ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Build Diaries, How-To, DIY => Topic started by: openoffroad on January 10, 2009, 04:28:57 PM
-
well ive started the teardown of my trackick.
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas2.jpg)
im going with a sammy axle and leafs ,eithr sammys or yjs wich ever i come up with quick lol.useing the trackick front center section in the sammy case, and useing 1.5 in wheel spacers .my axle has already been spoa swapped so i have to decide is im going spoa or spua both spring perchs are still there (http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas1.jpg)
,i think im going spua for now cause i dont want to get it too high in the air ,not planing on going bigger than 31-inch tires.i will post more as it gets done .so far 3 hrs into the build got all the IFS and front diff removed. (http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas3.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas4.jpg)next tearing down the sammy axle and swaping in the trackick gears and rebuilding the knuckles while im at it
.(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas5.jpg)
-
You going to beef the axle up any? Truss it possibly put some double tuff birfs in it?
Locker while your swapping gears?
Amilla
-
You going to beef the axle up any? Truss it possibly put some double tuff birfs in it?
Locker while your swapping gears?
Amilla
for now im just doing the swap and changing to the trackick third member.ive got that new set of 235/75 buckshots to wear out first so not going to bigger tires right now , will beef up as it grows lol and will add a locker later , also going to add a sammy t-case doubled to the trackick one but all in due time lol
-
This is going to be interesting. this is exactly what I am planning! I'll be watching!!
-
worked more today .made my new rear spring mounts ,
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas7.jpg)
finished cutting off cross brackets where ifs connected. tore down trackick front diff housing ,
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas8.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas9.jpg)
then tore down the sammy diff. hybrid front diff ready to get new seals and gaskets then gonna put it back together,
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas10.jpg)
found sammy front springs gotta go to junkyard and pull them ,gonna swap my IFS stuff i removed for the springs. so thats worth me pulling them i think . still gotta extend front frame rails . im gonna use 2 x 6 x1/4 inch wall tubing and tie in to braceing above front frame too . more to come .
-
well im at a stop now .waiting on springs.been too cold here to go to yard and pull my springs .hope to do it monday .also came up with a z-bar steering rod .from the spoa i got the axle from just wonder does any one know if that rod will work with out being made longer since im using it spua.also does anybody know if the front roaters from the trackick are the same as the sammys they look to be the same , same thing for the manul locking hubs will they work on the sammy. anbody? if so i need the hubs cause ive got one not working on the sammy axle . thanks guys
-
ok finally got to work some more ,temps been very cold here , i am doing this build in my carport with all hand tools and a small welder.so it will show it can be done with out a big fancy garage and thousands of dollars woth of tools .
so ive completed the axle
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas11.jpg)
.its ready i used the trackick roters and trackick caliper brackets they bolt right on now all i do when im ready is put the trackick calipers on dont even have to bleed the brakes. and i get slightly larger than sammy brakes on front.removed the front bumper and grill to acess the frame easer
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas14.jpg).
.prepped the metal for welding
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas12.jpg)
.i made my template for my frame extensions from card board and hope to have them done in a day or two.
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas13.jpg)
im useing 2x6 x 1/4 tube for them so i can tie them into the upper triangle plate above the frame too .as you can see by the template held in place.that will give me alot more support and a future winch mount .
-
Looks good. :)
How far forward are you going to bring the frame?
-
im adding 12 inches to start then after i mount the front spring mounts i will shorten it leaving enough for a winch mount.
-
ive made my front frame extensions .cut them out with a torch then grinded then finshed with a angle grinder my welder will not penatrate 1/4 inch metal so i welded angle iron tabs to the rails at the shop i work at . so i could weld them to the front of the frame(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas15.jpg)
i also will bolt them with 3/8 self tapping bolts
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas17.jpg)
.also i will do my spring hangers this way ,and when i get it all done i will take it to the shop and weld everything solid with a mig for extra support.
-
finally got my springs friday . i got stock sammy rear springs and removed the overloads and bushings .getting new bushings from energy suspension ,
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas19.jpg)
got them mounted on the axle and ready to do the mock up under the trackick
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas20.jpg)
got my rear hangers tacked in place ,got location by hooking the drive shaft up lifting the axle into place and centering the springs.measuring back the same on each side with the slip yoak fully compressed ,then slid the hangers forward 1/2 inch to allow the slip yoak to compress during up travel
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas21.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas24.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas22.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas23.jpg)
i attached the front mounts through the frame but when dropped onto the tires it turned out it was not enough lift so im revamping the mount to below the frame in front. and maybe lift shackels
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas25.jpg)
installed the trackick brakes and calipers to the sammy axle
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas26.jpg)
front shot still got to order wheel spacers.im going with 1.5 to fix the width difference.
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas27.jpg)
installing the sammy axle moved the front wheel forwad about 2 inches .that gives me a little better approach angle and longer wheelbase.
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas28.jpg)
still needs about an inch or 2 more lift in front to sit level ill fix that with new mounts . still got to address the steering link and shocks . but ive got alot done now
,(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas29.jpg)
still got to weld everthing up solid .add some bracing and things like that but all in all im pretty happy with it so far .ive got about 200.00 invested in it so far will have about 300.00 after the new bushings wheel spacers and steering link . so not to bad for a sas. more to come
-
ok ive come up with a custom steering set up i dont know if anyone has done this before ,but here is what i did was gonna cut the factory sammy steering link in half and then sleeve it and be done but looking at the angle ,where i moved the front axle forward the pitman arm was over the front of the axle so i borrowed a little tech from some heavy duty trucks ive seen i think i ford super duty and kept the tracker center link and idler set up milled the end of the sammy rod down to fit in the factory short end tracker tie rod adjuster welded it up and tied it into the passenger side tierod mount on the center link and it works . plus less stress on the pitman arm .with the tie rod adjuster i can fine tune length,doesnt bind from what i can see even at full droop . but ill have to get her on the road to really try it out . anybody see any reason this wont work? the pic is at full droop at rest its almost in line with the axle tierod
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas30.jpg)
-
Never seen this done before, but give it some tests (off road) and see how she holds.
You should flip your U-bolts and put the nuts up top, gain ground clearance and you wont be hanging up on things.
Amilla
-
I would have tried to keep the front tires in their stock location...looks funky with them forward in the wheel well like that. And your front bumper will really stick out...even if you cut off some of your frame extension. Also...why the hell do you need more wheelbase?! Isn't the short wheelbase what makes these things kick so much ass in the first place?
-
A longer wheelbase will make it more stable when it flexes out, a shorter wheelbase is cool for tighter trails.
Your frame extensions do stick out pretty far, its going to cut down your approach angle quite a bit. If it were me i would cut it down, about an 1 or so past the front shackles.
Amilla
-
I understand....I guess I'm so used to twisty tree-ridden trails that I was scratching my head when I saw the lengthened wheelbase.
Still...I think it looks goofy. :P
-
Your frame extensions do stick out pretty far, its going to cut down your approach angle quite a bit. If it were me i would cut it down, about an 1 or so past the front shackles.
I think the plan is to fit a winch, then cut off any extra frame that isn't needed.
I'm waiting to see what he does with the front fenders. :D
-
Still...I think it looks goofy. :P
Looks to me like the wheels are in basically the same spot as Bryan Zeigler's, only its exaggerated by yhe smaller tires....I like it!!
-
yea they are gonna get cut down lol im gonna go about 1 in or so in front of the shackle mounts ,gonna cut them at a angle from bottom to top to match the grill guard i have and add a winch mount plate between the rails , but for now just waiting on parts .lol fenders? ahh i wont need them on the trails lol , i have to get my wheel spacers mounted then address the fenders . i moved the shackle mounts under the frame and modified and added back the over loads now the front sits higher and level with the rear at about 4 inches lift or so.
-
more work today . removed the old strut towers to make room for new shock brackets
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas32.jpg)
did alot of bracing more welding , some fish plates and self tapping bolts just for good measure lol .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas33.jpg)
still waiting on my new bushings,wheel spacers ,to come in ,and got to make the new draglink and mount the shocks , but i got it out with the short drag link i made just to check for clearance and flex .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas34.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas35.jpg)
more updates as i get parts in . its not gonna be long now.i hope.
-
today i trimmed the frame rails. and remounted the bumper and grill .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas36.jpg)
when i do a winch mount im gonna remove the stock bumper so i can recess the winch closer to the grill . so if you do this swap and use sammi rear springs you need 6 in of frame extension
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas37.jpg)
.doesnt look too diferent from stock now , well except that solid axle under there oh and alot more flex. lol
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas38.jpg)
-
I have a 4dr kick... what would happen if this was done with the yj springs on a sami axle spring under???? I know a guy that had a lengthened sami front axle and custom shafts....
Do you think that would be worth it???? I dont have 3k to buy the trail slayer kit...
-
i thought about useing yj springs , they are a little longer than the rear sammi springs and wider , i just came up withthe sami springs first , i say go for it and keep us posted if you do
-
today i got the shocks mounted, i went with a gabriel classic wich is identical to the stock sammi shock just about 2 in longer .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas40.jpg)
i mounted them on the stock lower mounts and used massive corwn vic front shock bolts and welded them to the frame for the upper .i left about 3 in of up travel . i also made my drag link today with 3/4 in id thick wall tuding slid over the stock ends and welded it all up .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas39.jpg)
also got my urthane bushings and got them installed . now im waiting on my wheel spacers to get here this week and im done . for now lol
-
ok quick question for sammi guys . my trackick does great wheelin now but when i hit the road at low speed its fine if i get over 30 mph i get a death wobble can barly hold it in the road , steering is all tight i even added a new tierod today cause the other i had was bent , that didnt hepl any at all .what causes this ? ive noticed if i pull out on the top of the drivers side tire it will move out about 1in or more and thats with weight on it . could this be a broken kingpin , or bad bearing , gonna tear it down maybe tomorrow , just wonderin if anyone knows for shure what it is before i start guess replacing. thanks
-
Wheel bearings maybe. Make sure you check them while you have it apart.
-
heres a pic of the front flex .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas43.jpg)
-
Double check your alignment, I had that same problem. It would only come on when I hit a higher speed, and it felt like it was going to rip my front end out.
I also re-packed and torqued my wheel bearings back to spec, and that pretty much took care of it.
Amilla
-
well i went about 1.5 in longer on the shackels
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas45.jpg)
.i used a stock set from my s-10 blazer i had laying aroung . and it took most of the shake out of it . still starts to shake at about 45 mph or so but not as bad as it was before . doing more checking i think its the wheel bearing as just the tire and roter move not the whole knuckel . so im gonna get a net set of bearings for both sides and do that and add the steering shock .
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas46.jpg)
got my wheel spacers on now . and mounted my front guards back today . it now sits more level . im pretty happy with is so far
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/sas47.jpg)
-
Lookin Good ;)
-
Agree. Congrats.
-
Yeah looks good, I wanna do that to my 4 door!!
-
:D death wobble gone .yea after checkin the caster angle twice ive got abot 5 deg pos. caster that very close to stock only 1/2 deg off . so i start recheckin things , turns out when i changed the tierod last week i didnt get the toe adjustment right it was 3/4 inch wider in the front than the rear readjusted to about 1/2 inch less in front than back . abd tada wobble gone even at 55mph . i guess i read the tape wrong when setting it last time . thanks all for the help.
-
Nice looking conversion. :)
On a side note, I like the brush guard. :D
-
thanks i built that grill guard out of scrp metal lieung around lol turned out pretty good .
-
Sweet ! I have always wanted to SAS a tracker, Ive done toy axles under sammy's but never a track or kick.
Right on :)
-
What size wheel spacers did you use? Does the front match the back in width.
-
i used 1.5 inch spacers the front is just a little smaller than the rear but not bad
well i took it out a couple times now . everything is working pretty well.
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/6-3-21.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/5-3-21.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/4-3-21.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/8-3-21.jpg)
(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp204/openoffroad/2-3-21.jpg)
-
Excellent work! Looks great!!!
-
Did you loose any front ground clearance?
My buddy has a sidekick, he keeps blowing up the front end. So i gave him my old front sami axle, for him to SAS it. Hes hasnt done anything to it yet because hes afraid hes going to loose a bunch of front end ground clearance.
Looking good by the way!
Amilla
-
Why would he lose ground clearance? If you mean because of the straight axle versus the IFS...then maybe like...an inch?
BUT...if you clear a rock or log with the front because of the way the IFS is setup....you still have a solid axle in the rear to think about.
AND....I thought ground clearance was only truly gained with larger tires. Sure...you can get your body/frame off the ground with taller springs.....but you'll still bash the crap outta yer axles unless you have big tires.
-
A straight axle hangs down quite a bit more than IFS, not only just the axle. In spring under set up you have the springs, U-bolts and U-bolt plates hanging down, not just the diff (other than bashing the front diff into the ring gear).
IFS
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f261/rellim87/sas2.jpg)
SAS
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f261/rellim87/sas37.jpg)
Even thou there are more things to snag on with a spring under set up, the strength of a solid axle compared to IFS out weights the loss of clearance.
Bigger tires are definitely the best way to gain clearance, but if you cant go to a bigger tire or choose not to. You can shave the diffs, SPOA, high pinion 3rds, or switch to a custom high clearance axle.
Amilla
-
honestly i cant tell any diff in ground clearance , face it the little sammy axle is almost too short to worry about high centering much ,with it moved forward i get a better aproach angle despite the low hanging shackels , but the off road ride and stability is awsome .no more 3 wheeling with a front tire hanging in the air and harsh front end bashing when you hit a hole because of little or no down travel . i love it it walk through places it used to lift a tire and slide side ways cause only the locked rear had traction.