SAS Question

jmueller6002

New member
Newbie here just picked up a 96 4Runner 3.4 w/ 5 speed. Wanting to lift it but I want to do something different. Has anyone done the Solid axle swap? If so I would like to know what you think about it. Ive done some research and everyone has said use the Addicted C option SAS. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks
 
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welcome!

to answer your question. yes. many have sas'd 3rd gen runners. i myself am wrapping up my '99 sas using the same kit "c" that you mentioned. i first saw it done on addicted's 96 build and i'll be honest, they made it look easy! that's why i took the plunge! but honestly, it's alot of work and i've done several axle swaps but all on 2nd/3rd gen trucks and 2nd gen runners. their kit (which is actually from trail gear) is the most complete kit on the market that i've seen as far as steering, brakes, hi steer, etc go so it's a really good start but "is it really for you?" is what you need to ask yourself. many here will tell you that unless you plan on doing any extreme wheeling, your IFS if properly built, will do almost anything a solid axle rig can do with the exception of hardcore rock crawling. there's a couple of others on here who are setting up their 3rd gens with link suspensions which is a totally different animal as far as axle swaps are concerned. i'm sure they'll chime in and give you a few words of advice. but from my personal experience doing a couple of link setups i can honestly tell you that it can be a nightmare to figure out unless you're a geometry teacher or something!
 
welcome!

to answer your question. yes. many have sas'd 3rd gen runners. i myself am wrapping up my '99 sas using the same kit "c" that you mentioned. i first saw it done on addicted's 96 build and i'll be honest, they made it look easy! that's why i took the plunge! but honestly, it's alot of work and i've done several axle swaps but all on 2nd/3rd gen trucks and 2nd gen runners. their kit (which is actually from trail gear) is the most complete kit on the market that i've seen as far as steering, brakes, hi steer, etc go so it's a really good start but "is it really for you?" is what you need to ask yourself. many here will tell you that unless you plan on doing any extreme wheeling, your IFS if properly built, will do almost anything a solid axle rig can do with the exception of hardcore rock crawling. there's a couple of others on here who are setting up their 3rd gens with link suspensions which is a totally different animal as far as axle swaps are concerned. i'm sure they'll chime in and give you a few words of advice. but from my personal experience doing a couple of link setups i can honestly tell you that it can be a nightmare to figure out unless you're a geometry teacher or something!

An alternative to a link setup is a radius arm design. Much simpler to setup and determine. Plus, you get better more predictable on road handling.

Still quite a bit more work than leaves, but could deliver more performance depending on your design.
 
An alternative to a link setup is a radius arm design. Much simpler to setup and determine. Plus, you get better more predictable on road handling.

Still quite a bit more work than leaves, but could deliver more performance depending on your design.

Are you the one doing the radius arms? Or is that Bryan (LINY)? I haven't seen many people swap for that setup.
 
Just wondering - what made you decide on the radius arm setup? For the wheeling you do I figured you'd link it?

For the most part the simplicity, and on road handling. I have ridden in a buddies 3 link SAS and it is awful on road....but he did a shit job setting it up.

I am not planning on riding any harder trails than I am now, I just want something where I can reliably run 35's; and drive to the trailhead and drive home.
 
Just curious...What do you plan to use the rig for?

I will use it for a daily driver and then wheel it on the weekends. Mud and trails mostly and take it to the mountains when I get a chance to get away. My plan is to do a SAS swap, then a SBC conversion. I'm just trying to get a feel of how they ride and the difficulty of the install.
 
I will use it for a daily driver and then wheel it on the weekends. Mud and trails mostly and take it to the mountains when I get a chance to get away. My plan is to do a SAS swap, then a SBC conversion. I'm just trying to get a feel of how they ride and the difficulty of the install.

Honestly, i would stick with IFS and the 3.4. IFS is going to be plenty capable and handle a lot better on road unless you get a link setup nailed perfectly. SASing it will take a lot of time and money and you may never see the benefit if you aren't doing mostly hardcore shizz.

3.4 is going to far outlast a SBC. And its a Toyota. Keep a yota motor in it.

Just one guys opinion.
 
Honestly, i would stick with IFS and the 3.4. IFS is going to be plenty capable and handle a lot better on road unless you get a link setup nailed perfectly. SASing it will take a lot of time and money and you may never see the benefit if you aren't doing mostly hardcore shizz.

3.4 is going to far outlast a SBC. And its a Toyota. Keep a yota motor in it.

Just one guys opinion.

I agree with keepin a yota motor in it, I was just thinkin of something I haven't seen before. I have an 96 Landcruiser with 265xxx and my 4runner 275xxx both still running strong
 
Honestly, i would stick with IFS and the 3.4. IFS is going to be plenty capable and handle a lot better on road unless you get a link setup nailed perfectly. SASing it will take a lot of time and money and you may never see the benefit if you aren't doing mostly hardcore shizz.

3.4 is going to far outlast a SBC. And its a Toyota. Keep a yota motor in it.

Just one guys opinion.

x2!
it can get very expensive and time consuming. i'm 3-1/2 months into mine and i still got quite a bit of work to do and i'm in my shop most of the weekend and a couple of hours a night on weekdays. it's mostly small stuff and fine tuning left but if you're like me and have to have everything perfect it'll seem like you're never gonna be done. and basically you never are. there's always a new "upgrade" for the last thing you upgraded. kinda like sasing with leafs then deciding to go with links. which i'm already "thinking" about even before my leafed sas is done. it's just something i might consider later on down the road as my runner gets more and more beat up. anyway, if that's the route you decide to go, do your homework first! alot of guys say "money is not an issue" or "i got mad fab skills" which helps but trust me, even the most seasoned veterans run into issues that'll result in changing their plan halfway through their build which in turn will cost even more money!
 
I am a Toyota purist at heart and thats why I used as many stock Toyota parts as possible. I used 80 series Land Cruiser axles and transmission/transfer case to start. LC coil springs and driveshafts, LC and Tundra suspension nuts/bolts and LC bushings in my upper and lower links. It is a shitload of work and money.

My situation is probably different than most because I started with a totaled truck. The reason I did the SAS is I did'nt want to put all that work in rebuilding the truck and still have IFS and when I go offroading with my club I want to be able to keep up.

I am 6 years into my build but I usually work 6 & 7 days a week. You won't be sorry if you go SAS if you use for what it's built for.
 

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