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SAS Teaser photos...

4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
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4,250
Location
Tardville
Finally! I have the front axle mocked-up and in place. It has been quite an ordeal to get to this point. Along the way I have been experimenting with different parts & pieces, trying to find the magic combination. Numerous setbacks have put me way behind but, I now have all of the links and mounting brackets figured out and fabbed....many I had to make from scratch (or modify over-the-counter stuff). I still have gobs of issues to solve but, this weekend I will be able to put the truck down on the ground with wheels & tires to set the ride height and see what it looks like. While the "touchdown" will not be permanent...it is a huge psychological victory just to be able to see my H3 back together! Its been nearly 3-months, and more than once I thought..."I've really done it this time". I estimate I have another month of nights & weekends to get the steering, brakes, and shocks figured out.

Here's a few from last week. Upper link and trackbar are missing from these photos but, they are installed now. I'll take some better pics this weekend.

View attachment 4016 View attachment 4017 View attachment 4018
 
cgalpha08

cgalpha08

"Like Nothing Else"
Messages
3,713
Location
Indianapolis, IN
That is lookin sweeeeeeeeet!!!!!! Any chance it'll be ready for the badlands? Cant wait to see it in action!

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
 
ReconH3

ReconH3

Guardian Angel
Messages
2,288
Location
Raleigh, NC
Wow. Good to see another SAS. :D What are the coils off of? Did you make it a 3 or 4 link?


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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4,250
Location
Tardville
Thanks guys. I'm trying like hell to get done to make the Badlands trip but, its very unlikely. I have so much to do and only 4-weeks to do it. That doesn't include break-in, adjustments, or (gulp)...cutting and re-welding something that isn't working! I just bolted the wheels on and dropped it off the jacks tonight. It looks like a monster! Its sitting slightly nose-up and my worn-out stock rear springs are still as flat as I remember. The shackles are folded way back which is a clue to them being worn out. I'm considering some Deavers.

My current steering box is a re-valved Saginaw. Its the same thing used on CJs, most other pre-TJ Jeeps, and Chevelles. It's mounted inboard of the frame rail, and I had to drop it down to clear the lower radiator hose. I tried spacing the radiator up but, that made the shroud rub the fan...I can tell this is going to snowball into a bunch of work I don't want to do. I absolutely hate this arrangement, and I will be scrapping it. I'll be switching to an early Bronco box, or maybe a JK (like Recon's). The early Bronco box might be a better choice because it mounts to the outboard side of the frame rail, away from the radiator. However, the trade-off is possible tire rub at full lock.

The coils are used 4"-over Bronco springs (66-78, I think). I gave $40 for them, and other than the hideous yellow powder-coat...they seem to work really well. Tonight I was able to bounce the truck for the first time, and my first impression is that these springs are perfect for the H3. The suspension is a 3-link made from mostly pre-made fab parts...the exception being my custom track-bar mount on the axle. The biggest hassle getting to this point was buying a bunch of stuff that didn't work. The actual "swap" isn't really that bad. When I get done, I'll post a complete parts list to save others the frustration and expense of buying parts 3 or 4 times like I have.
 
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06 H3

06 H3

a.k.a. "The Jackal"
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9,499
Location
Meridian, ID
Great CJ! You, once again have done good things for the Hummer world. Let me know if you need help on the deavers, I just got a set on mine and they arent too far from me...yours will be a bit different seeing your a spring over and carry less weight in the rear but they are good to work with.
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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Messages
4,250
Location
Tardville
This whole project has been 3-steps forward, 2-steps back and when I get frustrated and depressed I have to remind myself that even when things are 3-forward, 2-back...ITS STILL ONE STEP FORWARD from where I was last week! Such is the case with the steering...

My new Bronco box arrived in the mail yesterday, so I quickly began work on getting it mounted. This is called a "Delphi" coversion box for reasons I don't really know but, it has (4) mounting ears, and a 3.7:1 ratio. Its my understanding that the "Delphi" box has upgraded guts inside it to improve the 1960's era design to something that feels more modern. Anyway...we're gonna give it a try. The CJ box I had previously bought just wasn't working out too well, so off it came.

The new Bronco box mounts to the outside of the frame rail, and the entire unit sits above the frame rail...which is actually a great place on the H3. This allows you to leave the radiator alone, and it makes for a much better angle on the input shaft (coming from the steering wheel). First I had to take the brake-line T-block loose and bend some brake lines slightly. Then I took the plasma cutter to the front of the wheel well. I removed quite a bit of material but, not so much to compromise the body mount. Since this area of the frame is actually the factory "crumple zone", I decided to beef up the frame rail so the box has some real solid meat to mount to. Jeeps and Chevys are famous for ripping steering boxes off frames, and there are many kits available to reinforce this area on those vehicles. So...I figured I should do the same to the H3. I fabbed some plates from .250" thick steel and welded them in place, giving me a nice, flat surface for the box, and extra stiffness to keep the frame rail from flexing at full-lock. Then I marked the bolt-holes and drilled completely through the frame, and installed (4) 7/16" x 5" bolts. The finished installation is WAY superior to the CJ box, and as you can see...the pitman arm is tucked up nice and tight out of harms way. Thankfully, the trackbar bracket you see here is only tack-welded and I'll be replacing it with an inboard version to gain some clearance for the pitman arm. This will also require me to shorten the trackbar a couple inches. Like I said...everything is 3-forward, 2-back...

View attachment 4082 View attachment 4083 View attachment 4084 View attachment 4085
 
ReconH3

ReconH3

Guardian Angel
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2,288
Location
Raleigh, NC
That setup looks even better than mine with the JK box. The problem I ran into with the JK box is that it didn't have enough to handle the weight of the H3, so I had to get a ram assist. Fortunately, the box was already tapped for the ram hoses. Your box will hopefully not need it since its designed for bigger rigs. The OEM pump also couldn't handle it either. Even without the ram. At first I got a PSC pump but it blew after 5 minutes. I had the OEM pump sent to Howe to have them modify it, and that's what I've been running since. I really like your setup so much more, and if it works well, I'll be using your build as a reference for others that want to do a SAS.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone
 
silvrzuki77

silvrzuki77

Well-Known Member
Messages
556
Location
Vegas
Looking really good. I have a question for you or recon. Did you guys ever consider a fzj80 axle? I have one laying around with factory e locker. I think it is only 63" wide versus roughly 67" on a stock hummer. My axle is a late model with abs obviously will need a custom tone ring to keep abs. Seems like it might be a good candidate? Even the stock suspension linkage would work decent. Any thoughts?
 
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4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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Messages
4,250
Location
Tardville
Sorry...whats an FZJ80? Some Toyota I assume? I've seen some Toyota axles take a helluva pounding.

I considered many different axles but, being limited to a passenger-side drop makes the decision real easy. There is not much to choose from, and the GM Dana44 (1/2 ton version) is damn-near the identical width as the stock IFS. You could always make something custom say...from a Ford Hi-pinion or something but, I was trying to stay cheap and available.
 
silvrzuki77

silvrzuki77

Well-Known Member
Messages
556
Location
Vegas
Its the 91-97 landcruiser axle with high pinon passenger drop diff come with 410 and factory e lockers. Can find them with pretty cheap around here at least. How are you solving the abs problem?
 
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