SAS 4wd conversion

BigTim55

Banned
Location
San Antonio
alright guys i have decided (finally) to SAS and convert the X to 4wd. and i needs yalls help. this will be my brainstorming thread at first and then when i start actually get the parts together i will post them.but thats another one of my problems, i dont understand this stuff much and i'm one of those guys that if i knew exactly what to buy it would make my brain stop hurting lol. I want to make it as capable as possible but i also want to be able to drive it and take it on trips to go wheeling without having to trailer it. i know that i need a front and rear diff and transfer case(idk if i want divorced or not) driveshaft. shoot me some ideas guys! i wanna hear everyones suggestions.
I am thinking i want D60 front and rear and an atlas transfer case but this isn't written in stone yet! thanks guys!
 

Diadaga

Suspension Lift
Founding Member
Location
Virginia
I know one of the guys on tnx used parts from a Rubicon. He did that so that abs and all that other fun stuff would link up.

Sent from my mansion in Grouchland.
 

malleusdei321

Test Drive
Location
Knoxville, TN
Yup, his forum name is Creek though i believe he took down his build thread. He used JK Rubicon D44's front and rear since it has a very similar abs layout. He was running 37's and he didn't seem to have problems when wheeling. Here's his sale thread, it lists his mods. http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52368&highlight=Creek. Here's a SAS on a fronty on clubfrontier.org, the info and the pics he posts are very informative. He put D60's and an atlas in for his wife. Its 17 pages though. http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f15/07-solid-axle-swap-85923/
 

Deadpilot

<img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u7/ra
Founding Member
Location
Fallbrook, CA
Probably the best idea for the conversion depending on how stock you wanna go. Is find a divorced t case and just run custom drive shafts. Im gonna be using a divorced np205 and just run a twin stick setup up into the cab and the hub are gonna be manual locking ones. I like having the options that it will give me. Thats just my thoughts though

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4
 

BigTim55

Banned
Location
San Antonio
This........will get you a TON of different advise. From D60's are the only way to go to D60's are so much overkill and too dam heavy for the X. Linked, Radius Armed or Leafed is another topic that has a wide range of views. And then there is the whole "It's not worth it, just buy a 4wd to start with" debate.

I have my own thoughts on all of those as well as other things that will come up. Some folks agree with em, some don't.

SO, what I will say here is this. FIRST and FOREMOST, get a VERY CLEAR GOAL in mind for what you want this rig to do. Be realistic. Is 90% of what you are driving on road with only 10% being offroad, or is it the other way around? Do you want it to have really great street manners or do you really not care about on street performance (and you can achieve either with any setup) BUDGET, and this here is the BIG ONE. How much do you want to end up spending on it? When you have that figure, add $2000 to it for all the little things that come up. Trust me, it will happen.

Search for the user name here of GrandpaX. If you want the best of the best, that is the system you wanna do. However, keep in mind while reading through his thread, that system is in the neighborhood of 7-8K. And that doesn't cover your "conversion" from 2wd to 4wd in regaurds to the tranny and T-case and such.

Good luck. :)

Cheers,
Josh

What are your thoughts on the d60 Casper? For a while it will be about 85-90% on road with the rest off road, I've got a motorcycle I can use on most days but I want to be able to drive it if its gonna rain or something, and I wanna be able to drive it to where ever I'm gonna wheel it. I'm gonna check out GrandpaX build thread and get some ideas off of it.

Sent from the great beyond
 

BigTim55

Banned
Location
San Antonio
I know one of the guys on tnx used parts from a Rubicon. He did that so that abs and all that other fun stuff would link up.

Sent from my mansion in Grouchland.

Yup, his forum name is Creek though i believe he took down his build thread. He used JK Rubicon D44's front and rear since it has a very similar abs layout. He was running 37's and he didn't seem to have problems when wheeling. Here's his sale thread, it lists his mods. http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52368&highlight=Creek. Here's a SAS on a fronty on clubfrontier.org, the info and the pics he posts are very informative. He put D60's and an atlas in for his wife. Its 17 pages though. http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f15/07-solid-axle-swap-85923/

Yea I've seen creeks build and the rubi axles are BA but really pricey but they do make the abs and all that work better... I really want to make sure I can keep the abs and speedo and all that working

Sent from the great beyond
 

BigTim55

Banned
Location
San Antonio
Probably the best idea for the conversion depending on how stock you wanna go. Is find a divorced t case and just run custom drive shafts. Im gonna be using a divorced np205 and just run a twin stick setup up into the cab and the hub are gonna be manual locking ones. I like having the options that it will give me. Thats just my thoughts though

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4

I've been watchin your thread deadpilot and the divorced case intrigues me, but my local group said they were sort of wary of them. I'd like to keep everything as easy as possible, but I don't exactly know what manual hubs are?

Sent from the great beyond
 

malleusdei321

Test Drive
Location
Knoxville, TN
Allows you to disconnect the front tires from the drivetrain, meaning that when you drive the tires won't be turning the axles until you get out of the vehicle and lock the hubs in then you'll have true 4wd drive again. They say being able to unlock and disconnect the tire from the axles saves gas since its less drivetrain resistance. Their is no electronics with manual hubs either so that eliminates that failure point.
 

BigTim55

Banned
Location
San Antonio
Allows you to disconnect the front tires from the drivetrain, meaning that when you drive the tires won't be turning the axles until you get out of the vehicle and lock the hubs in then you'll have true 4wd drive again. They say being able to unlock and disconnect the tire from the axles saves gas since its less drivetrain resistance. Their is no electronics with manual hubs either so that eliminates that failure point.

Thank you

Sent from the great beyond
 

Deadpilot

<img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u7/ra
Founding Member
Location
Fallbrook, CA
I've been watchin your thread deadpilot and the divorced case intrigues me, but my local group said they were sort of wary of them. I'd like to keep everything as easy as possible, but I don't exactly know what manual hubs are?

Sent from the great beyond

The divorced t case if you find the right one is better then the stock on the x has it. With my np205 my ratios are way better then the stock x one. Ill have to look it up later and post the differences. But another plus is with the twin stick setup option ill have is I can run the normal 4 h and 4l but I get the options to run the front axle only in high or low or the rear in high or low. If I remember correctly.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4
 

Pro-2X

Suspension Lift
Location
Rockmart, GA
It also allows you to fine tune your driveshaft angles by changing the mounting position, location, and angle. Your Transmission no longer dictates the rest of our drive train.
 

Grandpa X

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Luverne Mn
Who helped Creek with that build... :kewl:


So I will give you guys the same speech that everyone I help SaS gets.

No matter how you build your rig.. it will only be worth parting out when done. So take the value of your rig and throw it out the door...

So why not buy an old Pathy or first gen Xterra.. start with a 1500 dollar rig.. not a $20K...

So you are sasing to wheel the hard stuff... will you cry when it rolls on it's top... refer to statement above.

I get it... the ultimate mod that is posted on a forum. You have to think of it as a conversion.. there is no going back.

Hmm, sell your rig for 15k?!? and have the money for one heck of a SaSed first gen... No money out of pocket.

With that said.. can't wait to see your rig!

--------------------------------------------------------------

.
 
Last edited:

Golf286

Wheeling
Location
Niwot, Colorado
Who helped Creek with that build... :kewl: So I will give you guys the same speech that everyone I help SaS gets. No matter how you build your rig.. it will only be worth parting out when done. So take the value of your rig and throw it out the door... So why not buy an old Pathy or first gen Xterra.. start with a 1500 dollar rig.. not a $20K... So you are sasing to wheel the hard stuff... will you cry when it rolls on it's top... refer to statement above. I get it... the ultimate mod that is posted on a forum. You have to think of it as a conversion.. there is no going back. Hmm, sell your rig for 15k?!? and have the money for one heck of a SaSed first gen... No money out of pocket. With that said.. can't wait to see your rig! -------------------------------------------------------------- .
Great advice!!!!
 

TJTJ

Skid Plates
Founding Member
Location
NJ
:lolz:

That has got to be one of the funniest give and go's I've seen in a while....and the advice is spot on to boot.

:D
 

CaptainMorgan_SOS

Need Bigger Tires
Location
Alamogordo, NM
I would love to see this.

Stephen-Colbert-Popcorn.gif
 

t-ray

Test Drive
Location
Mesa, AZ
All good advice. My advice is simple: keep the 2nd gen how you have it and take the 15k you'll end up putting into it over time towards a badass built rig for probably half the cost. Look on pirate4x4.com

If you insist on being a cool kid with a sas'd 2nd gen...make a very clear and realistic goal for it and plan plan plan. Then add another 10-15% onto your estimated cost.
 

Grandpa X

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Luverne Mn
A divorced np205 has a 2 to 1 ratio.. the factory Nex Gen has something like 2.72. Low range is going have the satisfaction compared to kissing your sister at best. Now if a guy can put a doubler in front.. yee haa!

The first gen rigs had 2 to 1... the best thing a guy can do is switch the gearing out to the calmini 3.92 to 1.

Low Max makes a 3 to 1 conversion for the 205.. but only for the Chevy married setup.
 

GhostX

Allergic to Pavement<br><img src="http://i164.phot
Location
SoCal
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Close, really, really.......actually not really close. Not close at all. Try again. ;)

Cheers,
Josh

X2...lol

All good advice. My advice is simple: keep the 2nd gen how you have it and take the 15k you'll end up putting into it over time towards a badass built rig for probably half the cost. Look on pirate4x4.com

If you insist on being a cool kid with a sas'd 2nd gen...make a very clear and realistic goal for it and plan plan plan. Then add another 10-15% onto your estimated cost.

HOLY ISHT Tim...haven't seen you forumside in forever.
 
Top