Balmer
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Posts posted by Balmer
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The Pathfinder already has a link/coil rear end. Most, if not all of the platforms that might work are leaf sprung front and rear. Pathfinders benefit most from the flex that link suspension offers. Do a SAS and link the front - DON'T DO A LEAF SPRING CONVERSION!!! If you want a leaf sprung rig just forget the pathfinder all together and drive a less capable rig.
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So you have a rig that has a front axle with suspension that will work AND a rear end that will work plus other stuff I can use AND some stuff I could sell for $2000.00 USD?
If that's the case then we should talk. I don't have all the cash right away but I could pay you in installments and grab the gear once it's all paid up if you're interested.
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Good to know. I found a 79 F-150 for $2500.00 CAD. It has a HD D60 and a HD D44 with hydraulic stering as well as 205 t-case and a 4 spd std trans without numbers to identify it. It's got a 390 that the seller is claiming 400hp from. Do you think this is worth considering? Would I be able to use the D60 also? What about the 205? I'm thinking I could sell the engine and trans.
Also that guy from Texas with the swap that you don't really care for is selling his on ebay for 3800.00 CAD. What about buying it and modding it to get better angles and such? He used a D44 hp from a full-size bronco...do they totally suck?
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My rig is stock 1/2 ton width. The ford rears were pretty narrow compared to the front, but thats why the steer so good. (proper acerman angle).
best one. 76 / 77 F150.
Or 78/79 EXTENDED cabs, the don't have the cast in C's as they were leaf sprung.
This gives you disk breaks and non casted "C"'s on the axle.
IF you can find a 66-73, they are drum brake but have 1/2" thick axle tubes. You can often pick these up for nothing and get a 78/79 bronco front end and pull the knuckles out for the disk brakes (also fairly cheap because they are not the "desirable" HPD44.).
One thing you have to watch out for in teh early 70's is the 9 3/8" differential, They are stong, but no gears available, so your stuck with getting a new 3rd member. Axle shafts will work in a standard 9" third stuck into the 9 3/8" housing (no problems).
(you will pay a pretty penny for the 9 3/8" axle bearings too)
Hope this helps a little bit, or confused you more.
It helps a lot. When I first planned my swap I was hoping to find a donor vehicle that would supply me with the vast majority of the parts I needed to complete my SAS. The more reaserch I do, the more I become convinced that I'm better off just collecting individual parts from several different vehicles to furnish my SAS. I thought there might be a bronco front end that I could swap right in, radius arms and all, but I guess not eh?
So your front axle is wider than your rear? And this is the best set-up? I'm learning more about suspension geometry but I'm not familiar with acerman angle. How much difference in width is there?
So it's an EXTENDED cab not a CREW cab for the 78/79 F-150 right?
I've seen so many guys running 35"+ boots on their cherokees with stock D30s tha t I was almost considering that axle but I guess that's just silly.
I want to do my SAS as gradually as possible to keep the costs down and still be able to take my rig out even on a limited basis. For instance, I'd like to keep the stock rear axle for as long as possible but I guess it would be a lot skinnier than a Ford front end. Although I have crazy backspacing on my wheels so they stick out 3" past the body as is.
I'm wanting to wind up with a rig very similar to yours as gradually and cheaply as possible. It's much easier for me to come up with a little money often than a lot of money seldom.
A build thread on your's would be wicked.
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do you want to go full width?
I'm thinking so...how much wider is full width than stock?
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What are the best years of F-150's and Broncos for donor choices? Do either have a usable rear axle so that it would be worth buying a full parts vehicle? I know there's a ton of other bronco stuff I can use too so that's what I'm hoping for.
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steevo, the front h233b will be $300 with gears or just for the housing?
i will be running a HPD44 Heavy Duty(out of a 77.5-79 F250 and it has 3" tubes on it) and im keeping it full width. also going with a FF14B out back. im linking the front and rear. my setup is going to be pretty difficult to build but i do have my specs saved on my link calculator. im just long arming the rear for now but ill be double triangulating it in a year or so. front will be a cage arm setup. coilovers eventually. they do make chromoly shafts for my Ford axle. guy on pirate is offering them as well as another company.
the concept h233b is a great idea IF prices to build the axle come down. i would run it in a heartbeat if gears and lockers werent rediculously expensive. i have built my D44 for less than $800 with NEW detroit locker and 5.38's. with chromoly shafts and u-joints the bill will be about $1500 for the entire setup. parts are much more readily accessable for the D44 and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Just curious, why run a 14B in the rear when you could run a 9" and have a matching lug pattern? The 9" offers a banjo housing and far more clearance and the 9" can be built strong enough to easily handle 500 HP (I can't imagine you're planning on more juice than that). You don't get the full floater axle but that's hardly a benefit when you're running light loads anyway. The 9" is also cheaper and easier to convert to disk I believe.
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I really like that new design! it would be great to keep the hitachi axle in the rear and just add another to the front! Like most of the people commenting on your site though, I'm thinking the R+P prices would have to drop a lot before it made it a better chioce than a 9" or a rear D44 though.
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Just wanted to see what axles everyone is using for solid axle swaps. I know that wagoneer D44's and Bronco D44's are the most popular but I've seen swaps with F-150 D44's also. Any other options out there that don't need to be too heavilly modded? I'm also inteseted in knowing what years of the affore mentioned axles are best? Do they have to be narrowed? what about hub swaps?
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What about a longer, adjustable, track bar?
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just a recommendation, if you are going to have one made or make one yourself. you will be better off in the long run if you figure out a way to lift the axle side track bar bracket rather than lowering the frame side. it's raise the roll center of the suspension system and you should get less body roll.
Interesting thought, thanks for the advice. I'm learning a lot about simple suspension geometry as I go but man, there's a lot to it!
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Im not too sure yet, but when it comes time to get a drop bracket, i think it will be cheaper to have a local shop fab one up vs paying for a blue one...they can probably beat 75 bucks, maybe even below 50
I'm trying to figure exactly the same thing out... I'll keep posting on it.
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AND money!!!
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Saw this today from a buddy at work...This is a kick ass little car...There are a good number of youtube videos out there...
http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/whitezombie.php
Build history page:
http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/reviews.php
That's too cool! seriously dedicated dude with skills.
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Also called a Transfer Case Brake. As mentioned before, they cannot be installed on a stock Pathy.
I have this setup for my Yota
*Also moving this to the General Forums, because it covers Pathfinders in general not just one year range*
Ya, that's basically the type of set up I'm talking about only I was thinking of going with a hydraulic set-up with a locking lever off of an atv.... When, as 87Pathy mentioned, I get a D300 T-case...one day.
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balmer,
you can't do it because the slip is on the t-case. you would have to make it stationary.
i.e. slip yoke eliminator, and then some custom fab stuff.
why would you do this was asked?
simple, to keep the cables from getting ripped off. As soon as i get my D300 in, i'm going to be putting on a drive shaft brake
Also a driveshaft park brake is WAY more reliable and solid than stock park brake set-ups. It locks all of the wheels (as long as your in 4x4) and relies on the strength of the drivetrian rather than that of the rear brakes, to hold the vehicle.
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Anyone ever done a driveshaft parking brake to a WD21? You know, with a motorcycle rotor and caliper...
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Drove an hour and a half to yet another junk yard today. Finally found a pair fo useable springs! They're from a '96 JGC Limited, 18.0" long and .56" thickness. I couln't find any .58" but what the hell, at least they're an upgrade.
I took me less than a hour to have them installed and they gave me exactly 2" of lift. I still need to do a 2" body lift but this evens out the vehicle and gives me the potential for a bit more flex. Onward and upward from here... literally.
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Went to the local JY today to check the 3 JGCs for useable coils. 2 vehicles had already been robbed of them and the third had coils that were exactly the same thickness as my stock coils (.52"). No go there. So off to the next closest JY - none at all. A third wrecker wasn't sure if he had any but if I did, he wanted $150.00 CAD for them if he pulled them or $100.00 CAD if I did it. It will be a frosty day in hell befroe I pay more than $50.00 CAD for a set of 15 year-old coils! And the search continues... if it continues much longer I'm just going to buy the damn Calimini 3" coils and call it a day!
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Then I found these listings (already posted in this thread as a stand-alone list) with the description below included. This description is also posted in this thread, but not refering to the TRW CC782. Does anyone know if these measurements are accurate for the CC782???
TRW VARIABLE RATE SPRINGS
Part Number: CC782
This product fits the following vehicles
JEEP
1984 - 1996 CHEROKEE
1989 - 1990 GRAND WAGONEER
1986 - 1992 COMANCHE
1984 - 1990 WAGONEER
1993 - 1996 GRAND CHEROKEE
The springs are just over 17" long.
The wire is .54 to .55 inches in diameter
OD of spring is about 5.25", ID is about 4.00"
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I found some better detailed info. on the TRW CC782 coil spring.
It seems, judging by the specific vehicles that this spring fits, that the TRW CC782 WILL PROVIDE NO LIFT AT ALL. As you can see all of the listed vehicles have either 4 or 6 cyl. engines - not a V8 among them! Although I haven't been able to get the actual specs. on this spring it seems clear that it's not a choice for a Pathfinder lift.
Compatibility Chart
Make Model Year Engine Position Notes
Jeep Cherokee 1984-1986 2.5L L4 Front Front Heavy Duty Variable Rate Springs
LIMITED
Jeep Cherokee 1987-1988 2.5L L4 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Cherokee 1987-1990 2.5L L4 Front Front Heavy Duty Variable Rate Springs
Jeep Cherokee 1984-1986 2.8L V6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Cherokee 1987-1988 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
2WD
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Cherokee 1989-1990 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
2WD
w/HEAVY DUTY EXC SPORT
Jeep Cherokee 1991 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
2WD
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Cherokee 1992 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Cherokee 1992-1993 4.0L L6 Front Front Heavy Duty Variable Rate Springs
Jeep Cherokee 1993 4.0L L6 Front Front Heavy Duty Variable Rate Springs
Jeep Cherokee 1994-1996 4.0L L6 Front Front Heavy Duty Variable Rate Springs
Jeep Comanche 1986-1988 2.5L L4 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
4WD
Jeep Comanche 1986-1990 2.5L L4 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
4WD
Jeep Comanche 1989-1990 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
4WD
COMANCHE & PIONEER
Jeep Comanche 1991-1992 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
4WD
Jeep Grand Cherokee 1993-1996 All Front Front Variable Rate Springs
4WD
Jeep Grand Wagoneer 1993 All Front Front Variable Rate Springs
4WD
Jeep Wagoneer 1984-1986 2.5L L4 Front Front Heavy Duty Variable Rate Springs
Jeep Wagoneer 1987 2.5L L4 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Wagoneer 1984-1986 2.8L V6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Wagoneer 1987 4.0L L6 Front Front Variable Rate Springs
2WD
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Wagoneer 1988 All Front Front Variable Rate Springs
2WD
w/HEAVY DUTY
Jeep Wagoneer 1989-1990 All Front Front Variable Rate Springs
2WD
w/HEAVY DUTY EXC SPORT
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Body lifts - Performance Accesories, performanceaccesories.com
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I was going to cut my springs today (I don't have a torch but I do have a grinder with a brand new cutting wheel) when I discovered that one of the coils that I bought is thinner than the other - the same thickness as the stock Nissan coils! BUMMER!!!
So it's off to the JY tomorrow to exchange the mismatched coils. There's no V8 JGCs at the JY and there's no more Comanchees either. I'm not interested in going with Ford coils so I'm going to bring my micrometer and tape measure and check the I-6 JGCs in case there's a set that will work. If I don't find any I'll exchange my coils fro a credit on a MAF sensor since my 'Finder fluctuates at idle and I want to eliminate that as a cause. There's another wrecker not too far away that I'll visit if need be, and again, I'll check all possible coils over for the best dimensions.
***Here's a wierd thing. My measurements indicate that my stock Nissan coils are approx. 16.5" long and 4" I.D./5.25"O.D., 8 coil springs as I expected but they are .523" thick - not .5" thick as indicated in every relevant post I can find on the subject. I'm using a good quality, reliable, manual micrometer (and yes, I know how to read it). Anyone heard of this before???
Stay tuned for breaking news!
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So here's the very long story behind my springs...
I'd been told to get JGC - V8 coils to acheive a 3" lift. Fair enough.
I didn't realize that it was the FRONT springs I needed to lift the rear! So upon ariving at the local JY I scouted out 3 JGCs. To my dismay they were all I6 so I nearly ended my search there. In hindsight this is a good thing since the REAR springs I would have wound up with would have been several inches too short! So I checked out a few other Jeeps. I stumbled on a 89 Comanchee and took a good look at the front springs in it, they seemed to be longer than the 'Finder's so I hauled 'em out.
I went over to a buddy's place to install them. My buddy's dad was visiting and has been a super-fancy welder guy, for lack of a more educated term, for around 45 years and really knows his stuff when it comes to metals. He tells me that because I chose a spring with a pigtail I made an error from the start. He says that to tamper with the spring by heating it makes it suceptable to breaking and cutting makes the spring sit unevenly and has potential to shift and or cut through the spring isolator even if chamfered since the last coil would no longer sit flat against the isolator. I took him on his word and he and my friend helped me weld up a shock mount that had torn off instead.
So I'm figuring the rear coils from a JGC - V8 must not have the pigtail.
I FINALLY check on here and find this thread.
Now I find out that not only is everyone cutting off the pigtail that seems to exist on all but the F-150 and Calimini 3" springs! I'm guessing there's been no problems with the affore mentioned issues?
I was stoked to see that spings for the Comanchee were listed as direct swaps for JGC coils, but the part number listed doesn't match up with any of the part numbers mentioned in the post refering to springs by both P/N and tag color.
The springs I picked up from the 89 Comanchee are a 9 coil spring and measure exactly:
18.75" tall (18.5" at the point at which the pigtail will need to be removed)
5.25" outside dia.
4" inside dia.
.545" thickness
Now that I've read this thread over and taken my measurements I'm excited to see what the results will be with such an unusual find. I'm working my day job and my night job tomorrow so the install is planned for friday. I'll post results and pics on Saturday.
Balmer's SAS Thread
in Solid Axle Swaps, Hardcore Custom Fab
Posted
So I've got a line on a great deal on a full drivetrain minus the engine from a '79 Chev 3/4 ton. I have yet to see the parts myself so I can't confirm anything yet but this is what I'm told is waiting for me:
SM465 4-sp Trans.
205 T-case
14B FF
D60
(gearing unknown at this point)
87Pathy (Jeremy) has and is helping me out with a ton of info. THANKS MAN!!!!! But I thought I'd list my junk and see what kind of ideas everyone comes up with in terms of links and other cusom fab stuff that's required. I'm NOT going with leaf packs so please leave that suggestion out! I'm hoping to go full-width and flare the hell out of it to keep it semi-legal, I can't afford spring over coils, hydro steer is a probability (or at least hydro assist), I want to go disks on the rear if possible. For now I'm thinking I'll keep the stock trans. and eventually trade it for a turbo 400 and do a stock, injected 350.
Let's hear your ideas!