JoshC's SAS #2

I guess i'll follow the trend like so many others on here. D44, 9" full width. I picked these axles up late last year or early this year i don't remember and they've been in the garage taking up space. I've been gathering parts for a little while too.

So far i've got:
-Yukon 5.13's
-Quick Loc locker for the D44
-Full steel spool for the 9"
-Radius arms drilled and tapped to fit the lower ranger coil bucket so i can keep my existing coils
-New ubolts for the leafs

I think that's about all i've got. The 9" third member is done, we regearded it a couple of weeks ago. We started on the 44 and quickly noticed that the idiot at the local off road shop, which is no longer in business, sold me a low pinion gear set So now i'm stuck with this gear i can't even use :fire:

Here's what i got done last night and today

I'm head up to the shop tonight to swap my tires over to my new rims. I think i may pick up a set of new radius arms, maybe something like the james duff arms like these

 

[JoshC]

Thanks, i was reading somewhere about staying away from heim on the steering but i ran mine for years like that and when they got "noisy" i just used PB Blaster on them and they were fine for a while.

I've gotta get some bushing for the wedges and finish a couple of hours work on the axle then i can stick it under the truck to start fabbing.

 

[JoshC]

I've finally got the money saved for some moly shafts. What's the best u joint i can in them?

 

[dman726749]

ctm's...or i hear longfield has a nice joint.....lots of people seem to run them, and they cost less than ctm's

 

[JoshC]

longfield is a good looking ujoint

Maybe i should have mentioned "ujoint on a budget."

 

[JoshC]

These are Yukon Brand axles, U-Joints are not included, But if you purchase at the Buy it Now price, I'll throw in a pair of Spicer 5-760X U-JOINTS and Stub axle slingers ar no charge. Yukon axles have a 5 year warranty. Thanks!

That was the quote from an ebay store. What are the slingers? Are those joints any good?

 

[Kirby N.]

That was the quote from an ebay store. What are the slingers? Are those joints any good?

I can keep my shafts together, but I keep toasting the 297s (or the updated 5-760Xs) in my shafts. They ruined a couple of shafts too. I wouldn't run a spicer stock u joint in a chromoly shaft. When you toast the ujoint, you may toast the shaft and I am not sure they would warranty the shaft if you did that. Heck, last snowstorm I toasted one of the 297s in my TJ with 33s. Your Dana 30 had 297s. I believe the slingers are the plastic deals that go between the yoke of the inner shaft and the housing- that is all I can place. Maybe the seal on the yoke of the outer??? I was looking into Alloy USA's package with hi strength joints and chromoly shafts. I would buy the cheapest with a warranty , myself. OX makes one too.

 

[RockRanger]

760s are stock joints from dana. I am leaning towards going with alloyUSA. Thay hve there own upgrade ujoint to go in there shafts and when combined you get I belive a 10 year warrenty. When I was pricing them it was cheaper to go that route then it was to buy Yukon any longfield u joints.

 

[Kirby N.]

Kirby, could you post the link and size you'd use for my radius arms?

So did we decide whether it was better to bung it or thread it? Either way doesn't really matter.

Here:
http://www.rubiconexpress.com/Products.aspx?Cn=169&Pn=1977&XnPath=169&Vid=48F1E4548414

I decided to thread it. Thats how I am doing mine from now on. I had to buy a tap when I bung'd them because I welded a little too much. Thread looks better and is stronger due to the fact that you will have more thread contact area.

 

[Kirby N.]

760s are stock joints from dana. I am leaning towards going with alloyUSA. Thay hve there own upgrade ujoint to go in there shafts and when combined you get I belive a 10 year warrenty. When I was pricing them it was cheaper to go that route then it was to buy Yukon any longfield u joints.

297xs were replaced by the updated 5-760X. Spicer sells the 5-760Xs in the 297s place now.

 

[Kirby N.]

Get a reamer and some one ton GM TRE's, or stick with heims it doesnt really matter on a trail only rig. TRE's are a bit better because in a pinch you can buy them anywere and they wont wear loose over time. Heims are also good because you can just drill a hole vs. buying a reamer and most people over exaggerate the wear issues. You can go hydro assist later on down the road if you like. Its your call.

I am not over exaggerating the wear James. I wheeled my X in the snow last weekend and noticed some thunking in the front end. It was the lower heim on my trac bar I just replaced before my Moab trip in September. I am getting those off asap. They are too expensive to replace every 6 months...

I re did my heim steering with cheby TREs due to the fact that I liked the design better and I was using up all the travel of the upper heim on my drag link. full stuff it would bump one side, full droop it would bump the other. I like the orientation of the lower TRE on the drag link. To accomplish that with heims, you have to build a bracket on the Tierod, makeing it impossible to ajust Toe in without unbolting the Draglink. The Chevy TRE conversion eliminates that problem. I had to find new knuckles and a new pitman arm to make it happen. I would do TREs right off. The chevy stuff is plenty strong- those TREs are beasty!

This thread helped me:
http://broncofix.com/viewtopic.php?t=261595

 

[Kirby N.]

Here's my 760x in action :
http://groups.msn.com/KirbyandChuck/indypenrose.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=277

See that collar on the right? I bet that is the sliger. It is pressed on the outer stub next to the yoke.

 

[JoshC]

I figured that's what the slinger was too.

I'll have to check up on the USA alloy stuff. If it's cheaper to go that route then i'm like you, if it's got a warrenty i'll use it.

As for using the hiems on steering, i ran my x on the road for 2 or 3 years on and off, no long trips and it sat 90% of the time and i never noticed any looseness. I'd spray them once in a while to keep from squeaking, but other then that they were great. I think i may stick with them because i've already got them and i've got about everything thing i need to use them. I do like the TRE's they are beefy!

 

[JoshC]

Well i put the aftermarket shafts on hold for now, maybe later. I've gotta pick up one ujoint for my stock shafts and then i can finish putting the 44 together.

My brother came over tonight and helped me get my tranny out, sold it to zhanx. I've got a C5 sitting under a tarp outside that i'm going to get rebuilt probably next week if i'm in town any. After i get that rebuilt i'll be able to get it at least bolted back to the motor so i can get an idea as to where my cross member needs to be and that will also allow me to size the length of my radius arms. So in otherwords i'm still not doing anything

 

[j602]

Damn, 10 pages and no real progress or pictures.

 

[JoshC]

That's right, we actually get winter up here in WV

 

[redranger4.0]

Damn, 10 pages and no real progress or pictures.

Thats ok I got 2 years of no real progress

 

[JoshC]

Well the tranny has been at the shop now for a fews days, should be getting it back before long. I'll start fabbing up a mount for it which will probably include my mounts for my extened radius arms. One question: Should i wrist an arm even if i extend them?

 

[j602]

Yes.

 

[Mud Bug 94]

i agree..wrist the pass side..it wont change the pinion angle during suspension cycling.

 

[Kirby N.]

Well the tranny has been at the shop now for a fews days, should be getting it back before long. I'll start fabbing up a mount for it which will probably include my mounts for my extened radius arms. One question: Should i wrist an arm even if i extend them?

I am going to say no. One or the other should do the trick. The idea behind wristing is to remove the bind between the left/ right bushings when the axle is articulated. When you extend them, you essentially do the same thing, minimizing the bind each side has with eachother because they are longer. I think either is fine, but both accomplish the same thing and one will be enough. I will be wristing mine, due to the fact that it is already setup for stock lenth Radius Arms. I chose this route also because I think shorter arms are less likely to get hung on a rock. Many people extend them with much luck, but one or the other.