4speedfunk
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Rather than clutter-up a bunch of other threads, I'm starting a new one to post up some pics of the latest THORparts SAS-H3T. You may have seen a few shots of this already...cutting and removing the stock suspension. Now that most of that is out of the way, we're starting to get to the "meat" of the build. Today was a momentous occasion...after about three weeks of being up on jack stands fighting rust and taking a load of sparks in the face...TOUCHDOWN!..
This is the first test of ride height...28" fender-to-hub centerline. Its was pretty tall to begin with (25.5" with the Rancho), and I think it is still a tad too tall for my tastes. But, it certainly looks like a monster, and the 37"s have plenty of room. I dare say 40"s would probably fit with no changes. There is no way this thing is going to roll out of my shop at this height, so I have some stock 33"s to bolt-on when that day comes. BTW...this truck also has a 1" Daystar body lift, which contributes to the extra height. Springs are full-size Bronco +4" and the coil buckets are adjustable.
This front suspension is pretty much a carbon copy of my SAS and Squeaky's SAS with a few minor changes. On this one I had to put a 20-degree bend in the track-bar to clear the pumpkin. This was due to the track-bar bracket I used on the axle, and I have since found another brand I like better. But this one is already welded-on and it works pretty good. Another big change is the axle itself. This one is a highly-customized high-pinion D44...a first around here. It was made by pulling the tubes out of a Ford housing and relocating the pumpkin to the passenger-side...then re-tubing it to match the standard GM D44 width. Its loaded with Yukon shafts, Eaton E-locker, and 5.13 gears. This also has the THORparts H3-to-Dana brake kit that retains the ABS, TCS, and Stabilitrak systems.
At first deciding to use a high-pinion seemed like a no-brainer. They are allegedly 15% stronger, and you get the added benefit of a shallower driveshaft angle. However, now that I got it in place under the truck, some issues become obvious immediately. First and foremost is the clearance between the yoke and the 3.7L's exhaust manifold. At this ride height, there is only about 5" between the yoke and the catalytic converter...so bump stop calculations will be critical to keep the yoke from smacking the exhaust at full compression. IMO, the low pinion GM housing is a better fit, and its certainly easier since you don't have to make it from scratch...but, this particular axle is about as bomb-proof of a D44 as you can get. It also has .500" wall axle tubes, which put its final weight up where two guys cannot lift it.
I'm going to take a break from the front, and start on the rear suspension. It's getting a spring-over and re-gear to 5.13s. Once I get it back down on the ground...I will play around with coil-bucket positions and settle on a finished ride-height.
This is the first test of ride height...28" fender-to-hub centerline. Its was pretty tall to begin with (25.5" with the Rancho), and I think it is still a tad too tall for my tastes. But, it certainly looks like a monster, and the 37"s have plenty of room. I dare say 40"s would probably fit with no changes. There is no way this thing is going to roll out of my shop at this height, so I have some stock 33"s to bolt-on when that day comes. BTW...this truck also has a 1" Daystar body lift, which contributes to the extra height. Springs are full-size Bronco +4" and the coil buckets are adjustable.
This front suspension is pretty much a carbon copy of my SAS and Squeaky's SAS with a few minor changes. On this one I had to put a 20-degree bend in the track-bar to clear the pumpkin. This was due to the track-bar bracket I used on the axle, and I have since found another brand I like better. But this one is already welded-on and it works pretty good. Another big change is the axle itself. This one is a highly-customized high-pinion D44...a first around here. It was made by pulling the tubes out of a Ford housing and relocating the pumpkin to the passenger-side...then re-tubing it to match the standard GM D44 width. Its loaded with Yukon shafts, Eaton E-locker, and 5.13 gears. This also has the THORparts H3-to-Dana brake kit that retains the ABS, TCS, and Stabilitrak systems.
At first deciding to use a high-pinion seemed like a no-brainer. They are allegedly 15% stronger, and you get the added benefit of a shallower driveshaft angle. However, now that I got it in place under the truck, some issues become obvious immediately. First and foremost is the clearance between the yoke and the 3.7L's exhaust manifold. At this ride height, there is only about 5" between the yoke and the catalytic converter...so bump stop calculations will be critical to keep the yoke from smacking the exhaust at full compression. IMO, the low pinion GM housing is a better fit, and its certainly easier since you don't have to make it from scratch...but, this particular axle is about as bomb-proof of a D44 as you can get. It also has .500" wall axle tubes, which put its final weight up where two guys cannot lift it.
I'm going to take a break from the front, and start on the rear suspension. It's getting a spring-over and re-gear to 5.13s. Once I get it back down on the ground...I will play around with coil-bucket positions and settle on a finished ride-height.
