bimrunner
New member
This^
5th Gen solid axle swap
- Thread starter Jallen48
- Start date
This^
LawnDart
Senior Member
And it truly depends on your mission. For me I asked about a SAS setup and Walt was happy to take my money but talked me out of it because SAS isn't what I needed for an overland style vehicle.
I agree a SAS'd FJC is badass, but man...the cost...it's brutal.
bimrunner
New member
Or an 80...
maddiesel67
New member
yea i almost bought the 2001 sas 4runner that was on here back several months ago but i procrastinated and lost it.
a 5th gen sas would be unique
fj's just dont do it for me, there cool and all badass actually but not for me.
a 5th gen sas would be unique
fj's just dont do it for me, there cool and all badass actually but not for me.
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maddiesel67
New member
i keep thinking by time i put together an entire long travel setup im 1/2 way to a sas... the abs issue does suck. :juggle:
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LawnDart
Senior Member
That SASd FJC at walts shop isn't even done yet. It was just made so it could roll out of the shop to make way for my truck in his garage. Even if you do the SAS that's just the front end. You still need to do your rear suspension.
Anything is possible with money. The question becomes how much of it do you have.
Anything is possible with money. The question becomes how much of it do you have.
maddiesel67
New member
Long travels going to end up costing ~8-10k whats another 10 lol
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We really (no really) considered doing one of our trucks this winter, as of this moment, I cannot determine for sure if loosing the ABS also kills the other brake related traction systems.
If.....IF we do one, I will have to figure out how to keep the abs. I have two built front axles (Dana 60 w/5:38 & Dana 44 w/4:11) and one built rear (Dana 60 5:38)But I wonder if a modern Dana 44 with abs, could be used to retain ABS in our trucks.
I already have all brand new PSC steering (ported Saginaw box, hoses, brackets, pump, resivour and ram), fox coilovers, 16 johnny joints and a pile of other SAS parts.
Not sure how I could test Dana 44 sensors on our system.... I need smarter friends.
If.....IF we do one, I will have to figure out how to keep the abs. I have two built front axles (Dana 60 w/5:38 & Dana 44 w/4:11) and one built rear (Dana 60 5:38)But I wonder if a modern Dana 44 with abs, could be used to retain ABS in our trucks.
I already have all brand new PSC steering (ported Saginaw box, hoses, brackets, pump, resivour and ram), fox coilovers, 16 johnny joints and a pile of other SAS parts.
Not sure how I could test Dana 44 sensors on our system.... I need smarter friends.
maddiesel67
New member
Get on it! I need some inspiraton.
MTN4RNR
New member
Ugh... I am a very happy person where I am, but you have the 5th gen, the 80, and the travel/tow rig. You have the dream life, sir... :cheers:
gm350reratliff
New member
With all the badassery getting installed on your 5th gen you've gotta be close to what a SAS swap would be. I'm hoping to get time to head to the city to check out your build in person.
I've seen a few SAS FJ's in person and they seem pretty sweet. Overkill for what I do as well but if I had the money and time.......
I think keeping the ABS would be possible by going with a newer Dana 44 or something like it. It would probably only be a matter of getting a custom tone ring made that mimics the OEM pattern.
wfo9
New member
SAS is tempting, but clearly a PITA. My problem is that I tend to push rigs based on their capability. If I had a solid front axle under a 5th gen I would feel it necessary to take it places where it would simply get beat to crap and become a rasin.
The main problem with the 5th gen for extreme terrain is more the body than anything else. So SAS just seems wrong for it. The FJ makes a little more sense, but who knows I may do it at some point... just because I can LOL
If I did I would probably try to keep it mostly Toyota and do a custom axle housing. If someone is considering it.. I would definitely talk to Brian at Front Range offroad. I think they may have some solutions.
The main problem with the 5th gen for extreme terrain is more the body than anything else. So SAS just seems wrong for it. The FJ makes a little more sense, but who knows I may do it at some point... just because I can LOL
If I did I would probably try to keep it mostly Toyota and do a custom axle housing. If someone is considering it.. I would definitely talk to Brian at Front Range offroad. I think they may have some solutions.
LawnDart
Senior Member
SAS makes less and less sense for an overlander. It's awesome for a crawler, but it becomes less and less a daily driver. The minute my vehicle has to be towed to some place like Moab is the day i stop wanting to own it.
Jetboy
New member
x2. I have found this to be the case for myself as well. I have an FJ40 on 39" tires, lockers, winch, 5.29 gears, ramps over 1000, blah, blah, blah. I love the *idea* of it, but it's just not very practical. I almost never drive it. I don't think I've even sat in it in nearly a year.
In my day dreams I keep wanting to do an SAS at some point just because of the challenge of an SAS, but so far I keep thinking I'll wait until at least the car is paid for and warranty expired before I take a torch to the front suspension. Even then I think I might be more inclined to start with a 100 series or gx460/470 for the extra hp.
I do think an SAS vehicle could do very well on the street and even high speed offroad. If you look at the winners of the Ultra 4 races for example there's a lot of solid front axles on top of the podium and a big part of those events are 100mph desert legs. But I think it's a common misconception that you just stick an axle under there. Doing an SAS - the right way- is pretty complicated. You've got to calculate your antisquat properties and design the linkage mounts to both work and physically fit in a strong location on the frame. You've got to sort out steering - which is not necessarily an easy task assuming you want something heavier duty than an OEM minitruck steering box. Then figure out the bumpsteer effects. And it all has to work with a custom axle that involves quite a bit of custom fab work. Setting caster and camber on a solid axle isn't as easy as swapping UCAs... You'd better know exactly what you want before you start cutting so you end up with the correct caster and pinion angles and such. Then you have to build a jig large enough and precise enough to locate everything... eh. There's a lot of geometry that needs to be done correctly to get smooth driveline operation, proper steering function, pinion angle that runs smooth AND keeps the bearings wet and such. I hope some folks do start doing some crazy mods! I'd love to see them.
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LawnDart
Senior Member
Oh I agree, there's nothing that says it can't be done right. What I saw of that SAS'd FJC was done exceptionally well. But it comes down to cost. Anything is possible with the right amount of money.
For me IFS long travel was the right thing to do, for being a daily driver that goes off roading for camping and work. Would SAS have been cool? Yes, very much so. But it wouldn't have been as stable for my needs, and it's not a rock crawler. The most crawling I'll do is at Moab and even then my truck is 6500 lbs. If I wanted a crawler I'd get a gen 1 or 3 and turn that into a rock crawler because i could turn it into a raisin and not cry about it.
For me IFS long travel was the right thing to do, for being a daily driver that goes off roading for camping and work. Would SAS have been cool? Yes, very much so. But it wouldn't have been as stable for my needs, and it's not a rock crawler. The most crawling I'll do is at Moab and even then my truck is 6500 lbs. If I wanted a crawler I'd get a gen 1 or 3 and turn that into a rock crawler because i could turn it into a raisin and not cry about it.
Trail-AMMO
New member
Not to pull people away from one board and drive them to another but Phil did this along time ago....
Phil's Build Thread - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum
He lives right down the street from me now, running a 80 series front axel, Slee high steer and coil overs all around...
Tons of pics of this rig on the Con and Fordyce.
-A
Phil's Build Thread - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum
He lives right down the street from me now, running a 80 series front axel, Slee high steer and coil overs all around...
Tons of pics of this rig on the Con and Fordyce.
-A
Attachments
BlackWorksInc
New member
Phil sold me my extended rear sway bar links years ago!
His 4Runner is nice, also I have often recommended members visit both forums as T120 tends to be a bit more technical minded and less "what tires fit on my 4Runner."
As for SAS, honestly I think the best over-all compromise for an all-purpose 4WD vehicle is IFS and SRA.
mikey's2010SR5
New member
Phil sold me my extended rear sway bar links years ago!
His 4Runner is nice, also I have often recommended members visit both forums as T120 tends to be a bit more technical minded and less "what tires fit on my 4Runner."
As for SAS, honestly I think the best over-all compromise for an all-purpose 4WD vehicle is IFS and SRA.
Throw in a 2" long travel front and I think you got a very capable overlanding, crawling, desert blasting rig.
And yes Phil's rig is amazing.
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