itsme1738 Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 i agree ryan,never cut corners......brakes and steering......took a little longer to save the cash but,it was well worth it.......flat top knuckles,high steer arms,1/4 wall dom,good tres,ect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I agree 100% GrandpaX Cutting corners on a SAS conversion is possibly the stupidest thing a person can do. As far as the research is concerned, I would look into the new JK Wrangler suspension setup. It is extremely well engineered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stalker Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 i have a question..? Heims or Tie Rods and why...? also will you post up pictures of what setup you are running... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaX Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) There are many ways to skin a cat when it comes to an SaS. Leaf springs, three link, four link, radius arms... there are many ways! All these setups have their advantages and disadvantages. Automotive manufactures have used most of these setups throughout the years. So looking at what they have done to get a vehicle safely on the road is always a good way to research what style a builder may want to tackle. The more I build rigs the less I want to tell a person what direction to go.. It is obvious I lean towards the radius arm setup for coils and I beat the life out of a Hard Body on leaf springs. However the way my rigs tend to be built is not the way everyone needs to setup their junk. The one thing to filter while researching a built is the person who basically demands their way of building is the shizzle! "Mine is this way and it is the best!" There is no best way.. There is a way that is works best for what you are after. This is not an easy path to get through. Thus why "built/lift kits" are the way most folks go! The problem.. who out there builds a complete Nissan kit with a proven track record.. Nobody! Edited July 30, 2012 by GrandpaX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaX Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 i have a question..? Heims or Tie Rods and why...? Maybe we can make a new thread on this subject. It could go on and on.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stalker Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Maybe we can make a new thread on this subject. It could go on and on.... Done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaX Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stalker Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 front end articulation .! try crankin the T-bars for a lift and see how much flex you get...not very much at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaX Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 front end articulation .! try crankin the T-bars for a lift and see how much flex you get...not very much at all... I so agree... Cranking the tbars gives no more articulation. It removes down travel and increases up travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaMountianbiker Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Well I'll tell you that struts are no better always topping out feeling oversprung. My buddies always say it's amazing how the front of my pathy never moves. And they also can't wait til Im done with the SAS so maybe more parts will go unbroke !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I watching this topic from over the sea as it's something that I have wished for 7 years now. I have been through the stages of replacing TRE's twice on a trip. I have drilled out drag-link ball joints and replaced with 18mm bolts and vesconite bushes. I have turned up torsions, and then had to turn them back down. Combination of cranked torsions and bigger than standard wheels is looking for trouble. I have not been bigger than 31" muds, but they destroyed my TRE's every few days. So I started look at the SAS route. Here in South Africa, the parts we are looking for are expensive. Dana Diffs are as expensive as fitting a ARB locker. As a comparison, that cost is about 50% the value of my truck... Then it seems any diff I get, I am going to have to have to do a regear to match my 4.88 rear ratio. Or replace both diffs. My list goes on and I am probably off topic by now. But as much as I would love to this, it's just out of my budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaMountianbiker Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 My SAS will cost more than my pathfinder did but it will still be worth it !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Just to add more fuel to the cost thing... I just had a shop replace most of my front end IFS components (BJs, TREs, centerlink, idler) and it came out to around $800. And that's not including CVs or the strut rod bushings. (Dad had the CVs done when we got it, and I'll be doing the bushings myself.) I don't wheel much (and I haven't learned to weld yet) so an SAS wasn't really an option... and it especially isn't now that we're eight bills into the stock stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stalker Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 do that a few times and you almost got yourself a SAS job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 do that a few times and you almost got yourself a SAS job Well here in South Africa the stealers make it worth while the second time you do the full IFS fix exercise to rather have gone the SAS route. The big problem here is that we just don't have anybody with the expertise to even want to touch your vehicle to do something like this. Talk to people about SAS and they think you are mad. They will tell you to rather just sell the IFS vehicle and purchase a Patrol. I have even looked at doing a body swop onto a Safari or old Patrol running gear, but that opens up a whole new set problems. I would have to relocate fuel tank and filler position on the body. With a right hand drop on the patrol diff, I will need to cut and move portion of my sump. The chassis will stick out 12" past the front of my body I have. To further confuse me, last weekend some guys went wheeling and in the group were two Jeeps. Both broke universals on the front diff. A Fortuner broke a CV, but the Land Rover's, Isuzu and Nissan Pickup had no problems. The Dana diff is starting to worry me as to it's strength. My truck is my daily drive, so I don't really want to go too high and mess with my road manners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stalker Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Talk to people about SAS and they think you are mad. They will tell you to rather just sell the IFS vehicle and purchase a Patrol. LOL...sounds just like our Jeep guys around here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) Look, make no mistake, a Patrol would be the solution to all our "problems", but does create another big one for me, and that is the budget to feed that monster with petrol or diesel. I went wheeling a few weeks back and had a few Patrols with us. Those things are mega capable. I would need lockers front and back, 10 inch lift, SAS with articulation to the tenth degree and probably still be at a disadvantage due to the power loss I suffer with my little 2.7TD. BUT, speaking to some of the guys that have upgraded from my truck to a Patrol, they say they are now at a disadvantage when it comes to overlanding with the Patrol. Fuel is one issue, but the main one is interior space. Seems you just can't get as much into a Patrol as I could get into my van. You would never say so when you see the two parked next to each other, but they say the shape of the packing space is limiting. Edited August 3, 2012 by ABCAB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 In the long run, when mine is finished (never really finished per se) my main goal is to save on replacing common wear items. Ultimately being more capable but there are other aspects as well... I guess for me as one who continually modifies everything... It's more of a bad habit then anything else... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 (edited) In the long run, when mine is finished (never really finished per se) my main goal is to save on replacing common wear items. This is where I am at. My tension rod rubbers are shot again because the "buckets" where they seat in on the chassis have started causing problems, the hole in the chassis where the shaft goes through has gone oval in a big way. I feel my steering is getting sloppy again, so it's time to replace my draglink bushes. I did this conversion (yellow circle) to try and get some extra mileage out of the steering. Tie rods were done about 6 months back, but probably need to be checked again along with the ball joints. Edited August 13, 2012 by ABCAB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daver123 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 do that a few times and you almost got yourself a SAS job This is the reason I did my swap, nissan wanted way too much for all the little bits of rubber that had worn out and the whole front end was already tired, so instead of investing in the IFS any further I cut that SOB right out lol, then I got a little carried away and redid the entire truck. oops ;p its gunna be sweet though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 This is the reason I did my swap, nissan wanted way too much for all the little bits of rubber that had worn out and the whole front end was already tired, so instead of investing in the IFS any further I cut that SOB right out lol, then I got a little carried away and redid the entire truck. oops ;p its gunna be sweet though Think my balls are too small , I go over this process again and again and know it’s the best thing to do, but it's also my daily drive and I can't go without it for the time that it will take. On top of that, I have hardly worked for two years now and budget is a big factor. I came across a set of diffs the other day at good price, and they were 4.88 ratio, perfect match, but outside my pockets capability . Front was a Dana 25 with disk brake conversion and the rear was the Dana40. No lockers, but hey, can only be better than the Nissan IFS setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Hey, I by accident came across the forum again when my phone and Tapatalk decided to log me in here....I lost/forgot about this after a pc crash and just never got back here. I know this is an ancient thread and it went dead, but seeing as I am here, and I'm slightly bored right now, here is what happened to mine. The SAS was forced on me by Murphy when I bent the IFS and portion of the chassis with a tad too much momentum. Its still work in progress. Took three weeks of grinding and weldibg and many fittings to get the front end in. If there is interest, I will tell the story with in more gory detail Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuong Nguyen Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Hey, I by accident came across the forum again when my phone and Tapatalk decided to log me in here....I lost/forgot about this after a pc crash and just never got back here. I know this is an ancient thread and it went dead, but seeing as I am here, and I'm slightly bored right now, here is what happened to mine. The SAS was forced on me by Murphy when I bent the IFS and portion of the chassis with a tad too much momentum. Its still work in progress. Took three weeks of grinding and weldibg and many fittings to get the front end in. If there is interest, I will tell the story with in more gory detail Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk What axle did you use? How does it ride with shackles up front? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 ABCAB that SAS looks great...it makes your Great Dane look so tiny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCAB Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) What axle did you use? How does it ride with shackles up front? Axles from MQ Patrol. Picked it up for a good price and stripped a C200 out for the front and a H260 for the rear. When we were looking at Dana axles, we had a problem with matching ratios with my 4.88 that was on the car already. By keeping with Nissan, and getting a matching set, I also got the bolt pattern on the wheels the same. Purchased that Patrol for less than a Dana was going to cost me before I even started looking to re gear. The car originally came with the C200 in the rear, so to put the same axle in the front counts for a nice upgrade. The axles are however right hand drop where my old Nissan was a left hand drop. The rear is also right drop and not centre as my van came out with. So we are adding the MQ Patrol transfer case behind my original gearbox and transfer to get to the right drop needed and score gearing closer to crawler gears for off road. The ride is not bad. Actually softer than we had on the IFS that was turned up a bit high on the torsions, maybe a bit bumpy though. Total lift between suspension and tires is 8". So I have some stability issues on the pavement at the moment. Looking at way stiffer shocks, a sway bar and possibly even a panhard rod to tighten it all up. We stil got a long way to go. Rear axle is still laying im the workshop. Its my daily driver and I am unemployed, so money is tight. I was "forced" into the SFA when I bent the IFS so bad that we should have scrapped the vehicle. Oh, and thats not a Greatdane, its a Jack Russel . Here you can compare size with a standard Land Cruiser. But it stands out in the crowd. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk Edited January 30, 2016 by ABCAB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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