SAS setup. WIll it work?

[jeffseal]

SAS on a 95 2wd ford explorer. first stage is getting the axle in then i am going to worry about transfer case and front drive shafts.

I have been bugging the hell out of the jeep guys on pirate for the last week and here is what i have come up with.

I am planning on using a dana 30 from a tj, xj, or yj

I am going to use EB radius arms that have the coil mounts on top of them. The OD of a dana 44 is 2.75 and the OD of a dana 30 is 2.5 so i am going to get some 2.75OD, 2.5ID tubing and weld the C brackets (the metal brakets that make the diamond that the radius arms bolt to) to the tubing and then weld the tubing to the frame. This way i will be able to mount the radius arms right below the coild buckets on the frame.


I am going to use coild buckets and coils from a EB.

I plan on using all the stock jeep tie rod and hopfully the stock drag link. I dont know if i willhave to lengthen it or not? I will also use the stock track bar. I know there are brackets to raise it off the axle (from a jeep lift) and also drop brackets from a bronco if i need to drop it from the frame.

I havent totally decided on the steering box yet. I would like to have to do as little custom fab work on that as possible. here are my options so far:

ranger box: then i would have to modiy the drag link and possibly the lines to the steering pump.

jeep box. I shouldnt have to modify the drag link and they make plenty of drop pitman arms for it but i will defintily have to rig up some lines to the steering pump which i am not real confident in.

might have to cut up the steering shaft on either. dont know maybe yall do?

shocks will be easy ill use f250 brackets welded to the frame and then will bolt to the stock bronco radius arms.

Right now my main concern is the angle of the radius arms. since the late model explorers dont have much bend in the front of the frame i am worried about the radius arms having to much angle and angling hte springs forward. I want to get around 9" of lift so i can take my body lift out and run 35 with extra space. will a 4" radius arm drop bracket be enough??

I havnt bought any of the stuff yet, i want to make sure the setup will work before i start buyin stuff. the plan is to start this the first week of march, i have a week off for spring break.

any suggestion are welcome.

thanks a ton

Jeff

 

[Muskrat]

stock EB springs wont work at all, I found that out the hard way, get lift springs right off the bat

 

[Robb]

Sorry I can't help with the rest................but throw out the idea of the TJ D30, they are Low Pinion.

Robb

 

[JoshC]

Also throw out the idea of the Jeep steering box, they are kind of backwords, a horrible design by jeep. Look at a YJ and you'll see what i'm talking about.

And if you don't do anything else that anyone on here says, then do this at least: don't use the stock steering components for a jeep. Very very weak, and hollow.

And if you use a YJ, they are leaf sprung, just keep that in mind.

Happy trails!!

 

[jeffseal]

sorry yeah i wasnt planning on using stock EB springs. anyone know the dimensions of a stock or lifted spring compressed so i can figure out what size i need? I am lookin for 9 inches.

also i found a 95 cherokee axle witheverything and 4.10s it is HP they want 500 for everything including steering pump it is a little pricey but it has the gears i need and i dont have to pay shipping.

I know the steering box is backwards, just means ill have to mount it backwards. I was planning on using the jeep box becuase of the wide variety of drop arms available.

For now the stock steering is going to have to work cuase i am low on $ I want to try to do this all for under 800 bucks!

My major concern is the angle of the radius arm. anyone know about that? will the 4 inch drop brackets be enough?

 

[Robb]

I know the steering box is backwards, just means ill have to mount it backwards.

You mean upside down?

Robb

 

[JoshC]

Wow, $800 SAS, that's almost half the price of lizards!! I'm assuming you are doing all the work yourself.

Man, i wouldn't use the jeep box if someone gave it to me, but that's my opinion. You're going to have to mount that baby really funny to get it to work.

A D30 doesn't use radius arms, it uses trac bars like this:

Happy trails!!

 

[jeffseal]

yeah i know they dont come with radius arms but i am going to fit EB radius arms to them.

I am going to use EB radius arms that have the coil mounts on top of them. The OD of a dana 44 is 2.75 and the OD of a dana 30 is 2.5 so i am going to get some 2.75OD, 2.5ID tubing and weld the C brackets (the metal brakets that make the diamond that the radius arms bolt to) to the tubing and then weld the tubing to the frame. This way i will be able to mount the radius arms right below the coild buckets on the frame.

Yeah i am going to do everything myself, there shouldnt be alot to do, once the ifs is out ill just have to weld coil buckets, shock mounts and the radius arm drop brackets to the frame, weld the C brackets for the radius arms to the axle, and rig up the steering.

also if i use the jeep steering box i wont have to modify the end of the drag link

if i can get the steering box mounted and it everything else should be smooth sailing.

it wont be the nicest setup but it will be a hell of alot better than my 2wd ifs!!

 

[JoshC]

Anything is better then 2wd IFS, but seriously Jeff, why wouldn't you go ahead and use trac bars instead of radius arms. You'll get alot more flex and be alot happier. Plus, the D30 already has a coil pad on it. I'm corn fused

I'm not trying to put a damper on your project cause i'm going throught the same thing right now, just want you to be happy and do it right the first time, this what the thread is for.

Happy trails!!

 

[jeffseal]

initially i was going to use the stock track bars from the jeep but i think they will be way to short. the only reason i am using the radius arms is becuase they are cheap and then i can use bronco coil buckets on top and EB springs. fabbing up custom trac bars will also take alot of time. My fab skills are 0 i even suck at welding, one of my roomates is going to do the welding for me, he worked as a welder at fabrication place that last 2 summers.

i am lookin at 25 bucks for a pair of arms and another 100 for 4 inch drop brackets and 75 for the brakets that mount to the axle, so the set up will cost me 200 bucks total with less than an hour of fab work (just welding the C brackets to the axle.

 

[JoshC]

Well, are you at least going to wrist one of the arms for a little bit of flex?

Happy trails!!

 

[Robb]

Jeff,
I am gonna be honest with ya here, and don't take this the wrong way, but if you got $800 in your pocket..........hold off on the SAS. If you look at lizardtrac and my SASs, we both have about $1500 in them, and that is parts only. I have reservations that you can create a SAFE SAS for $800.

I don't mean to sound like a buzzkill, but if you go into this project determined to spend only $800, I am concerned that you will end up cutting corners. Just between the axle, shocks, and springs will suck up $800 real quick and there will be a lot of other stuff needed. A project like this is NOT the project to be cutting corners on.

Once again, just being honest, no offense meant

Robb

 

[jeffseal]

dont worry about offending me guys. the 800 bucks is more like a best case senerio goal. that is if everything goes to plan which never happens. I dont do any hardcare wheelin, I would just like 4x4, something that looks cool, and something i can play around with on the weekends every once in a while.

Right now i have 2wd with lift spindles and the torsion bars cranked all the way up, the ride sucks! and i have 2wd.

 

[jeffseal]

what size coils do you think i will need to get 9"
i am going to use bronco coils.
there are a pair of 4" lift coils for a bronco on ebay now for around 30 bucks. will these work? how much lift do you think they will give me?

 

[Muskrat]

I'm probably at about 800 in parts, but my truck bassically had a solid axle in to start with

 

[DasFrem]

Don't forget about the whole issue of getting a transfercase and the rear driveshaft shortend and converted, and the front driveshaft made. That right there can be over 800 bucks depending on which route you go.

 

[jeffseal]

Yeah that is going to be stage 2. Once i get the SAS done ill start looking for a Tcase. Ill probably spend a grand on the tcase transmision output and drive shafts.

I dont think the rear driveshaft i have will even work. dont yall have 2 piece shafts?

I think it will be easiest and cheapest just to get some customs ones made rather than buying stock ones and then having them lengthened.

 

[JoshC]

Our rear shafts are one piece CV style.

Happy trails!!