kicking around some SAS ideas | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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kicking around some SAS ideas

CmdrPopNFresh

Well-Known Member
Joined
November 10, 2008
Messages
333
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City, State
Salt Lake City, Utah
Year, Model & Trim Level
'93 Sport
so lets just say for a minute that i might be interested in a sas........specifically a leaf sprung d30. before you all freak out and tell me how terrible of an idea it is cause the axle is too weak or something.....stop that. im not building a rockcrawler...i just want a taller more capable truck and the skyjacker lift is gonna run a ton of money and im really not impressed with the TTB and dont want to waste money on it.....so...why not a solid axle? im not planning some crazy build with all kinds of boulder crushing parts....id just like to get that nasty bend out of my front suspension.

would i need to look for an axle out a cherokee or a wrangle or...what? ive been reading sas threads all day and i decided that id rather do a d30 than a 44 cause...i dont really know...care to change my mind?

i think ive got the springs figured out but that not as important as picking an axle.

im guessing id need to do a soa on the rear to pick up the back....would that be enough or too much.....what i mean is....would the back be lower or higher than the front with a d30?

i cant quite picture how tall itll be when completed so would i be looking at 35s? 33s? i dont really have a preference but i would assume something like 33s would be ok.



any input would be greatly appreciated. and keep in mind...this is just the research portion of a long drawn out process.....so dont get too offended if i have no idea what im talking about.
 



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The d30 is weaker than your ttb d35, too weak...

Not sure how you think an SAS will be cheaper than a ttb lift. Also if you aren't going to be crushing rocks, do you need to be impressed with the ttb? It actually works very well.

You can lift the front as high as you want since it's all custom, so we don't know if the SOA will be enough or too much lift.

Post up what you will be using the truck for and we can give you more advice,
 






...A Dana 30 is smaller than a Dana 35, which is smaller than a Dana 44...;)

...A Dana 30 IMO is ok for a Ranger but it is not going to last well under the weight of the X...There are a few Dana 30 X builds on here though...

...If you go SOA you will be about 6" taller...There are leaf packs if you stay SUA to give you a 4" lift...

...And thats all i know..:p:
 






o i know that a sas wont be cheaper than a ttb lift kit.....or anywhere near the same price.....i just dont like the idea of spending 700 bucks on a lift for suspension that i dont like. i could hold out longer and use that money to buy an axle and some stuff. and yeah i know that a d30 is smaller...but i saw other people on here doing it so i thought it was an ok deal to try out...

as for what id like to do with the truck.....i want to be able to go play around in the snow and mud a little bit and have a truck that can tackle a moderate trail. i dont know how many of you are familiar with the rubicon in california but id like to be able to run on something like that. but i am also going to be driving this everyday.....so il need to take a look at some swaybar options and dissconnects( i believe i saw a diy thread somewhere around here).
 






...If you search Rubicon on here you will find several Dana 35 X's that have run it several times...;)
 






You mean this Rubicon I did in my daily driver?

1600exitspiderlake.jpg


1600cadillachill.jpg


1600rubicon1.jpg


1600rubicon2.jpg


1600spiderlakepose.jpg
 






...I was thinking of PaulB, BKennedy, Tom Rios, and Tdavis..:p:









...And you of course, lol...
 






well damn...i didnt know a d35 was that capable. :(

way to make it harder for me. but you guys arent answering any questions....keep in mind im just checking things out and seeing what i would need to look for. i appreciate your replies...now im gonna go do some more searching
 






since i work way way closer to home ive been driving my 93 TTB with 4" lift alot more. a friend who has a couple lifted jeeps drove past, saw my truck, and stopped in and asked me when i did a solid axle swap.. just goes to show how little alot of people know about the TTB D35. with the 4" springs, the front all cleaned up and painted black, and the lower bumper valance missing i guess it kind of does look hardcore, idk. the TTB hasnt let me down yet, and im in the same boat as you.. moderate trails, nothing hardcore, just capable enough for me.
 






hahaha! i thought the same thing when i saw your picture! i donno what to do....i just really want to take on a project like this.....im completely capable of it. i just thought id get some opinions first. thanks for your input guys...its really helpful.
 






since youre not building a rock crawler or anything hardcore like that.. maybe you should look into ways to make the TTB better.. i.e. locker or posi unit, D44 upgrades to the D35, extended radius arms.. youd be surprised at how capable some of the TTB D35s on this site really are. for me i think the modding stops at a re-gear and front posi unit. but we all know.. it never really stops.
 






I wouldn't go with the D30. The main reason is its quite a bit of work for a downgraded axel. Personally i'd keep the TTB but if you want to go solid get a 8.8 with a diff offset. Front and rear will match, and parts are plentiful.

Search the pictures on this site, there are some pretty mean looking TTB lifts.
 






A 4in lift for a TTB isnt that expensive and you'll be able to run 33's and add a 2 or 3" body lift to that and your set for 35's. And like what was mentioned earlier adding extended radius arms will really help the TTB flex and add gears and lockers to that and your set.
 






I wouldn't go with the D30. The main reason is its quite a bit of work for a downgraded axel. Personally i'd keep the TTB but if you want to go solid get a 8.8 with a diff offset. Front and rear will match, and parts are plentiful.

Search the pictures on this site, there are some pretty mean looking TTB lifts.

The only front 8.8's that were made were used in IFS applications and will not work as a solid axle.
 






well damn...i didnt know a d35 was that capable. :(

way to make it harder for me. but you guys arent answering any questions....keep in mind im just checking things out and seeing what i would need to look for. i appreciate your replies...now im gonna go do some more searching

Just trying to save you money, both now and the long run.

My truck pictured had the Trailmaster 4" lift, stock radius arms, no sway bars, WARN manual hubs, 35s, glass front fenders, detroit in the rear and TrueTrac in the front. It was a very capable rig and served me well as a dd/wheeler for 4 years.

If you really want to do the SAS, and are actually going to use the truck off-road, I would get the d44. There is no point in downgrading your front axle just to have a project to do. If you do the Rubicon or even Moab (some of the harder trails), you'll be snapping shafts. This is also not a good reason:
id rather do a d30 than a 44 cause...i dont really know...care to change my mind?

Which d30? The YJ is leaf sprung reverse cut.

I already answered your SOA question. We can't be sure because you can lift the front as high as you want.

For pictures of SASd sports:
Kirby N. on 37s
FAKRWEE on 37s
svande8952 on 35s, then sureshot40sw put on 36s, and now jamest owns it.
FireZapper on 36s
bmxking5 on 37s
damarble's 2nd gen with a d30 on 33s



Good luck. :)



.
 






nevermind! ive been talking to my buddy and he has been able to answer alot of questions for me and im getting a high pinion 44 and a 9 inch for the rear from an early bronco(they just came out from under a 90somethin ranger)......hooray for really long weekends!.....many in a row. so im gonna be working on rebuilding those for a while so il keep you all posted.
 












nevermind! ive been talking to my buddy and he has been able to answer alot of questions for me and im getting a high pinion 44 and a 9 inch for the rear from an early bronco(they just came out from under a 90somethin ranger)......hooray for really long weekends!.....many in a row. so im gonna be working on rebuilding those for a while so il keep you all posted.
Sure that's an EB axle? EB D44s were never hi-pinion.
If they are infact EB axles, do put some better shafts in them... as stock, they too are also weaker than both the D35 and 8.8" (EB D44 has small u-joints, the 9 is 28 spline).

FWIW, I've never once had any issues getting around with a TTB either (many times I find myself idling up something where a (similarly-equipped) Jeep (or other SA vehicle) in front of me was having some difficulties).


(many more pics like those here)

Many people don't realize the TTB is a lot like any other axle, you just have to know it's particular differences to make it work.
It sounds like you've already got a set plan now though, so good luck with your project :thumbsup:


Edit:
BTW, FROADER, that last pic you posted is great! Its too bad they've shut down all parking like that near the lakes up there :(
 






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