95 z71 6.0 swap sas swap questions

[musclecarsrock68@yah]

Whats up guys im new to the forum as a member but have read and learned alot in the past. Im putting a 6.0 LS motor in my truck and wanting to swap to a solid front axle strength and reliability for the new power of the 6.0 and also for some light off roading/flexing on things. That all being said i think i have most of the motor swap figured out now i need help with the SAS. I have been doing alot of reading on other peoples builds and have a few questions to help me do it right the first time and try to save some money wile im at it. Im wanting a D60 from a 78 or 79 ford if i remember right. My main goal is ride quality. not saying im expecting it to ride like a caddy but I DD the truck and I would like to keep the ride near how it rides with IFS. Along with allowing for good flex and mild off roading.
Question 1: 47 in or 52 inch springs? and why?
Question 2: I have herd of people cutting hangers off of trucks at the junk yard and using them instead of buying the 800$ kit. Does anybody know what hangers would work?
Question 3: How much power can a D60 handle?
Question 4: Whats the cheapest way to safely do the steering?
And is there any other tips to help keep a decent ride?
Thanks Ahead of time

 

[musclecarsrock68@yah]

bump..

 

[SCOTTYINWV]

A home brew sas can be done, but the safest bet is to get the bolt on kit and then weld it all in. Read up on 88gmctruck's sas thread. It's very detailed and thurough.

 

[musclecarsrock68@yah]

I found his thread and gave it a good read over, you are right there is alot of good info in it, one thing it did not adress was ride quality. I noticed he used the 52 inch springs, and he took the over load spring out, and i read about a few other people also taking the over load spring out. what is the advantage to this? and how does it end up riding with the 52 inch rear truck springs?

 

[Tirebite]

I have completed this swap on 2 trucks to date and both I have used the shorter springs on. It was relatively painless on the second because it was bolt on and just requires a lot of drilling 1/2" holes. I fabricated the first SAS and it was a lot of of trail and error (03' Silverado), but I am a machinist and had a lot of fun messing with because it was not mine. I have a spare bolt on kit from ORD that I do not need with towers and a crossover steering kit that I am willing to part with if you are interested. The reason for using longer 52 inch springs is ride quality but if you spend more on quality springs you can achieve the same ride with the 47's. The 52 inch setup requires extra shackles to accommodate the longer springs, this does not come with the kit I have because it is a for 47's. I have also reused used old springs by pressing them through my shop press at 1.5" increments to give them back their factory curve, but this has to be repeated about every 2 years, gives good stance and soft ride but does not last. The safest way to do your steering is crossover, depending on your lift which the average SAS lifts the truck drastically, drop steering will have a lot of problems, the pitman arm has to be drop also with the crossover conversion but come with kit. Don't cut off hangers, these have already been welded and subject to who knows what abuse and by the time you reweld them back in the properties of the metal may be your weak link for failure. The new bolt on version also acts like crossmember adding rigidity and strength to the front of your frame. I can talk about this for days. Your D60 can handle pretty much whatever you can throw at it, but you would be using your factory transfer case (drivers side drop) which would give up long before that D60 would. I also have a rebuilt Gm NP205 laying around in my garage I am willing to part with. The corporate 10's are almost free and easy to build up, if you got lucky and found a gm 60 that would be great, the ford 60 advantage is a lot came with a high pinion option.

 

[92Sierra]

Whats up guys im new to the forum as a member but have read and learned alot in the past. Im putting a 6.0 LS motor in my truck and wanting to swap to a solid front axle strength and reliability for the new power of the 6.0 and also for some light off roading/flexing on things. That all being said i think i have most of the motor swap figured out now i need help with the SAS. I have been doing alot of reading on other peoples builds and have a few questions to help me do it right the first time and try to save some money wile im at it. Im wanting a D60 from a 78 or 79 ford if i remember right. My main goal is ride quality. not saying im expecting it to ride like a caddy but I DD the truck and I would like to keep the ride near how it rides with IFS. Along with allowing for good flex and mild off roading.
Question 1: 47 in or 52 inch springs? and why?
Question 2: I have herd of people cutting hangers off of trucks at the junk yard and using them instead of buying the 800$ kit. Does anybody know what hangers would work?
Question 3: How much power can a D60 handle?
Question 4: Whats the cheapest way to safely do the steering?
And is there any other tips to help keep a decent ride?
Thanks Ahead of time

47" springs will ride a little more like a truck (little stiffer), depending on the brand. As others have said 52" will ride and flex better, you'll want to have a sway bar and/or a trac bar with 52" springs since they are usually softer. I have 4" BDS lift springs(47") with the ORDesigns brackets and just a sway bar, I can drive around fine with it unhooked. If the kit is $800 that most likely includes your steering setup. I paid 500-550 for my SAS brackets. http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/88-98SolidAxleConversion.htm These are a great product and are available for either spring length.