turbopath Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Just curious if anyone has pulled off a sas on the R50 yet or if there were any particular reason as to why not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonianbrat Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 I havent seen one yet. But I bet it sure would look sexy. There must be some reason why it has not been done yet. Or atleast why we have not seen one yet. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is a uni-body.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 (edited) if there were any particular reason as to why not. Not done yet. Insufficent funds. I've been quoted $9000 for SAS. Other technical issues to work out: steering, unibody strength without the subframe attached, loss of ABS, to name a few. Edited October 16, 2006 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Keith is working on one, slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbopath Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 (edited) Not done yet. Insufficent funds. I've been quoted $9000 for SAS. Other technical issues to work out: steering, unibody strength without the subframe attached, loss of ABS, to name a few. ew. Sounds cheaper to actually invent some kind of hydraulic system that pushes down the opposite wheel as the other rises, extends the axles, and inflates a woman in the passenger seat. Edited October 16, 2006 by turbopath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Keith is working on one, slowly. Yeah, I've been waiting for him to work out the bugs and to find out if the unibody is strong enough without the support of the subframe to flex an SAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Yeah, I've been waiting for him to work out the bugs and to find out if the unibody is strong enough without the support of the subframe to flex an SAS. It seems that a lot of people wait on Keith to do something first to see if it'll work. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 (edited) It seems that a lot of people wait on Keith to do something first to see if it'll work. LOL. Or maybe Max can be the guinea pig. It seems like if something happens to his rig, he won't lose much sleep over it. I will not install such a risky mod on my rig, only to have it cause irreparable damage. I want my Pathy to last until our fossil fuel supplies have become exhausted. This is one place where I am not interested in being the "pioneer". Edited October 16, 2006 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Which will be long after all of us are dead! So, its not our concern. Speaking of irrepairable damage....have you gotten that front locker in yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Which will be long after all of us are dead! So, its not our concern. Speaking of irrepairable damage....have you gotten that front locker in yet? Yes, the locker is installed, although I have not had the opportunity to test it out yet. Over the weekend, I replaced my ARB compressor with a Superflow MV-50 ($75 at 4wheelparts). I still have to finish the wiring on it and attach some final air fittings before I test it, but it has way better specs than the ARB. I'm hoping it will be much faster to air up my tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Ohhhh, say it aint so! You were using the ARB to air up your tires!? Jeez man, that must've taken all freakin day! Those little ARBs, while extremely reliable, are painfully slow when you need a high volume of air. Once you get that Superflow hooked up, let me know how you like it. I'm looking to add a small compressor for when I get my Air Locker, since I don't want to run it off the CO2 and have to get another regulator, manifold and all that stuff...and at $75, that price is very right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 The nice thing about our front suspension is the ENTIRE thing can be unbolted. Better than grinding everything off only to figure out it's not going to work. The subframe supports the engine too but mounts for that could be made easily. There was someone awhile back who said they had pictures of a SAS'd R50 in Japan but I never saw the pictures of it. The unibody construction shouldn't be holding anyone back...just look at XJ's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 That's just the thing Tyler. It's not the fact that it's unibody, its the way it was constructed. The XJs have more of a truck suspension than the R50s. The front end of the R50 is basically taken directly from a passenger car, as opposed to an SUV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 (edited) I can say I've ever looked at an XJ suspension up close, so what's completely different about them? I agree with you on the fact that since ours uses struts it's more of a passenger car suspension, but these get hacked off anyway with an SAS. Hell, wouldn't the shock tower that's already made to support the weight of the vehicle (and mounts waay up high) be a perfect place for a coilover to mount? I remember Keith did some researching and mentioned that our "frames" are waay thicker than the XJ's. Even though the front end relies on the subframe for rididity, why couldn't some supports be fabbed up that do the same thing the subframe does? And Dan, just so you don't get the wrong idea....I know you're not saying it's not possible, but I'm pretty sure we both agree either way it's a ton of work. Especially being the first to do it. Edited October 16, 2006 by tmorgan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 That's exactly what I'm saying. You'd basically have to re-fabricate the front subframe in order for it to work, and then you could get started on worrying about the axle and suspension. And if you're doing coilovers, you need to worry about where to put the links, too. And then you've got to worry about steering. You can't use R&P on an SFA rig. Where are you going to mount the steering box, what are you going to use for steering? Etc. I think Steering would be the biggest obstacle to overcome since there really isn't anywhere to conveniently mount a steering box. Granted, there is an "easy" way to do it....Strip the under side of the R50, and mount the body on a 77-84 Big Bronco chassis. It'll match up almost perfectly. Wheelbase is only 1" off, and the track is about 4-6" wider on the big Bronco than the R50. You could then use the Big Bronco chassis, and drop in any motor and axle combo you want. I think a 383, 700R4, NP205 w/ NP203 doubler and 35 Spline D60HDs would be a nice combination, but that's just me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 That's a fun project. Something I just found out that I wasn't ever aware of was that tacos use an R&P setup too so they have to swap in a steering box when doing a SAS. They may have a more convienient place to mount them, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Yes. They've got a frame that is almost identical to the older IFS trucks with a box. They almost always use the older IFS rig steering box when they SAS. Now, just to give you a little bit of confidence.... Yup, that's a Kia Sportage. He goes by Kia Dave in his local San Antonio wheeling circle. I go to school in NY with a guy who wheels with him. Crazy sh1t man.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max_stryker Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 hey dean...ill be the guinea pig if you fund it...and then if it works...ill pay u back OR get it done for you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelsofFortune Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Granted, there is an "easy" way to do it....Strip the under side of the R50, and mount the body on a 77-84 Big Bronco chassis. It'll match up almost perfectly. Wheelbase is only 1" off, and the track is about 4-6" wider on the big Bronco than the R50. You could then use the Big Bronco chassis, and drop in any motor and axle combo you want. Wouldn't that make our rigs alot more heavy then they already are? I mean I thought our rigs are really heavy compared with the XJ thats why its even more of a chore to SAS the R50....no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Yes, it would make them heavier, but it would make them a lot more rigid and stronger, too. You wouldn't be running the VG33 with that setup. You'd be running either the 351 out of the Bronco, or some other V8 of your choice. Factory curb weight for a 4WD SE R50 is about 4,200lbs. The LE is slightly heavier, and the XE is slightly lighter. These are for 4WD models. 2WD is about 400lbs lighter. The Factory curb weight of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) Sport 4WD 4-Door is about 3,000lbs. So yes, the R50 is already considerably heavier than the XJ, but it's also a much more comfortable vehicle. If you're going to be SAS'ing, you can lose several hundred pounds of weight by eliminating a lot of the sound insulation material. Also, the weight of the R50 and the axle torque would make a Dana35 a very poor choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbopath Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 The main reason I was looking at SAS was because I was trying to figure out a way to get a 4 inch suspension lift to work. The easiest way to do it would be to convert to shocks and throw in a solid axle like a dana 44 from some unsuspecting truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelsofFortune Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Thanks for the info Dan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Non-Vacuum Disconnect HPD44 from a Grand Wagoneer is what most people use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 holy crap@ that Kia!! ay-ee!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbopath Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 hmm...there are ways to add stiffening brackets to the R50, and some of them could even act as skids. This is tempting. [warns wife that I will be gone studying this for a few days] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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