Str8sixfan's painfully slow 2wd to 4wd SAS project

[88_Eddie]

The catch there would be two different calipers with different mounting holes with one wj and one xj knuckle. You have a tj axle though? I can't speak for those. Tie rod holes might be different too, but if that was the case you could drill out the smaller one to be larger

i gotcha. from all my research the the XJ and TJ suspensions were the same. i have no idea though if there are minor details that are different. i've never really worked on jeeps before.

 

[Str8sixfan]

yea I'm not completely savvy on the differences in all of the jeeps, but I do know that these are WJ knuckles!

They really need some cleaning up!

 

[Str8sixfan]

removed the stock knuckles tonight. It's amazing how much easier it is to manage an axle tube totally stripped than when it's complete rotor to rotor!

 

[88_Eddie]

i know man, my lower back was killing me from moving mine around so much when i first got it. i thought i had kidney cancer or something lol.


what's your plan for steering and what kind of pitman arm are you using?

 

[Str8sixfan]

what's your plan for steering and what kind of pitman arm are you using?

Doing cross over steering, probably making my own links by buying tie-rod ends and DOM tubing. Probably won't drop the money on TeraFlex components, though it all comes down to money. I'll price out what it will cost to build my own first of course.

As for a pitman arm? Don't know that either. Probably be one of the last things I buy when i know I'm close to putting the axle under my truck. I assume I'll just buy one from Skyjacker or Rough Country that works with one of their kits or something. I really haven't put a whole lot of thought into it yet, because as I mentioned I'm focusing more on the now than the later based on relevancy.

 

[Str8sixfan]

should be picking up a few parts this weekend:

coils
lower links (that I'll hack up and fab into extended arms)
297 u-joint axles

Hope to get my o'reileys gift card in the mail this week, b/c I just made some cash on a side job that I can probably buy the lower ball joints I need so I can get my new knuckles on soon.

 

[Str8sixfan]

picked up a sponge clean off wheel for my cordless drill last night and got one knuckle cleaned up and primed. Hope to have them painted undercoating black soon because I won a pair of Grand Cherokee lower ball joints off of ebay for them. Also will get new axle shafts in less than 48 hours, I'm excited. So once I get the knuckles on, I'll need to get the gears in sooner than later so I can seal this bad boy back up! Hope to have some pics within the next week for everyone!

 

[dangerranger83]

I thought that when you run WJ knuckles, you had to run WJ lower ball joints due to an angle thing with the C's, at least when running them on an Xj axle? As for the top, you can run the XJ.

 

[Str8sixfan]

I thought that when you run WJ knuckles, you had to run WJ lower ball joints due to an angle thing with the C's, at least when running them on an Xj axle? As for the top, you can run the XJ.

Grand Cherokee lower ball joints = WJ lower ball joints

 

[Str8sixfan]

Here's my parts haul from the weekend. I have some closer up shots, but whatever it does the same affect with all of them in.

A pair of u-297 shafts for $50 from friend A.

Then the same guy I got my axle from for free (friend B) hooked me up with the other remaining parts that were on the heep before they tore into...so,

I scored xj lift coils, and the lower control links for FREE! I plan on sectioning the links throwing some solid stock between the two ends, and even probably sleeving over the top of the stock too, to make them long arms + y-links. I figured these arms were worth sectioning and extending b/c they have great bushings in them. He also let me borrow his ball joint press.

Oh and here's me and my friends from the weekend.

I got the second knuckle cleaned up and primed tonight. I hope to get the knuckles on this week when the ball joints show up. But I also want to paint them first too. I'm thinking of dropping some cash on POR-15 for them.

 

[Rose2300]

i havent seen very many SAS'd rangers with the 2.3l, itll be a sick, economical wheeler!

 

[Str8sixfan]

i havent seen very many SAS'd rangers with the 2.3l, itll be a sick, economical wheeler!

Yea I actually need to do a tune up on it right now. Didn't do too well with the KS wind and need to run AC majority of our camping trip. I drove down and we were all over the state this weekend.

A year ago I set my best ever MPG record with it on virtually the same exact trip/route, this year my figures were almost 6MPG off! But last year I had a tail wind down and up, plus didn't have to run the AC as much. But anyway, I still need to tune it up, it's about 1.5MPG off its average. Anyway, point is, I need to do a serious tune up as it's still my daily driver so that it does still end up being an economical wheeler when I get the swap under way. My goal is still to be able to pull like 19MPG highway after it's lifted.

After the tune up, I'd like to fit in a new high-flow cat and electronic cooling fan before it turns to 4x4.

 

[dangerranger83]

That reminds me, I still need to put my ujojnt axles in my D30.

On a side note, you may lose a few MPG's due to the D30 being a live at all times axle meaning it will spin everything in the D30, the front driveshaft and the transfercase when the vehicle is moving.

 

[88_Eddie]

they need a cheap locking hub swap for D30's. you'd think there would be since there are so many jeeps around

 

[dangerranger83]

It would be nice if the ones off the EB axles could fit the Jeep ones.

I do agree, why arent there any cheap kits or at least kits that arent so expensive?