Ahhh caraaap. I swore he was making them.



Yup - OME. Very nice, very spendy. Downey 3" front springs settle pretty quickly to about... well... 1.5-2"



Just have to set the front hanger on in the correct position, but I'd recommend (as others) longer springs.



No worries. This isn't PBB. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Unless you do some frame carving (which is certainly possible but must be done right), with the IFS frame you really need 3" springs or you will be riding on the bumpstops or worse! I am running 3" springs, FRORF hanger, Daystar braced shackles, and have just enough up travel to work really. Also Brian's comment about moving the axle forward is spot-on. You can redrill the solid axle spring perches to position the center pin further back; DO NOT drill the spring to relocate the center pin.

I fit 35s with no issues whatsoever. I'm not sure I would feel good about chain fitment in wheeling situations though.

Forgot about that - good call. the axle can be moved forward 1.5" by using the rear hole on the driver's side perch and duplicating on the pass side. You will need re-drilled flip kits, but otherwise it works well. For low-lift applications, I'd stick w/ standard cross over to avoid issues of the tie-rod hitting the oil pan.

by standard cross-over you mean not hi-steer? can someone just kinda spell it out for me, what the difference is. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

also looking at sky's sas kit now. and thinking 3" springs is the way to go. 2" longer shacles, 1" drop hanger... ~5" total lift.

Bill, are you using any body lift?

High steer keeps the tie-rod and dragling above teh springs. It requries two new steering arms, new tierod, etc. Standard uses what's called a "double arm" on the passenger side, uses the factory tied rod below teh springs and a new draglink. Read Scott Wilson's SAS component list here: http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/solid_axle_swap/index3.htm

Here's a pic of his standard cross over steering setup:





I'm one of those people who recommends against Sky for personal reasons. That, and I think their hanger is a horrible, horrible design. I'd recommend FRORF or Marlin only when it comes to SAS components.

Notice, though that with low lift the steering is your biggest enemy. Without bumpstops, your spring will hit the pitman arm tie rod end (This is happening in the picture above) the tie rod and drag link might not clear if you move everything too far forward, etc.

I'm running 38.5" tires and 3ish inches of lift. My frame is 26.5" off of the ground with 30 PSI in the tires. I get away with it becuase my front suspension can only move upward 3 inches before the bumpstops are completely bottomed out. It still flexes very well, though.

I run a CJ rear spring (76-86 CJ 5 or 7). It's pretty much the same spring as a solid axle toy front spring. THey produce MAYBE 1/2" of lift. The rest of it comes from my drop hanger and my shackles.

I run a kongs4x4 highsteer setup (this shop went out of buisness in '04) and the front axle is moved forward 1.5" by drilling the spring perches.

My pictures are all posted on pirate4x4 if you want a look. Here's a link to the buildup thread. Look at the last 3 pages...
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388273

Evan

evan: it seems to me that you are pretty much running the minimum lift for an SAS setup. looks like you have plenty of clearance between the draglink and oil pan /frame, and enough clearance between draglink /tie rod. is there anything out of the ordinary you did to make this happen?

It looks like if i run 2" longer shackels, a 1" drop hanger and 3" springs with the axle 1.5" forward i should be all set to run high-steer.

BKG: what is the problem with sky's hanger? i was lookin at the kit for money reasons, becasue the $200 difference to marlin's kit is substancial to me. I think it will be cheaper to buy a complete kit, than piece one together, especially since i havent done this before (obviously).

any comments on this:
Trail-Gear SAS

You just need properly placed bumpstops and realistic expectations. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



Probably.



It's sheetmetal, basically. they claim it's the best, but it's an open "U" and not boxed - that entire front crossmember has been known to bend very easily.

Sky's entire kit may be a tad cheaper, but be sure to compare apples to apples - not all the parts are the same. Save the extra $$ and go w/ marlin.

I don't have experience w/ TG, but I have concerns about what they are going to do to the competition. These are *MY* concerns and not based on anything more than speculation based on what I'm seeing thus far. Marlin's been one of the most dedicated people in Toyota 4-wheeling history and I think will always be considered one of the "little guys."

Brian @ FRORF is awesome to work with and makes great products. He's first on my list for many things.

Bud @ Budbuilt.com is an amazing guy and first on my list for other products. All of these people will treat you well and would likely give you the shirt off their back if you needed it - that says a lot.