ok i started this cause i didnt want to hijack kyles thread, but i am seriously thinking about going straight to sas cause i know that what im going to do in the end anyways and it just seems like a waste of money to do a sl if im going to sas in the end.

now i see alot of talk about once you do a sas its horrible on the road. but i see jeeps all the time on the road with solid front axles and they seem what. why would it make a xterra bad on the road when clearly the xterra is superior to a jeep :-).

now whats the deal with calmini sas kit? i know you have to get a donor d44 but is it any good? has anyone seem one in action?

please school me on sas

thanks guys

the reason jeeps dont have a problem on the road is cause they were designed with the SA just like some of the 4x4 fords...

it wont be like it is now. Plus you can plan on being around 10 grand once your finished with everything. I was thinking the same way but some SL parts and steering kit came up too cheap to pass up. finaces is the main thing that can stop you. also mechanical know how and having the tools to do it

I realize the financial aspet of it. It seems that people say around 10 to get it where you need it to be. But I'm just thinking why not go ahead and start putting money towards it rather then a sl

do you rock crawl?

Do It!!!!!!!!!

The place I go it coal creek and there are so many things that I think I could accomplish if I had a solid front and I just love how basically the ski is the limit when you go sad I mean will be at least 2 years before I even begin so I guess I just want to start getting info on it so I can weigh put wither or not to do a sl in the mean time

I would weigh out the pro's and con's of doing an SL now versus waiting and saving for the SAS. How many trails are you unable to get on because you aren't lifted and have limited flex? How long do you want keep passing up those trails? I plan to SAS mine as well but it's way down the road when my X becomes a secondary vehicle. Right now, I have to have it fully operational at all times. When you go SAS, it will be down for several weeks at least unless you're able to take time off from work and dedicate every single day to getting it done.

Personally, I would go ahead with the SL now and save for a rear locker but that's just my plan. By this time next year, I plan to be locked.

Drake make good point. Me Tarzan, you Jane. aftermarket parts move fast.

X2 on what drake said. I'm gonna skip the locker though. I plan on doing a Dana 60 setup like kyle said down the road, so I cant justify the money for the locker. plus i have an LSD from an 02 in my basement waitng to get superpacked and put in

10K your insane you can SAS a truck for a hole lot less than that.

the reason jeeps dont have a problem on the road is cause...

...people tow them on trailers to the trailhead!

Seriously, I've driven a stock CJ5 across the country and it was a tiring drive, to say I felt every bump between the coasts would be an understatement.
Out of all the alignments/tire combo's I had on the Jeep only one was really car-like in its tracking, otherwise it was pretty twitchy at highway speed and you didn't dare drive tired or you'd be in the ditch pretty fast.

I would imagine the handling of the X would be similarly changed by SASing.

and how much did your total come to???

I would say definitally do a SL first. One thing lots of people overlook is driver skill. You might have a rig that can climb a 75* slope/rock face, but does the driver have the knowledge on how to do it correctly. I will definitally do an SAS in the future but right now, I'm happy where I'm at. I still find something challanging every time I go offroading. I hear of some people who can do everything and quickly get bored with it till they find something bigger and badder.

And I also agree with everyone about your truck being down for a while. And unless your pretty mechanically inclined, I would be very timid about tackling this myself. Cause if you break out on the trails, you gotta know how to fix it good enough to get back with usually the bare min. of tools. So its definitally better to be able to do it yourself.

Imhin2003, yes, you can do a solid axle swap for way cheaper than 10,000. When I posted that $10,000 is what I'm looking at, I plan on doing 2 Dana 60 axles and putting nothing but the best parts in there. I also plan on running an Atlas II t-case, and right there is $3000 but I wanna make mine bomb proof. For example you can do leafs instead of coils and cut your cost almost in half. So all in all there are ways to make it cheaper, but you gotta look at what your gonna be doing and how you want your truck to turn out.

Justin,
Locked Dana 44 sale for $300 in Knoxville...

Link:
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/pts/842077080.html

Not sure if that'll work or not but just an idea to look at CL

Justin,
Locked Dana 44 sale for $300 in Knoxville...

Link:
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/pts/842077080.html

Not sure if that'll work or not but just an idea to look at CL

The axle we have in there now is better than a 44 rear, so I would only be looking for the front if I were you.

I really appreciate all your advice. After all this and talking to Whitney I have decide to go with sl right now. I am hoping to get a place soon and ask Whitney to marry me with in the next year! So after going over finances and what not I have come to the conclusion that I would rather get my life all in order then sas my x. Thanks again guys!

I really appreciate all your advice. After all this and talking to Whitney I have decide to go with sl right now. I am hoping to get a place soon and ask Whitney to marry me with in the next year! So after going over finances and what not I have come to the conclusion that I would rather get my life all in order then sas my x. Thanks again guys!

Wise decision my friend! Save save save!!!!! One thing that I recommend is that you start thinking marriage minded. I am not saying that you do not, I am saying that there are quite a few things that you can do to prepare yourself, and it takes tons of time.

YOUR X SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE BACKSEAT TO WHITNEY.

I am learning this. See, I continue modding Shelby all the time, and I think I always will. I am already fully aware that the next big modification to her is way down the road, and the truth is, I may be IFS for a really long time. If it were just me, I would have over half of the parts for a sas right now. But thinking marriage minded is thinking, alright! I have $500 spare bucks!!! What am I gonna buy!? Well, you could start some IFS stuff, or, the less pleasant alternative-look for a ring.

Do not ever let her take the X away from you either. When I am working on my X, I HATE talking on the phone. The phone will ring and I want to fight it.

Once you have made your mind up, Let her know that the X will always be there, but the X will have to do with getting detailed and small modifications for now. That will get her mind wandering. Remember, tell white lies adios, and put nobody above her.

Let her know that you will occasionally be cheating on her emotionally and physically with your Xterra.

It won't be cheating if you talk Whit into a 3-way with your X. hahaha

it Won't Be Cheating If You Talk Whit Into A 3-way With Your X. Hahaha

Hahahahahha!!!!! thats funny drake. but james, thats the way she thinks and thats y i have been putting mods off because she feels that i am putting my xterra before her which i woud never do! and at the same time as you said i keira will always be around

You made the right decision by holding off the sas...I think that should be the very last stage you should do to your X considering the amount of downtime the X will be off the pavement. Anyways, Congrats on getting things in order and planning on asking Whit to marry you within the next year!

She should ALWAYS come first, not your X, not anything else!

and how much did your total come to???

So far Im at 2800.00 That will include swapping out the rear axle to an Honda passport D44 oh and both axles have lockers 5.13 gears the front also has Chromalloy inners and outers took it out for a test drive this afternoon


http://pic19.picturetrail.com/VOL1085/4132886/17471617/335343381.jpg

http://pic19.picturetrail.com/VOL1085/4132886/17471617/335343357.jpg

i have been wondering on when i was going to be able to see the pics..... have you posted over on TNO yet???

I know you have made your decision but here are some of my thoughts.

An SAS is terrible on the road... well if the angles are off being the drag link does not line up with the track bar. If those do not have the correct angles and match angles then yeah... its gonna ride like shit.

Replace the rear axle or stick with the H233b.... well if your locked I would say stick with the H233b. If your not locked then ditch the Nissan axle and find a D44 that will work. Why... well its simple cheaper to build... you have options for heavy duty parts... Ring & pinon sets are 1/4 the price for a D44... Lockers are cheaper... you can find an awesome selection of used parts CHEAP... I can keep going but why... its simply cheaper to go D44.

Oh and if your into Rock Crawling... I wouldnt dump a damn Dime into IFS after what I know now.

Hey lance that looks AWESOME!!

it looks like your springs are angled off tot he side in the first pic? just the picture or how the truck was sitting?

right now the front end is sitting way high as we have not started the rear I see what your talking about I think its just the way the pictures were taken Ill recheck that in the morning.

imhin2003 how did you manage to do all that for $2800 the more i look into all this and what not im really just thinking about biting the bullet and doing a sas it seems like to me that the satisfaction of sas would well out way the down time on my x i am trying to find some info about calminis kit but it seems there just arent to many people that have done it yet im guessing because it is still relatively new

he really didnt say to much on TNO as to what exactly he used but here is the link to the build of that sweet fronty....

http://www.tnt4x4club.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=75

thanks jason

All said and done, I probably spent the same cash for a SAS as I have slowly building up my truck, but it's one of those things that's no fun to just go balls to the wall right out of the starting gate. I like to find my limitations, fix it, and find another limitation. It's like a game, lol.

But now I'm getting to the point where I get myself in enough trouble that I'm slowly killing my poor IFS. SAS would help alot for my front end just for strength and durability.

On a first gen X, you can get it done for well under 10g's. Have you seen Brian's (Houdini on NOAS) fronty? He went pretty nuts with his (1tons front and rear, 37's) and I don't think has passed 7 yet. It's all about finding the deals and how extreme you wanna go. Just a simple 44 in front and SOA in the back can probably be done for about 5-6, if you go leaf springs.


Drivability issues is mostly because once you SAS an X, you're running miles high and super large tires (on narrow axles if you keep the rear h233b). If you keep the front sprung under and run like 35's on full width axles, you can make it a pretty nice ride for the road.

imhin2003 how did you manage to do all that for $2800 the more i look into all this and what not im really just thinking about biting the bullet and doing a sas it seems like to me that the satisfaction of sas would well out way the down time on my x i am trying to find some info about calminis kit but it seems there just arent to many people that have done it yet im guessing because it is still relatively new

BTW, Richard says he's got a simple fronty/X sas swap down to a weekend project. ;)

see i want it to be alright on the road and a monster on the trails. i once again have been discussing all this with whitney and my x has already taken a backseat to daily transportation. it just sits there and i would much rather drive her car cause it only cost me 30 a week vs. 90 a week for the x. tuff what do you think about the calmini kit ? and i guess alot of me wanting top so a sas depends on you as well cause what it boils down to is would you be willing to let my x sit at your house for lord knows how long and lend your time and knowledge as well. cause i know there really wouldnt be anyway to do it without your help

Guess Tuff better build himself another garage to make room for your X! lol

I'm really honestly surprised that Whitney is okay with all this....I guess the trip to CC got her to see your views of wanting a trail rig....wish my dad would see it that way, lol.

well the money is what she cares about but i told her i would love her input and know what she thinks i should do to it as she learns but i also told her in a nice way the in the end its my truck and i will do what i want to it

I don't mind hosting your truck, but you'd be better off talking to/meeting richard. He's got the tools already setup to do the work. Of course, he's gonna charge for labor, but you end up with a quality product from someone who knows what he's doing. PM/call him and he can give you a rough estimate for what you wanna do.


and this is just MHO, but I won't be putting anything calmini on my truck. Too much bad customer service stories, and too many rigs flipped over on the interstate with the calmini SAS kit. I believe there was some steering component that had issues/came loose/needed to be welded that was the demise of about 2 or 3 trucks all at once. Whether this has been addressed or was just a bunch of hogwash, I dunno, but my opinions about calmini (right or wrong) have long since been established.

p.s. way to lay the pimp hand down and tell her like it is! (don't get used to it though, lol)

ok see like i siad i couldnt find much about them. i just pm'd richard over on noas so i will let you guys know what he says

ok so for anyone that might be curious this is what richard said


Hey Justin,

The overall cost will depend on a lot of things, which axles you choose, do you want to just swap the front or the front and rear? Do you want to do leaf springs, coilovers and there's more. I charge 1500 to do the labor on the front swap plus parts then if just swapping springs outback or doing a spring over axle would be 500-600 plus parts.

I'd say base price you'd be looking at 4-5k. I've done about 6 SAS's now and that is about the price most people pay after all is said and done, some more and some a little less. If this is something you're seriously interested in ask me some more questions and we'll go from there.

Thanks- Richard

Thats not too bad....better than the 10k we were hearing a while back, lol. Where's Richard located, btw?

north carolina

Another option is a 3 link in the front it rides great on the road. lots of flex also.

Another option is a 3 link in the front it rides great on the road. lots of flex also.

see he told me to research 1 link 3 link and something else which is best in your opinion?

and hopefully friday im going to junk yard that has a 82 and 84 wagoneer on the lot how do i know if thats the axel i want?

You want a 1980-86 Non vacuum disconect jeep wagoneer Id go with the one thats in better shape.

No such thing as a 1 link. I cant tell you which is better I have a friend that has a Hardbody thats SASed with leaf spings he also has a pathfinder thats 3 linked. As for the ride I liked his 3 link suspention it seems to ride a lot better that and the fact of Crazy flex I went that route. He is also cutting the leafs off the truck and converting it to 3 link. Going 3 link will cost a lot more money than leaf spring but it was worth it to me your looking at 2500-5K when its all said and done. If you go with the Calmini kit you will spend more and I am not sure I would trust it.

how do i know if it is non vacuum?

This is a vacuum disconect do not buy this type axle
http://nissannut.com/projects/sas/front/dana_bad.jpg

ok cool im going to go hunting friday

These wouldnt be want i want would they? i really need help with selecting axels

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts-Accessories_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__Jeep-CJ-front-and-rear-Axels-5-38-gear-ratio-Jeep-Axel_W0QQitemZ170271397880QQddnZPartsQ20Q26Q20Acce ssoriesQQadnZCarQ20Q26Q20TruckQ20PartsQ20Q26Q20Acc essoriesQQddiZ2811QQadiZ2865QQcmdZViewItem?hash=it em170271397880&_trkparms=72%3A543%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245#ebayphotohosting

go to car-parts.com search for your axles there...thats where i am goin to get mine...or a local junkyard...i would also suggest rebuilding the axle as well...mine is goin to get a well needed rebuild here in the next 2 months...also i would not go the calmini route unless you want to pay a lot of money for something that is unnecessary...everyone i know that has done the calmini has QUICKLY gone to leaf springs...its a matter of choice but still...hope that helps some

you might also check with the local jeep clubs I picked mine up complete disc to disc for 175.00 after a complete rebuild gears and locker I have about 1200.00

There is such a thing as a 1-link - I've also heard it called a trailer ball hitch suspension... Richard mentioned considering it for his next build.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=219344

yea like i said im going to the junk yard to look friday. im going to have richard do the actual swap but i want to rebuild the axels myself. but once again are those the axels i want? in the link above

These wouldnt be want i want would they? i really need help with selecting axels

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts-Accessories_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__Jeep-CJ-front-and-rear-Axels-5-38-gear-ratio-Jeep-Axel_W0QQitemZ170271397880QQddnZPartsQ20Q26Q20Acce ssoriesQQadnZCarQ20Q26Q20TruckQ20PartsQ20Q26Q20Acc essoriesQQddiZ2811QQadiZ2865QQcmdZViewItem?hash=it em170271397880&_trkparms=72%3A543%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245#ebayphotohosting


I would pass on that if it were me. those are not the right axles your looking for somethin like this

http://pic19.picturetrail.com/VOL1085/4132886/17312626/320708803.jpg

http://nissannut.com/projects/sas/front/axle_cleana.JPG
http://nissannut.com/projects/sas/front/axle_clean.JPG

I would pass on that if it were me.

ok thanks man

keep your eye out at TennesseeOffroad.com (the for sale forum), pirate4x4.com, and nc4x4.com... All have pretty high traffic for sale sections and 2 are local... you can still find local stuff on pirate4x4, but it covers a very broad area. Might find an axle already built and in good condition instead of a JY axle that needs alot of attention.

My advice to you is to research this heavily for a bit and figure exactly what you want to do, and how to do it... then buy parts. If you can find an axle today, you can find one next month... and you may have changed your mind on what you want to do by then.

keep your eye out at TennesseeOffroad.com (the for sale forum), pirate4x4.com, and nc4x4.com... All have pretty high traffic for sale sections and 2 are local... you can still find local stuff on pirate4x4, but it covers a very broad area. Might find an axle already built and in good condition instead of a JY axle that needs alot of attention.

My advice to you is to research this heavily for a bit and figure exactly what you want to do, and how to do it... then buy parts. If you can find an axle today, you can find one next month... and you may have changed your mind on what you want to do by then.

ok i would rather build one myself then buy one thats already done. i already know that im not going to be doing the welding so i want to do as much as i can my self. i dont want someone to say that looks great how did you do it and i say i dont know i had someone else do it for me. and i have looked all over the internet at forums and stuff and i just cant seem to find any detailed info on a sas it always seems that they just say what they have and thats it but i cant find differences of opinion and reasoning why they went this route over another if any of you guys find any info on sas please post it up here for me Thanks!!!

justin, i cant believe youre actually going to go thru w/ this. props.

no shame in getting an axle that's already built - it'll usually be cheaper than buying all new components, depending on how much you want to build it... (lockers, axle shafts, etc)

When looking for info, don't search for SAS so much... look at what everyone else has done with their rigs (that might have already come with a solid axle up front). Bronco's, Scouts, trucks, etc... people mod the front axles all the time to get better flex out of it. And really, every truck is gonna handle differently as this is such a custom mod. One guy's leaf spring setup will ride completely different from another's, etc.

Welding isn't the only part other than getting an axle. There's a crap tonne of labor involved with cutting out the old IFS, coming up with ways to hook up the steering, etc.

I'd still hold off on picking up an axle right now until you figure out exactly what you want to do. If you're still having issues figuring out which axle will work, you need to research more. Do you just need height/flex? do you plan on beating on it? is a stock d44 hearty enough for you? have you considered upgrading both front and rear axles? (better/cheaper aftermarket for lockers, gearing, axleshafts, rear disk brakes) do you want full width axles? there's a never ending amount of considerations you should take into account before you just slap a waggy d44 under there. The only reason to go with that is the calmini kit is designed around it. If you go custom with Richard, your options open up alot for front axles. Ford used alot of driver's side drop axles, for instance.

ah i see thansk tuff i want to replace both front a rear axels ( i had this discussion with richard about it parts being better and cheaper) i guess i just really need to talk to him more cause in the end he is going to be the one who makes it work. i love doing things myself but it comes to a point where i want to have the satisfaction of know hey this guy has done it and knows what he is doing. and since i am going to be doing this i want to go ahead and lock the rear which means i will be needing OBA which is where you come in tuff :-)

and daniel i just really want to go this way i learn a little bit more about ti every day and it just appeals to me in every way. the only down side is whit is already starting to get frustrated about me quote " Looking at gay car parts all day"

This is my friends web site he has been helping me with my SAS has pretty much all the info you would ever need on doing an SAS

http://www.nissannut.com/

ah i see thansk tuff i want to replace both front a rear axels ( i had this discussion with richard about it parts being better and cheaper) i guess i just really need to talk to him more cause in the end he is going to be the one who makes it work. i love doing things myself but it comes to a point where i want to have the satisfaction of know hey this guy has done it and knows what he is doing. and since i am going to be doing this i want to go ahead and lock the rear which means i will be needing OBA which is where you come in tuff :-)

If you're replacing the nissan h233b with a different axle, your options open up for rear lockers. You can still get an ARB airlocker for 700-900 bucks plus OBA if you like selectability, or you can get a detroit locker (500$, locks under power, replaces the whole carrier), or a lockrite (300$, replaces the inner spider gears inside the carrier, not as strong as detroit), or even a spool if you don't mind squeeling tires around corners (100% locked, all the time, 100-200$). There are more options out there, those are just some of the more popular ones. You can even lincoln lock it (weld spider gears together) for a cheap fix...

Lincoln locking is not the safest choice for anything you'd driving down the road due to the welds failing and blowing our diff while traveling down the road. I'd only recommend it for a truly dedicated trail rig that you trailer to the places you wheel. side gears can be welded but it usually is not very strong due to the hardness of the metal they are cut from. The welding equipment just doenst get things hot enough to really give a good weld.