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Done with IFS - my turn for SAS

86K views 244 replies 40 participants last post by  lorenzo816 
#1 ·
So many of you know I've been wheelin just fine with the 34's and drop diff and OME springs and the aussie locker.
Been wheeling with a lot of people on this board and learned a lot. Glad to be here really.
I've also been pushing it pretty hard for about 7 years now. Well now its time for a change. The whole front-end just pisses me off every time I have to work on it.

So I've been collecting parts here and there and just in the past few months its been getting serious.
Over time I managed to get everything I need now for the swap except tires.
Gonna post up here first and hold off on putting anything up on NC4x4 until I have some more work done.

So here is a good shot of my truck as it sits now:


Here is what I currently run:
3" suspension - longer shackles and Torsion bar crank with Inde4x ball joint spacers and flip
OME Dakar HD springs
1" body lift
drop-diff (1.25")
4.56 gears (10 bolt front swap from trooper and regear the rear to match)
Aussie locker in the rear
34" LTBs (sold) on 15x7 snowflakes (sold)
Trail Gear (for toyota) rock sliders
2" gas tank lift
Aisin manual hubs
Moog ball joints.....

Here is the plan:
???" suspension lift
3 link on a Dana 44 (64" wms) with 4.56 gears and an OX locker
Highsteer on flat top knuckles (already got 'em)
12" Fox coilovers up front
SOA the rear end (keeping the aussie in there)
1" or 1.5" inch spacers on rear (to bring the rear wms to 62" or 63")
Trackbar on the rear
37" 12.50 on 17's (thinking MTRs or STTs or KM2s)
Warn premium manual hubs
Cromoly axle shafts
Revo gear - T-Case (3:1)

Pics as time goes on... here are a few teasers.
And if the truck blows up or takes a crap... I'm cutting it all off and moving on. No love loss - I just love the fact we have room for 4 adults and can wheel comfortably and the wheelbase is badass compared to a jeep. Also love the body on frame, cast iron front diff, good stock gearing... Isuzu did it right. SO yeah, this is a good truck to start a build on. No sense in moving on yet.
;-)

Flat Top knuckle with High steer

OX locker

Full width 44 (donor) and the J10 Axle

Nissan 17x8 rims
 
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#2 ·
That thing is gunna be sick man!! Can't wait to see it on 37s, I like the STT myself, I know quite a few people who have had good luck with them
 
#3 ·
Like the plan...although I think the 4.56's/37" are going to make you feel WAY underpowered. I am currently running 5.13's with 35's and I don't feel I have a lot of power, and have to down shift quite a bit on any steady hills. I think with bigger tires and higher gearing you are going to be begging for power.

I will be curious to see how this goes though.
 
#5 ·
Thought about it also, I agree.... might happen.
Currently I have 4.56 in the rear and the donor axle had a match so it seemed like a no-brainer.
Even my fab guy said run them until you want to change, if you want to change.

I'm going to ride on them until I decide I need 5.13's or 5.38's
With the 3:1 t-case gear, it will help offroad but keep in mind this isn't my daily driver.
I hope to not be on the road that much begging for hp/torque.
 
#7 ·
Just got my axle... well axles back few days ago. Selling the full width housing eventually.
Gonna get joints, tube and some more plate steel here soon.
no special updates yet.
I did find some wheel spacers that magically are the same pitch as our lugs. Those will go in the rear when I'm done.
Should be putting in an order for tires here soon.
Need tires to figure out the link geometry.
 
#8 ·
Looking forward to seeing this build
 
#9 ·
Finally going into the shop.
Apologies for delays - I'm at the mercy of the schedule of my friend doing the Fabrication work.

I rounded up the remaining parts on my list a few months ago, but was just waiting on tires.
Well, I got these Goodyears last week.
Stoked!
37x12.50 17's


Everyone that was waiting on my parts, I'll start hitting you up here soon.
 
#10 ·
Its getting "Real" now.
Got everything unbolted and had to cut a few things off.
Tires mounted on rims and everything is at the shop.

No IFS no more:

37" Tires:


I've followed a few other builds here, going way back to Bryan (anubis) his 3 link and SOA in the rear.
98passports 3 link front job and ssericz's 4 link trooper build.
Looking for any advice on the front shaft since it is so damn short.
Aside from putting a doubler in or swapping whole trans to something longer, may have to custom make one.
 
#11 ·
I assume you have a manual transmission if you are having issues with a short front drive shaft. Bradzuzu made a front drive shaft out of a double cardan joint from a Toyota for the transfer case side and then mated it with an Isuzu shaft for the axle side.

I followed his idea but I have an auto so my drive shaft is longer. Depending on how you cut the two shafts they might be a slightly different diameter. Just to get on the road I butt welded the two together but got vibrations above 45mph with my hubs engaged. Since then, I turned down the shafts and then sleeved the connection. It is much stronger and I don't feel any vibrations at highway speed. In order to mount the Toyota double cardan joint to the transfer case you will have to modify the output flange. I had a machine shop drill the pattern for mine but Bradzuzu used a centering puck and drilled it himself.

The key when looking for a Toyota shaft is to get one from a solid axle rig (85 and older). The ifs rigs also have a double cardan but it does not have near as much travel as the solid axle solid axle double cardan.

Looking forward to this build! Do you know what kind of link system you are running up front? I would personally lean towards a three link. The radius arms on mine do their job and made for an easy first build but my next build will be a true link system.

*Edit: I just saw in your first post you are planning to run a three link.
 
#12 ·
Actuallly I do have an 84 double cardan yota shaft at the house. I took it one day thinking it was a good find.
I do have a manual trans and the distance is the issue. Don't know yet if the yota shaft will come in handy yet.
Gotta put the axle in position with tires on it and measure

I did see your pic again of your shaft. Yep, much longer.
Hmnnnn
 
#14 ·
Sorry I'm late for this , looks like it's going to be a good one !! The dline in the manuals usually works out to be 21"s long.. The auto adds about 4"s I think ??
 
#15 ·
Work done so far:



talked about going to a 2wd housing and forgetting the T-case all together and connecting an already geared D300 or np205 behind it.
or if the trans output isn't same for 4wd as it is 2wd....
cut the t-case housing, pull front gears out, then plate weld the case back solid again, eliminating the front output, then go 300 or 205 behind it.
or.... yeah for now.... realistically
try the short shaft from the front output modified for the steep-arse angle of full droop.
looking like a 45 degree angle since we can't move the axle up and change out the steering options to something else.

Yep, I said we 'talked' about it.... but really just need to see what works for now and also what doesn't rob my wallet all at once.
 
#16 ·
Can you switch out the exhaust for a later model so it's tucked out of the way more ? If you rotate the pinion up more I think you'll be fine for travel.. It's on my list to do next I think because as of now my pinion (having been rotated down to add to my caster) put the cardan at a steep angle at ride height, I need to check what I have left for down travel..
 
#17 ·
We looked at the exhaust and talked about rebunged O2 sensor locations.
The exhaust is got to move no matter what for the upper link.
If you can find a pic of any reroute exhaust from the header back with O2's, PM me.
I have seen Jonesy's exhaust on his Solid Axle. Let me dig for it....
dang it. deleted.
Let me see if we can get those recovered. :blackeye:
 
#18 ·
97 and up crosses over tighter.. You'll kill another problem by getting rid of the exhaust restrictors :)





I think you have a couple of choices , the amigo crosses over behind the trany but I think the troopers have a tight crossover..
 
#19 ·
Lorenzo,

Here are the pics you asked about. As you can see, in mine they rerouted the exhaust up front around the oilpan. I haven't really dug into it since I got this thing, but I do have a CEL light that codes to O2...maybe just be the O2 sensor is shot...but I've had no extra $$ to investigate. It seems to work ok, I just need to figure out the CEL to know for sure. One other thing, and I'm pretty sure this is related to the exhaust routing, the hump in the floor by the shifters gets pretty hot...it's annoying in the summer when it's already hot outside. I just need to get an extra few thousand $ to get this thing revamped.

Passenger side off manifold



front, around oil pan



along driver side rail to match up to Cat

 
#20 ·
Thanks man.
I may also run out to the junkYard and cut some O2 wires to extend my connections with some careful splicing if it comes down to it.
 
#21 ·
I did that with mine and haven't had any issues.. Wrapping the exhaust around the engine will add a lot of heat .. Not good in my opinion..
 
#22 ·
Got the front axle back together and wheels/tires on.
Good and bad news.
Need new ball joints on one end.
Need a new bearing on the other end.
Need seals on the spindles while we're at it.
Everything went together well. Not too bad at all.

Good it all looks well but however... the rims have too much backspacing and I will need to get different ones in order to clear the high steer.
I could run a spacer but that is not ideal. Big oopsie. Thought they would work. :shock:

The tie rod that is on there now is just to keep everything straight for now. I will replace with rod and heims at both ends.
 
#25 ·
Yeah man his welds are like a stack of dimes.
We got the shaft kinda figured out too.
Gonna do something like Eric (the red 4 linked trooper) did with a metal washer to match the eyelet on the toyota flange and drill a few more holes in it.
 
#26 ·
I'm the one that told him how to build it, his buddy made a nice machined bushing for the centering ..
 
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