Jack's SAS version 3.0

[Four0Sport]

ahh you guys have me thinking about coil overs for the front now.. time to read up on them, I am not exactly an expert. good thing I have some awesome build threads on here to occupy my time.

 

[Four0Sport]

Bought a couple things recently.. ones in my garage, the other still under a friend's project truck.

thinking about links up front, possibly 3 of them, and either more woopows under the hood to turn over the extra weight or keep the 4.0 and go with a doubler.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

this winter's project.. narrowed HP 60, now to find one

well well well, haha

Congrats on the ultimate adventure! I watched it on youtube. I just wish they wouldn't have focused their cameras on the higher end rigs as much. Looked like one hell of an adventure!

 

[yostyexplorer94]

How did the cooper stt tires hold up and would you get another set if choosing new tires. I am looking to upgrade to radial tires someday.

 

[Four0Sport]

well well well, haha

Congrats on the ultimate adventure! I watched it on youtube. I just wish they wouldn't have focused their cameras on the higher end rigs as much. Looked like one hell of an adventure!

Thanks man! It was the experience of a lifetime that's for sure. It left me feeling like a d44 and 8.8 are inadequate even though I know they aren't. This 60 won't be narrowed though.. full width 60 and rear 14 bolt, 5.13s and detroits.

How did the cooper stt tires hold up and would you get another set if choosing new tires. I am looking to upgrade to radial tires someday.

I really like STTs.. great mix of a radial and max traction tire, I will not however call them a mud terrain because of their lackluster clean-out ability. For the UA I had Falken Wildpeak MTs.. another not-so-mud terrain. They do however clean out slightly better than the Coopers but the sidewall isn't as aggressive as I'd like. For the TJ I bought for the wife I got a set of Mastercraft MXTs, and the few times I have had it out they have performed great. I'm a sucker for Cooper tires.

What I am torn between however is doing a 5.0 4r70w bw4406 swap or just keeping the 4.0 that won't die and adding a doubler. Hoping you can lend your thoughts since you've had that doubler for a while now.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

Thanks man! It was the experience of a lifetime that's for sure. It left me feeling like a d44 and 8.8 are inadequate even though I know they aren't. This 60 won't be narrowed though.. full width 60 and rear 14 bolt, 5.13s and detroits.

Sounds like a good game plan!

I really like STTs.. great mix of a radial and max traction tire, I will not however call them a mud terrain because of their lackluster clean-out ability. For the UA I had Falken Wildpeak MTs.. another not-so-mud terrain. They do however clean out slightly better than the Coopers but the sidewall isn't as aggressive as I'd like. For the TJ I bought for the wife I got a set of Mastercraft MXTs, and the few times I have had it out they have performed great. I'm a sucker for Cooper tires.

What I am torn between however is doing a 5.0 4r70w bw4406 swap or just keeping the 4.0 that won't die and adding a doubler. Hoping you can lend your thoughts since you've had that doubler for a while now.

There is no real reliable doubler maker for the rbv. If mine breaks I am almost certain I will be on my own to get it fixed.

The 5.0 opens you up to many transmission and doubler options.

 

[gmanpaint]

5.0 / 4R70W / STaK 3 or Atlas 4. is my dream swap for the Explorer.

I'm not a fan of the 4406 swap at all, for a trail rig.

 

[Four0Sport]

Spent about 8 hrs on the trails today.. and thought about what to do to it next.

then this happened..

 

[RockRanger]

Hoping you can lend your thoughts since you've had that doubler for a while now.

The doubler is one of the best modifications I have made to my truck. I can take my truck places that I would have never dreamed of with out it. I would take it over a solid axle if I had to choose one or the other.

There is no real reliable doubler maker for the rbv. If mine breaks I am almost certain I will be on my own to get it fixed.

The 5.0 opens you up to many transmission and doubler options.

This is the downside to the doubler. To bad someone hasn't come out with a good doubler setup. I think it is the one thing holding back the RBVs. If a reliable doubler ever came out rangers would be much more popular on the trail.

5.0 / 4R70W / STaK 3 or Atlas 4. is my dream swap for the Explorer.

I'm not a fan of the 4406 swap at all, for a trail rig.

What do you not like about the 4406? Just curious as someone who is looking for one to swap into my wife's 01 daily driver.

 

[gmanpaint]

For a DD, the 4406 is fine. I was referring to using it for a trail rig.

A few reasons I am not a fan for the trail, is the output shaft is not sealed. If you lose a shaft, it will puke out the fluids. Most of them are old, and they are a crap shoot with wear on the internals. They have clutch packs, and plastic parts that go bad easy, causing it to pop out of low range, when you need it the most. Not to mention the size & weight of it. Smashing the tunnel to fit, and cutting the gas tank mounts/skids, is just a PITA. Then there is the VSS to deal with.

For a few bucks more, using the Atlas, or STaK mini's, you have a reliable gear driven unit, with way more options like a doubler gives. Straight up bolt in, and no worries of failure really.

This is just my personal opinion now, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[DB_1]

Pretty sure StaK isn't around anymore. Trail Worthy Fab kind of picked up the pieces and developed their own called the Hero transfer case available in 2 or 3 speed configurations. They are super beef with 40 spline outputs.

 

[FR-425]

Behemoth Drivetrain Strong box. For the 1354.

http://www.nc4x4.com/forum/threads/strong-box-doubler-behemoth-drivetrain.115450/
[MENTION=7221]DB_1[/MENTION] [MENTION=87244]gmanpaint[/MENTION]

 

[Four0Sport]

i actually spoke to behemoth in a few emails last fall about a doubler.. my only thing is do i buy a doubler for the 4.0/A4LD and then when i go to tons and eventually 40s be needing more motor and have wasted the doubler?

a 5.0 4R70W combo does open me up to many more options and a more reliable drivetrain. I have a complete 97 5.0 Exp donor, only thing holding me back is tackling the wiring.

 

[gmanpaint]

I read the entire Behemoth thread, watched the video for the kit how to. It looks pretty sweet, and I like the small size of it, but at the end of the thread, it turned ugly about them.

Jack, you say you talked to them recently. What was your take on them?

 

[RockRanger]

a 5.0 4R70W combo does open me up to many more options and a more reliable drivetrain. I have a complete 97 5.0 Exp donor, only thing holding me back is tackling the wiring.

The wiring can't be that bad. That is the answer right there. When we eventually get my wife a new car the 5.0 in her explorer will probably end up in my ranger.

 

[DB_1]

Behemoth Drivetrain Strong box. For the 1354.

http://www.nc4x4.com/forum/threads/strong-box-doubler-behemoth-drivetrain.115450/
[MENTION=7221]DB_1[/MENTION] [MENTION=87244]gmanpaint[/MENTION]

Hell no. Those guys are bad news...try the threads on Pirate.

 

[Kirby N.]

No one seems to like my answer to this question, but I have some experience and an opinion so here it goes.

I think a 5.0 sounds like a butt load of fun to drive. I may do one some day for that reason alone. However, from my experience any engine conversion high dollar or budget that I have built or owned had some reliability quirks. I know some people have figured out those quirks, but it has been a learning curve and definitely not overnight. Heck, even my hemi swapped lj that a shop performed and I had 18k in receipts from the previous owner had its quirks that affected reliability.

That being said, there is a reason i held out for a 4.0 manual everything ranger. I looked high and low for one actually. The 4.0 is adequate. With my 5.13s and 35s it does great on the highway, even on the passes. Plenty of power. Even for towing heavy stuff it is fine. It's not a hot rod (definitely not a hemi lj) but it is fine.

I don't think the swap is worth the reliability compromises and the sheer amount of work.

A doubler is definitely less work. I enjoyed the d and d doubler I installed in my explorer. It was fun to build it too. However, there definatelt is a good amount of work. Mounts (engine and tranny), shifters, moving cross members, welding in the filler plate, moving the gas tank, driveline lengthening and shortening, speedometer issues, etc.

When it was all said and done, I added up the cost and the time and I think it would have been easier and within a few hundred to go with an atlas instead.

That being said, I will not do another doubler. I will do an atlas and be done.

I know Matt said the doubler was more significant than the sas for him. For me, I would much rather have (and do have on my ranger) the solid axle first. For ride, reliability, suspension travel, etc. the solid axle is the single best mod I have done to a truck and I love it in my ranger even without a doubler and lockers. However, my ranger went from stock to 35s with my sas. It wasn't like my exploder where I modded suspension multiple times and was running 34s any way. I did the ranger right from the start.

All that being said, my ranger may never get an atlas. I can deal with smoking the clutch a little in the really rough stuff for now. Besides, when it's that rough I risk having a crushed pop can body like my exploder. I don't want that.

 

[Four0Sport]

It's a slippery slope I travel with this vehicle. The sheet metal looks like a prune, the inner part of the tub is separating at the wheel wells but the frame is solid and the narrowed hp44 and 8.8 are built fairly well. So do I keep throwing money into it or beat on it the way it is and keep the tons for something else?

This has kept me up many nights and had me distracted all last evening. My wife probably thinks I'm depressed.

 

[james t]

For many of the reasons Kirby listed, im keeping the 4.0 and (eventually) getting an atlas. Even on tons/40's the 4.0 is more than enough when geared properly. I would find an awd 5.0 explorer in decent shape and build that before i would do a 5.0 swap.... but that's just me. I can sas a vehicle alot faster than i can do a motor swap (i hate wiring).

 

[Four0Sport]

For many of the reasons Kirby listed, im keeping the 4.0 and (eventually) getting an atlas. Even on tons/40's the 4.0 is more than enough when geared properly. I would find an awd 5.0 explorer in decent shape and build that before i would do a 5.0 swap.... but that's just me. I can sas a vehicle alot faster than i can do a motor swap (i hate wiring).

I've been thinking about that a lot also