Okay pick up the axles & steering box this weekend from a salvage yard tomorrow. Getting the brake kit from AZ, for rebuild. They axles have 4.10 gearing in them. No leaks that i can see so far. Also i'm going coil set-up on the front, not coil over. Looking at 1000 for the front setup, not going to run hi-steer. This is not incluging wheels, tires or driveshaft. I'm doing the work myself, have the tools for it. The front coils i ordered this week are freestanding 22.5 in. I'll be running 38's to 40's, I HOPE! The lift gain over my setup now, should be 8 to 10 inches. I'm running bias 34's now, no drivetrain problems yet, eddie you'll be okay with 35's. Why this setup? Because around here we mudd boggs.
http://media.putfile.com/muddin-36
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v212/Hammertime540/?action=view¤t=Produce_0.flv

nice, cant wait till its done and see it. i guess you will be the first MXO member with an SAS since i cant seem to get off my ass.

sooooo... you're going to take a new-ish $20-$30k vehicle, do a cheaped out SAS on it, and make it a ridiculously huge offroad-only trailer queen?

I'm all about the SAS... but if you're going that extreme and not trying to make an all-around vehicle why not start with an XJ or something that's purely a beater trail rig?

I'm lucky enough to have a place to
let my X set while i work on it.
Also having a spare vehicle to drive
around helps, Oh ya NO KIDS!
I'm going to wheel with you guys sometime!
You just always go on a off week i get paid..
I'm terrible at saving cash.... Also a GF
that says give me, give me....

Have you seen the right side of my X!
Its not pretty... to many tree's, not enough sheet metal. I can hopefully start with a budget SAS for the same price between a calmini lift or SLR kit for the 05. I'll add more and better parts. This is just to get it back up and running. I drive my X maybe 100 to 200 miles a MONTH. I'm a service tec for Coke Cola. I drive my service truck 5 to 6 days a week. So i don't need to use the X for my D/D.

To run tires that size on a D44 you'll need to stay out of the throttle. Even with Chromo's it will be pushing the limit.

What locker you plan on running?

Haven't decided yet.. maybe detroit locker or
lock right. Most of the guys lincoln lock the rigs, NO WAY! I'm still going to trail ride mine too...Longest drive to a park that i like Badlands and that is 1 1/2 hours away.
The dana 44 is what most run in the bogs.
We have yota's and chevys running 38's on IFS.
I really don't think the new X can handle that front or rear.

4.10 gears with 38's is also a bad idea.

Here's a question: what's the real advantage of an SAS in a mud bogg? Mud bog does not require much articulation, usually, which is the whole point of the SAS anyway.

I'm guessing this is more for running bigger tires?

Keep in mind he's talking about a gen 2 X with a lot more horsepower (And I don't know what the stock gear ratios are...).

AHTOXA - a solid axle is actually a bit of a disadvantage in a mud pit - but you can't go any bigger than 35's (if even that far) with IFS

That's true, them bogger boys have things a bit different that we rock crawlers. Still, to have huge tires like that, just to get mud on your roof, seems a bit strange to me.

If I was going to do that just for the bogging action, I think I'd save the extra dough for the tires, and not spend it on the coils, track bar and whatnot. A simpler solution for that would be the leaf spring deal there. Less articulation (or some would say ) and a lot less complicated. But, you'll still have to convert your steering to a regular gearbox. You'd end up converting your 2005 back to a 1978'ish truck, with the ride to match.

And just to run bigger tires.

The next gens use the bumper for the front frame crossmember too. With a leaf setup a front crossmember is added for the spring hangers. This would seem to help the front of those rigs a little.

They are kinda weird looking when the bumper is off. Two frame rails poking out and nothing joining them.

..

Very true! The crossmember adding strength is a huge issue as well. With bogging, you never know what's a couple of inches under the mud. Torsional stability for the Next Genners will be key. Especially since I've seen a couple of them loose some major frame support in the name of an SAS. To gain some back would be nice for them (keep the replacement windshields to a minimum!).

I only know of two 2nd Gen SAS's so far and one of them is mine.

Structural rigidity was addressed on my rig by re-enforcing the boxed frame at the nose and fabricating a crossmember in the area of the steering box. An additional crossmember was fabricated at midframe which compliments another crossmeber that secures the Cage arms and the custom skid plates.

Addressing other responses - A high pinion D44 from a 78-79 Ford Bronco armed with 30 spline chrome moly shafts (thank you Yukon), Spicer X-760 u-joints, 4.56> R/P (Yukon again...) and a good carrier (Detroit Locker) will easily handle all the abuse a 2nd Gen X can give it...assuming that the tires are in the 38" range. Nothing is grenade proof of course. I'm running 37" Super Swamper SSR's. If anything is going to snap, it'll probably be a u-joint. I carry the stock shafts with me on the trail just in case. I like to consider my 9" grenade proof but I'm trying to break it.

Welcome to the darkside 8th Man. Sounds like a killer buildup Keep us posted..

Here's a brief video of some club members doing some relatively mild stuff. I'm in there somewhere:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COCDY58kp3Y

He was refering to me. I had a crack along my windhsield last year and replaced my windshield. I wasn't sure if it came from a rock or not. Cyclemut said it could possible be from lack of support on the frame, and to keep an eye on it. However, I have only had this one crack and have only replaced my windshield once. As of right now, I have had no issues and everything is fine. So now I believe it was just an unlucky rock that must have hit it.

That is one of the reasons why I avoided the XJ when deciding on a project vehicle. I just couldn't get past its unibody construction. Yes, there are some options to shore up the "chassis" of that vehicle but ultimately, I decided the 2nd Gen X was a better foundation. I still love those XJ's.

I suspect you caught a rock or some rode debris that cause the problem with the windshield.

Pic's of SAS album.
click the photo to go.

I've replaced my share of chromos. Both in the venerable D44 and especially in the lesser Jeep axles (D30 & D35). Working at 4Wheel Parts has it's advantages. Just too many 'throttle out' guys. Especially for a mud bogger! It all wheel spin there.

I'd seriously consider some more bracing for the next genner. It can't hurt, and isn't that hard to do.

All Phase isn't the only shop to touch a 2nd Gen.

I'm going to brace up the front end.
It will be around the steering box and
another in the front section.
Haven't cut any IFS braces off yet, still
not past the point of no return!

Old 05 Axle removed


Front axle almost done




My GF helping out

I have 100 less horsepower and 35's. Shafts... ya you will pop a few.

Good luck on the Xronco build…

On a D44 the stock ujoints are a weaker part than the shafts. Seen about 3x more problems with ujoints than shafts on other trucks.

Been running the Long Field super u-joints w/ full circle clips + stock shafts for ~4yrs now on 2 different trucks without any breakage/problems on a lot’s of stuff from the Rubicon 3x, AZ trails, Hammers, Moab 2x, Sierra trails, etc. Not much into mud bogging but I'll mix it up in the slop.

I carry a spare set of shafts but have’nt needed to use them yet, IMO the alloy stuff is just marginal stronger and something else is likely to give way; hubs, gears, joints, etc if the shafts don’t go.

For >35’s, mud, throttle assaults I would be looking for something strong than a D44. Pretty much everybody that was doing that stuff in my bronco club switched out the D44’s and beefed up the 9’s with nodular housing, studs, big spline stuff, etc.