rondo
11-28-2006, 10:57 AM
http://nissan4wheelers.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/710606133/m/28010207331
Okay I don't post pics due to my limited 'puter abilities. Maybe JeffW would post em. Here's a link to my junker on N4W
The skinny:
2000 Frontier V6 auto SE, bought in 2001 in Las Cruces NM. SAS started only months later after i realized the limits of IFS and wiping out a steering link.
Front Axle is a J10 Dana 44 with 5.38 gears, ARB lockers, flat top knuckles, custom high steer with heims. I also use randy ring and pinion alloy shafts on stock 297x u-joints. Rear axle is Isuzu Dana 44 with ARB and factory disk brakes. No changes to factory master cylinder needed except loss of ABS.
Tcase is calweeny 4:1 kit with their SYE. Don't get me started on how much a PITA the SYE was to me or how much time it wasted, and lack of customer support...damn ya got me started:D
Tires and wheels: i've run BFGs and Pro-comps on black rockcrawler steel 15x10s.
I run the front ARB bumper and a big front winch with winchrope. Rear tube bumper i made myself and has an integrated tire carrier.
Suspension: rear is revolver shackles, custom made leaf packs, and custom shock mounts that i got from a place that went out of business. Front is isuzu trooper (rear) radius arms. I had a 4x4 shop from Colorado install these because they specialize in this design and have done dozens. I used to run some custom made chrome moly radius arms with 3/4 heims which broke quickly and often. King coilovers in front soak the bumps. Because of the low pinion on the front axle, the front driveshaft had some bind. A CV helped a little, but i ended up getting a machine shop to build a custom adapter that goes from the nissan flange to a CV (Jeep XJ) driveline. Now i can drive it at 55 mph without vibration. However the real fix is to cut and turn the knuckles so the pinion angle is improved.
Armor: i made 3 sets of medium duty rocker guards that go under the doors. I sold two of the sets and won't be making any more because there are plenty of sexier designs out there. I used the factory threaded holes in the frame to bolt these up. I'm pleased to say that after slamming the rig down on them hard they held up perfect. Skid plate is a single sheet of aluminum that i cut out and used custom made u-bolts to hold it on. Very cheap and very light. Not very sexy design though :D
Accessories: tool box has custom racks that hold the hi-lift, spare front and rear axle shafts, air compressor, CB antennae, tool boxes, water and fuel can, and shovel/ax/pick combo.
Damage to date: blown superwinch and warn 1/2 ton hubs, busted Randys RP alloy stub, busted stock D44 shafts long and short, bent rear axle shaft, busted leaf pack (stock) several 3/4 heims on (old) radius arms, and worn out the stock waggy tie rods etc.
Future mods: probably an interior roll cage, and index and slice the bed to improve departure angles. Maybe an in bed tire carrier.
What i would have done differently: went to the Isuzu Trooper radius arms from the beginning; use Warn 3/4 hubs from the start; use alloy joints and shafts from the start; hi-steer and flat top knuckles right away; the 1st bumper i made was too big and heavy, should have made a tube bumper first; should have cut and turned the D44 knuckles. The 5.38 gears are likely too low; should have gone with 5.13s? Maybe. Oh yeah, should have went with Dana 60s!
My impressions: remember I did this back when Nissans on the internet was in its infancy. There were only 3? SAS nissans on the net. Without the help of a good friend and his 4x4 shop, this would have never happened. I worked on this thing on Saturdays and it took 6 months and thousands of $ to do. I’ve had to do and redo plenty. With that said I’ve put 70K miles on this thing and drove it from El Paso TX to Kalispell MT and back again twice. It’s been wheeling in nearly every state in between. It rides sweet and holds the road at any speed. I can’t say enough good things about the Nissan auto tranny and overall reliability. I am also meticulous in how its maintained, changing the oil in every gear box, even the brake fluid and radiator hoses/fluid is new. To anyone who is thinking about an SAS and doesn’t want some spendy lift kit, I say do it yourself. These days there’s so much info on the net available that this could potentially be done on a reasonable budget.
Okay I don't post pics due to my limited 'puter abilities. Maybe JeffW would post em. Here's a link to my junker on N4W
The skinny:
2000 Frontier V6 auto SE, bought in 2001 in Las Cruces NM. SAS started only months later after i realized the limits of IFS and wiping out a steering link.
Front Axle is a J10 Dana 44 with 5.38 gears, ARB lockers, flat top knuckles, custom high steer with heims. I also use randy ring and pinion alloy shafts on stock 297x u-joints. Rear axle is Isuzu Dana 44 with ARB and factory disk brakes. No changes to factory master cylinder needed except loss of ABS.
Tcase is calweeny 4:1 kit with their SYE. Don't get me started on how much a PITA the SYE was to me or how much time it wasted, and lack of customer support...damn ya got me started:D
Tires and wheels: i've run BFGs and Pro-comps on black rockcrawler steel 15x10s.
I run the front ARB bumper and a big front winch with winchrope. Rear tube bumper i made myself and has an integrated tire carrier.
Suspension: rear is revolver shackles, custom made leaf packs, and custom shock mounts that i got from a place that went out of business. Front is isuzu trooper (rear) radius arms. I had a 4x4 shop from Colorado install these because they specialize in this design and have done dozens. I used to run some custom made chrome moly radius arms with 3/4 heims which broke quickly and often. King coilovers in front soak the bumps. Because of the low pinion on the front axle, the front driveshaft had some bind. A CV helped a little, but i ended up getting a machine shop to build a custom adapter that goes from the nissan flange to a CV (Jeep XJ) driveline. Now i can drive it at 55 mph without vibration. However the real fix is to cut and turn the knuckles so the pinion angle is improved.
Armor: i made 3 sets of medium duty rocker guards that go under the doors. I sold two of the sets and won't be making any more because there are plenty of sexier designs out there. I used the factory threaded holes in the frame to bolt these up. I'm pleased to say that after slamming the rig down on them hard they held up perfect. Skid plate is a single sheet of aluminum that i cut out and used custom made u-bolts to hold it on. Very cheap and very light. Not very sexy design though :D
Accessories: tool box has custom racks that hold the hi-lift, spare front and rear axle shafts, air compressor, CB antennae, tool boxes, water and fuel can, and shovel/ax/pick combo.
Damage to date: blown superwinch and warn 1/2 ton hubs, busted Randys RP alloy stub, busted stock D44 shafts long and short, bent rear axle shaft, busted leaf pack (stock) several 3/4 heims on (old) radius arms, and worn out the stock waggy tie rods etc.
Future mods: probably an interior roll cage, and index and slice the bed to improve departure angles. Maybe an in bed tire carrier.
What i would have done differently: went to the Isuzu Trooper radius arms from the beginning; use Warn 3/4 hubs from the start; use alloy joints and shafts from the start; hi-steer and flat top knuckles right away; the 1st bumper i made was too big and heavy, should have made a tube bumper first; should have cut and turned the D44 knuckles. The 5.38 gears are likely too low; should have gone with 5.13s? Maybe. Oh yeah, should have went with Dana 60s!
My impressions: remember I did this back when Nissans on the internet was in its infancy. There were only 3? SAS nissans on the net. Without the help of a good friend and his 4x4 shop, this would have never happened. I worked on this thing on Saturdays and it took 6 months and thousands of $ to do. I’ve had to do and redo plenty. With that said I’ve put 70K miles on this thing and drove it from El Paso TX to Kalispell MT and back again twice. It’s been wheeling in nearly every state in between. It rides sweet and holds the road at any speed. I can’t say enough good things about the Nissan auto tranny and overall reliability. I am also meticulous in how its maintained, changing the oil in every gear box, even the brake fluid and radiator hoses/fluid is new. To anyone who is thinking about an SAS and doesn’t want some spendy lift kit, I say do it yourself. These days there’s so much info on the net available that this could potentially be done on a reasonable budget.