hey there, i have a 1988 4runner that ive been wanting to do a sas to for a long time, i also have a 93 eclipse that im going to be selling so i can put the money i make from that into this sas, i just wanted to know where should i begin, with what kit and things like that, i have a 3 inch body lift and ive been able to run 33 12.50s with none to minimal rubbing, i just dont want to jump into something if im going to get soo overwhelmed with it, i have little to none experience on working mechanically with stuff like this, so id like to find someone in my area maybe to help me out with this, i live in Yakima Washington, but any advice and information would be great thanks

 

is your runner locked?? a rear locker would help... and if you sas you should lock the front... trucks with sas and no lockers arnt much better than ifs....

 

I agree with the rear locker. Do things that will stay on the truck or you can sell - I'd say do front ball joint spacers and then relax the torsion bars. Then you'd have a more flexible front suspension sense you already have the body lift for tire clearance.

 

Talk to AxleIke about it...

 

in hopes that ive learned alot recently lol i wonder why i still have to ask,

whats a balljoint spacer? and no its not locked , should i get it locked first then eventually get a sas?

 

and the torsion bars havent ever been cranked, do you mean to like UNcrank them more?

 

To be perfectly honest, and I'm really not trying to be a jerk here, you might wanna keep moving towards the limits of IFS before you start cutting stuff off. If you don't know what BJ spacers are, or what torsion bars do, I really don't think you need to even be thinking about an SAS right now.

Get gears, locker, and armor. Wheel the daylights out of your truck. Learn its limits, and then decide if you want to SAS.

But then again, that's just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you do.

 

yeah dude i recently took my 93 runner out and had to get pulled by a 4ford about 5 times to finish the trail because i only have bfg all terrains and no locked rear... the ifs works great and flexs so good stock i dont even want to lift my truck anymore than a body lift and maybe some spacers and.... the mud tires anda locker well get you so much further than a sas and so much cheaper... get a dual crawl box or a twin stick and a lock a nd armor for the price you would sas.... a sas without a locker is a stock 85 4runner which they upgraded to ifs....which a sas unlocked verious a ifs unlocked i might go ifs...

 

ok, is a dual crawl box a dual transfer case? @_a whats a twin stick, and what KIND of armor?

 

Staying on topic I think you were asking about sas kits and where to begin to put one on. Several companies sell sas kits but the most complete and affordable is the Trail-Gear. Several of us on the site are T.G. dealers who could help you out but retail is $1099. The first place to start would be find a solid axle and have it built to your needs. If you have a dependable shop grab one from a junkyard and get started or I sell Trail Ready Axles specifically for sas. As for putting it on your runner the fab skills required to do a safe install might be out of your range but check the Trail-Gear Dealer page to find a installer near you. The first gen body style has to be my favorite and they should all have solid axles just my thoughts though

 

how much is an already made axle and what is the strength of it compared to an 85 axle

 

I still think your money would be better used on gears, locker, and armor. But then again, I'm not selling anything.

Can I ask WHY you feel you need to SAS your truck?

 

The base price is 1495 strength wise its an 85 Axle fully rebuilt with all the gussets to keep it from ever bending optional hd shafts can be installed upon order. Whatever ratio you want with whatever locker or carrier check site in my sig

 

I agree you could have a decent wheeler without doing a sas and spending little to nothing. However the thread was on sas advice

 

alright, sorry about all the questions ^_^ ok, ive always ran 33 12.50s, but eventually i wanna move up to 35s possibly 37s, how much am i expecting to pay saying that im buying the kit and the premade axle and then whatever gears would be best for 33 eventually 35 or 37s.

 

and labor : \

 

Point taken. However, sometimes the best advice isn't what we originally wanted to hear. But I suppose even that is subjective.

To the OP, good luck in your endeavor. Hope you can get a lot of money out of that eclipse.

SAS away...

 

Stock Toyota Birfields are the same strength as CV's.

You are looking at spending over 2 grand on a modification that other people told you that you need, yet you have no idea what they are talking about.

Does this sound like a good idea?

You have no lockers, no gears, no armor.

A SAS without anything else is simply a street queen mod. You will be putting on a 2000 dollar steering upgrade, and some neat flex that you won't be able to fully make use of because you have no lockers.

Let me put it this way.

If you NEED a SAS, then you are ready to wheel on trails where body damage is unavoidable, roll overs are common and happen frequently, and every piece of glass on your vehicle gets shattered within the first mile.

Here is a list of trails with the kinds of ratings that I am talking about. If you are wheeling trails that are 9-10's, then I stand corrected, and you do NEED a SAS.

http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=161

http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=178

http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=159

http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=160

Anything less than that, my IFS can and has been driven on, with occasional steering issues, that have mostly been resolved by lowering the torsion bars.

 

I'm in cali so labor $ might be different up there but most shops charge 20 hours also 2 hours to change the rear diff to match i'm pm you what i'd charge in my shop

 

x2

A good SAS is going to cost you AT LEAST $3000 for parts, and that's if you do the work yourself, which it sounds like you can't. So add another couple grand on there for the fab work, and you're at $5000.

For half of that or less, you could lock and regear your rig front/rear and go just about anywhere the SAS rig will go, only limited by your willingness to take body damage.

One other thing - if you NEED a SAS - I mean truly NEED one - you need to have another car, because the trails you are running have a great risk of mechanical and/or body damage. Really, a tow rig and trailer are probably in your near future too ...

Long story short, IMHO, a SAS is not a cost effective way to increase the capability of our trucks. The return on investment for armor, lockers, and gears is SO much higher that they should be done first.