Is SAS possible, while maintaining OEM ride height

[1994_4x4]

Is a solid axle swap possible, while maintaining a OEM ride height (and rims and tires). Every SAS I've seen seems to lift the truck up several inches, curious if the OEM look is possible.

 

[scooter]

If $$ is no object i believe you could get close. Not sure how big a D-30 is compared to a D-44 but my 44 was very close to hitting my engine crossmember, verrrrry close and I cut ALOT of it away.

I think if you rebuilt the engine x-member, you got a chance of getting close.


Discuss:
Why would you want to SAS just to run stock tire size?


Todd S.

 

[1994_4x4]

If $$ is no object i believe you could get close. Not sure how big a D-30 is compared to a D-44 but my 44 was very close to hitting my engine crossmember, verrrrry close and I cut ALOT of it away.

I think if you rebuilt the engine x-member, you got a chance of getting close.


Discuss:
Why would you want to SAS just to run stock tire size?


Todd S.

Fuel economy and a D-30 has a nice selection of aftermarket locking difs. The little 2.3 is doing me great on fuel.

I'm most likely just going to swap in a D35TTB. I was wondering on a scale of 1-10 how hard this would be. 1 being easy, 10 being impossible. It sounds like a 9. If it was a 2-3 area I'd think about it. I had no idea.

 

[brinker88]

Fuel economy and a D-30 has a nice selection of aftermarket locking difs. The little 2.3 is doing me great on fuel.

I'm most likely just going to swap in a D35TTB. I was wondering on a scale of 1-10 how hard this would be. 1 being easy, 10 being impossible. It sounds like a 9. If it was a 2-3 area I'd think about it. I had no idea.

You'd get WORSE gas mileage with the D30 vs the D44 due to the hub assembly setup. You cant unlock/lock your hubs.

If you really know your way around a vehicle, I'd say its about a 7 for the swap. Main part is the crossmember, as mentioned above.

Why the stock height tho? Most ppl swap to the straight axle for strength/flex while offroading, hence the lift. What do you plan to do w/ the truck?

 

[James86]

I dunno about you guys, but I use 4x4 for in the snow and stuff, not rock crawling, so I could stand a stock height 4x4 with solid axles..... the Cherokee never got stuck

So you have a 2WD now and want to go 4x4? Even factory 4x4's like mine have a lift block in the rear to compensate for the added height of an axle under the engine.

 

[kryptonitecb]

You might be able to remove the crossmember and strength the frame else where. I've never done this but it makes sense in my head. That would make it fairly easy to do the swap.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[5speedin2.3]

You will have to change the engine crossmember to put in the TTB setup.

My SAS is about 6" over stock (2wd).

 

[1994_4x4]

You'd get WORSE gas mileage with the D30 vs the D44 due to the hub assembly setup. You cant unlock/lock your hubs.

My understanding was if I got a Dana 30 I could just build it up. Convert it to locking hubs, put the 4.10s in it, locker, etc. Kind of the route I'll probably end up taking with a D35TTB.

Why the stock height tho? Most ppl swap to the straight axle for strength/flex while offroading, hence the lift. What do you plan to do w/ the truck?

I dunno about you guys, but I use 4x4 for in the snow and stuff, not rock crawling, so I could stand a stock height 4x4 with solid axles..... the Cherokee never got stuck

I go off road, in fields, fishing, etc. I avoid mud! Mostly I'd use it for snow storms which I can't avoid. We also have times in the winter where the road is just a sheet of ice where you can actually skate on. The truck as it is now gets fuel mileage better than most cars on the road, so I don't want to mess around with the OEM tires and ride height.

So you have a 2WD now and want to go 4x4? Even factory 4x4's like mine have a lift block in the rear to compensate for the added height of an axle under the engine.

I already have 4x4. It's got a "Dana 28 Hybrid" which to my understanding I can't do much with. No locking hub conversion,no selectable locker, no LSD, etc.

 

[brinker88]

My understanding was if I got a Dana 30 I could just build it up. Convert it to locking hubs, put the 4.10s in it, locker, etc. Kind of the route I'll probably end up taking with a D35TTB.

You'll have about 3,000 bucks in that D30 to get it to where it would make you happy (gears, lockers, hub kit, etc.)

 

[1994_4x4]

You'll have about 3,000 bucks in that D30 to get it to where it would make you happy (gears, lockers, hub kit, etc.)

What about a D35TTB? 1000 bucks?

 

[brinker88]

A lot less than that. If you feel like driving I have a complete Dana 35 in my yard minus the radius arms I'll give you for $100. You'd have around $500 in regearing it and another $100 or so in getting lockouts for it.

 

[dangerranger83]

When it came to gas mileage for me heres what happened...

When my truck was stock, had the D28 TTB factory size tires, 2.8 Durasparked, etc... I got 10mpg.

When I did my D30 SAS, front and rear lift, kept the gearing the same as stock...10mpg.

When I put 32x11.5x15 BFGoodrich MT tires, new Soft 8 rims, other little things that would weight the truck down...10mpg.

Currently no matter how I drive my truck whether it be in town, on the highway driving in third gear turning almost 4000rpm or in 4th doing 2800rpm doing 65mph, still 10mpg.

So for some the D30 may give you worse mileage, for others like me, it did nothing.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

So for some the D30 may give you worse mileage, for others like me, it did nothing.

Sounds a lot like when Ford did away with the PVH hubs in the early 2000's, took away a lot of complexity for negligable economy differences.

The local JY's get $9.99 for a complete lockup hub setup by the way. I have 2.5 sets of hubs for an axle I don't even have yet.

 

[cdawall]

A lot less than that. If you feel like driving I have a complete Dana 35 in my yard minus the radius arms I'll give you for $100. You'd have around $500 in regearing it and another $100 or so in getting lockouts for it.

Why are you saying $3k into a D30 it will have stock tires on it. So the stock shafts with 297x joints is plenty strong, the cv style even stronger. A spartan runs around $300 make sure to get one with matching gears in it 3.27-4.10s are all common. Build a set of long arms off the tranny xmember and run a y-link, V8 ZJ tierod, 3-5" xj coils depending on the coil bucket height and JK shocks. You could easily get a D30 under a ranger for $1500 as long as you can find the right parts, and know your way around a welder.

The unit bearing hubs also barely affect gas mileage ask anyone with a new ford, chevy, dodge, jeep, toyota, honda, suzuki, hyundai hell any new vehicle all current part/full time 4WD and AWD vehicles utilize unit bearing hubs and live axles that means the whole shebang is always spinning. If it was destroying gas mileage they probably wouldn't be using them. Its also kind of nice to not have to get out and flip into 4WD when the fronts buried. Not to mention they are stronger.

On the OPs question a D30HP can be installed at the stock ride height. It is smaller than a D35 hence if the D35 clears a D30 will.

 

[1994_4x4]

Why are you saying $3k into a D30 it will have stock tires on it. So the stock shafts with 297x joints is plenty strong, the cv style even stronger. A spartan runs around $300 make sure to get one with matching gears in it 3.27-4.10s are all common. Build a set of long arms off the tranny xmember and run a y-link, V8 ZJ tierod, 3-5" xj coils depending on the coil bucket height and JK shocks. You could easily get a D30 under a ranger for $1500 as long as you can find the right parts, and know your way around a welder.

The unit bearing hubs also barely affect gas mileage ask anyone with a new ford, chevy, dodge, jeep, toyota, honda, suzuki, hyundai hell any new vehicle all current part/full time 4WD and AWD vehicles utilize unit bearing hubs and live axles that means the whole shebang is always spinning. If it was destroying gas mileage they probably wouldn't be using them. Its also kind of nice to not have to get out and flip into 4WD when the fronts buried. Not to mention they are stronger.

On the OPs question a D30HP can be installed at the stock ride height. It is smaller than a D35 hence if the D35 clears a D30 will.

Well I already have a D30HP w/ matching gears. So I guess I have a start. It has the smaller U-Joints & CAD. But I'm ok with that, I'm looking at doing a D30HP or D35TTB as a build up/project with no time frame. I live for this stuff.