first i have a 2000 ranger 4x4 extended cab 3.0... ok that being said i was thinking of doing an sas cause i want more flex outa my truck when i go off roading but is there another way my buddy is working on his class 7 so i will have access to a welder soon. i was thinking of pulling out my t-bars and doing a coil over suspension but how much will my arms drop befor limiting them selves. and how much work goes into an sas i figured i would just put in leaves for now just to keep it cheap. and what kind of straight axle would be best for my truck seeing as when i am finished with my project i plan on running some 35's..

-Jordan

 

Search. Look for post by ZABEARD for a coil SAS, and 034X4 for a leaf sprung SAS. Most people agree a D44 is suitable, but look around and theres plenty of threads talking about this.

 

Yah search the forum, you're definately not the first person to ask!

 

ok cool thanks guys

 

dont do a D30

PLEAASEEE

 

ok kinda of a dumb question im sure but what does sas mean?

 

in lamens terms... BADASS!!

haha actually, Solid Axle Swap, if you search it you can see that a SASd ranger dominates

it takes out the IFS **** front suspension, and puts a full axle under the front like jeeps have

 

Your biggest limitation with IFS will be your CV axleshafts. They can only articulate so far before they bind and break. If you're curious about a solid axle swap, start reading. A few short answers in a thread like this won't get you 3% of the way to being ready to doing your own swap.

 

I too, am looking to do a SAS this fall on mine. I'm going with Coils, looking to do 4 inch coils on top of the axle, which the axle should give me 2 inches, equaling 6 inches altogether. Probably going with a long arm setupwith Johnny Joints to get the best articulation. My only question is this, whats the best way to lift the rear? I was thinking of adding leaves, but I don't wanna loose anything by adding them. Thought about shackles, but so many Yota and Jeep guys do it, I don't wanna copy them. Again, I wanna get the best articulation out of it.

I'm also going with an Eaton E-locker in the rear, possibly an ARB up front as well as 35" Truxus Mud terrains

 

Just so you know, what ever coils you use will not give you the height they say they will. A 4" jeep coil will not give you 4" of lift. They are made for the weight of jeeps not rangers, so they will compress differently with your truck.

 

Actually I dont even know how you could figure the correct amount of lift. Just get some 4-5 inch coils and you have to make the upper hoop or coil mount and adjust accordingly to the amount of lift that you want.

The jeep springs are usually really soft and like to flex which is good but for on road manners they are kinda unstable on the ranger (a lot of body roll) you can get used to driving that way but it is a lot different then a ranger.

I would run the bronco springs.

 

Yeah, I forgot to mention I'm looking to do an axle out of a 66-77 Bronco (i believe they're a D44, but I may be wrong). I know it's expensive, but for the money I'd be spending on a RCD 5.5", I might as well go all the way and do a SAS. I'll probably wanna end up going with aftermarket springs, ie Skyjacker 4" or 6"

As far as the body roll goes, I'm not too concerned about it, it'll take me a couple days to get used to before its 2nd nature. Still debating keeping the same rear end I have and just upping my gearing or pull the rear off the same style Bronco and swap that in as well. I'm going to go up to 4.56 gearing as well.

 

I always find it entertaining when newbs or semi-noobs think " hey might as well do a SAS"

I'm sorry to be a jerk, but the amount of money and time and fab work that goes into a SAS is beyond comprehension. Zach being the latest one to complete the task can vouch that he pored months into researching the designs and products he wanted to use, and even when it came down to doing, he had lots of down time due to slight miscalculations or not having the correct parts.

I hope you and everyone else who wants to do this, someday can ..... in this case I vote "something else"

 

and he is not that stupid.

its no simple task and if I knew what I know now I dont know that I would have done it.

 

I debated just leaving the IFS up front, but I'm a HUGE fan of the SAS and have been for quite some time. Infact, I was going to do a SAS on the Bronco before the Ranger came into play. Time is nothing to me, seeing as I'll be doing the SAS this winter and I still have the Bronco to drive while the Ranger is down. I also have a buddy, who did a SAS on his 93 who offered to help me with it. It may be a lot of work, but for what I do in the high country, I'm bound to break the IFS the first time out after spending the $$$ on the RCD. I'm gathering up the info now, while I have time. BTW, no newbie to tech stuff, just haven't done a SAS all the way through.