I am used to the way the Explorer handles on and off road, and am comfortable with it. I am still considering new rear Radflo shocks to match the front coil overs, and will probably do that before anything else because I think it will make the most difference for highway and higher speed off road driving.

 

[410Fortune]

so the energy brand bushings last longer then the others?
I am always replacing stupid track bar bushings in the FJ cruiser and my OBS F350
Rough country bushings seem to last one season or less
Now going to look see what a NWF I box doubler looks like

 

[Fix4Dirt]

so the energy brand bushings last longer then the others?
I am always replacing stupid track bar bushings in the FJ cruiser and my OBS F350
Rough country bushings seem to last one season or less
Now going to look see what a NWF I box doubler looks like

personally i like the ES poly ones. they seem to hold up really well probably better than stock?

 

[BKennedy]

The bushings that came with the track bar lasted about 5 years. BC Broncos doesn't know which vendor they used then. The ES bushings lasted 2-3 years. Delphi lasted less than 1000 miles.
iBox

Blackbox-I

Dubbed ‘i’ for integrated, the BlackBox-i is the second evolution of the underdrive series. Designed to be as short and compact as possible, the BackBox-i was specifically developed for short wheelbase vehicles; jeeps, early broncos, and rock buggies. To meet these goals, the design process had...

northwestfab.com

 

[tdavis]

Doublers are fun. Put it in low-low, 1st gear, let the Explorer walk the dog..

 

[BKennedy]

Doublers are fun. Put it in low-low, 1st gear, let the Explorer walk the dog..

That would be fun.

I've looked around underneath and the Atlas should clear the floorboards still clocked up like it is now, with a little BFH massaging of the back left rear footwell. At most, I would be cutting out a small section and welding in a flat piece. I think I could get away with adding a 4-5" extension into the middle of the T-case skid plate, a simple job. Would need to get new parts for the T-case shift lever rods and mount to keep them in the same place. Third stick can be a cable type and go in front of those on the trans tunnel. Transmission/T-case mount would stay where it is. Shorter drive shaft in rear, longer in front. That's about it for the entire job. Asked the guy I get most of my big stuff through about a second mount at the rear of the T-case. He said they cause vibration on street driven rigs and are unnecessary for an iBox because it only adds four inches, and my Advanced Adaptors trans to T-case adaptor is strong enough, especially the way I added an off-set third mount to limit torque. Should only take a couple months of messing with it at the speed I work. Most of that time is spent lying on my back staring at the underside of the Explorer pondering my next move. I honestly think the hardest part of the job would be getting the T-case out because I sealed it in real good. I figure all in would cost me well under $3,000. When I first started looking at the iBox it was about half the price it is now.

 

[BKennedy]

Started work on replacing the water pump and fan clutch. Got to the fan clutch and the tool I bought is giving me fits. I can't get the tool that's supposed to grab the pully bolts to grab. I'll pull the radiator tomorrow which should give me more space to work with. Might make me a pully holder tool out of flat bar. Radiator is only two extra bolts and then I can flip it upside down and flush it out even though it looks very clean inside.

 

[BKennedy]

Spent an hour making a tool to hold the pully while I loosened the fan clutch. It bent on the first try. Went back to the one I was messing with yesterday, it held long enough to break the fan clutch loose. Victory!!! Water pump came out easy.
I think I discovered part of the problem with the Explorer getting hot on steep grades. Fan clutch turns very easy, and compared to the Hayden the body is thin and cheap looking.
Observe

Water pump appeared to be in fair condition, but the new Gates version seems to be more robust with thicker casting.

Difference between AutoZone and good name brand stuff is obvious. They did last a long time, but might not have been doing their job as well as higher quality parts. In my defense, I installed that stuff way before RockAuto existed, and when local stores actually had parts in stock.

Before I pulled the radiator, I remembered one of my transmission coolers is held in place by those zip tie looking mounts that push through the radiator and condenser. I realized I would have to remove the grill, unbolt the power steering cooler and a transmission cooler just to access the cooler attached to the condenser. Too much stuff to move around and take a chance on damaging. Nevermind.

 

[BKennedy]

Got the new water pump installed. Since RTV is used on both sides of the gasket, I'll wait until tomorrow before installing the rest of the new stuff.

Few things I have that had really paid for themselves are my 1/4" impact and little inch pounds torque wrench. I always overdo the German torque method of "good-N-tight".

One thing I couldn't locate was my 1/4" drive 10mm socket. Luckily my 3/8 drive one was still in the tool box and I have several adaptors. What is the deal with those 10mm sockets? I ordered a 10 pack of them off ebay. I will probably never lose one again.

 

[410Fortune]

gotta have 10mm backups!! They just go missing like the extra sock in the dryer
There are some t shirts made for this

10mm missing t shirt - Google Search

What 1/4" impact are you referring to? I love my milwaukee 12V ratchet with 3/8 and 1/4" anvil (I have two)

Battle on! Fan clutch should be stiff stiff when new

 

[BKennedy]

I have a missing 10mm shirt. Get comments from wrenchers, even got asked by a CT tech what it meant.

I am a big fan of Ridged tools. I have most of their 18 volt cordless stuff. Three impacts, 1/4" and two 1/2" drives. Biggest one runs my RV lug nuts right off.

 

[BKennedy]

I got the Explorer back together. I should be able to change out the track bar bushing tomorrow, then take it for a nice drive to break in all the new parts and check for leaks.

 

[BKennedy]

Changed out the lower track bar bushing. Old bushing I just replaced was split. Do not use Delphi track bar bushings, they are just too hard for a flexy suspension. Took it out for a test drive and got some serious death wobble at about 45 MPH. I took it back home and daughter and her boyfriend had showed up. I had them shoving side to side on the body and I felt around. There is quite a bit of play in the brand-new rod end on the upper track bar mount. Brand new Ruff Stuff rod end. Not sure if I blew it up using an impact to install, it might be my fault. I didn't crank it on there or anything, but I can't think of anything I did besides that. Not sure if it's enough to cause death wobble, but it needs to be replaced and it's a good start. Might do that tomorrow as its the easier of the two ends to replace and I have three of them here. It's the same size rod end as my steering so I have spares. I'll install the new one by hand. I couldn't feel anything else that had any movement, which is pretty good for an old trail rig.

No leaks in the cooling system, so that's a plus. Could hear the fan clutch so I know that's working. Severe duty fan clutches are noisy, but when you get up to speed the tires drown out just about everything.

I am 90% sure I will be taking a long highway drive followed by several days of awesome rock crawling and a long highway drive home next month, so I need to get this resolved.