I've spent the last month reading through all the SAS threads :O
I currently have 33"s with a 3"BL and 2.5" Suspension, and with my winch (which i use often), this has proved to be enough for a good portion of the trails in my area. (I bottom out quite often on rocks, and in deep ruts) i have stock gears and no lockers (i didn't want to buy them knowing i will be upgrading anyways.)
I mainly want to go SAS+SOA so I can run bigger tires (35-37"s) to make it through the rest of the trails. I was looking at a IFS lift kits, but after reading about the problems that they have, and overall greater complexity over Solid axles (meaning more things to break), SAS was the obvious choice.
I've set my mind on a leaf setup over the other types, due to the lower cost and simplicity. As for the Axle I've found a wagoneer, and will use the D44 out of it and get new Ford rotor/hub assemblies with the 5x5.5 lug pattern, and disk brakes. I'm going to have to read up more on prepping the D44 to the final product, as i have a lot of questions still. I'm going to be basing this build off of section525's write up. as for steering i'm going to go with the Toyota box everyone talks about.
The Main questions i still have are:
how do you determine the length between the the spring hangers? (do you just copy how it was on the donor vehicle?)
how do you make sure the wheel ends up centered in the wheel well? (will it move forwards/backwards with spring travel?)
Shackle in front or back and what are the drive shaft options? can I use my stock one, or do I need a different/custom one? (doesn't this relate to whether or not the shackle is in the front or back?)
would a wagoneer be the best donor vehicle for this setup??
any other big things I should look out for?
I currently have 33"s with a 3"BL and 2.5" Suspension, and with my winch (which i use often), this has proved to be enough for a good portion of the trails in my area. (I bottom out quite often on rocks, and in deep ruts) i have stock gears and no lockers (i didn't want to buy them knowing i will be upgrading anyways.)
I mainly want to go SAS+SOA so I can run bigger tires (35-37"s) to make it through the rest of the trails. I was looking at a IFS lift kits, but after reading about the problems that they have, and overall greater complexity over Solid axles (meaning more things to break), SAS was the obvious choice.
I've set my mind on a leaf setup over the other types, due to the lower cost and simplicity. As for the Axle I've found a wagoneer, and will use the D44 out of it and get new Ford rotor/hub assemblies with the 5x5.5 lug pattern, and disk brakes. I'm going to have to read up more on prepping the D44 to the final product, as i have a lot of questions still. I'm going to be basing this build off of section525's write up. as for steering i'm going to go with the Toyota box everyone talks about.
The Main questions i still have are:
how do you determine the length between the the spring hangers? (do you just copy how it was on the donor vehicle?)
how do you make sure the wheel ends up centered in the wheel well? (will it move forwards/backwards with spring travel?)
Shackle in front or back and what are the drive shaft options? can I use my stock one, or do I need a different/custom one? (doesn't this relate to whether or not the shackle is in the front or back?)
would a wagoneer be the best donor vehicle for this setup??
any other big things I should look out for?
