Hardbody SAS

First time I've seen new parts in a while, sad news is my wife is selling her car and she will be driving my truck for a little until we can get her a jeep, so project is on hold for a couple of weeks. :( But thanks ECGS for great prices and a speedy delivery!
 

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Nissanwheeler said:
so the super flex joint gave you the clearance you needed?
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It did on mine. Worth a try a $60 vs. what a double cardan joint cost. Last year , I added the NWF doubler using an NP231, and an XJ front drive shaft with it, and swapped the joint to the axle end.
 
Thanks K45 they were to good of a deal to pass up, only problem with them is you can't really air down without beadlocks because the side wall is so thick. And that's exactly what I was thinking kamel, for $60 its worth a shot. I really wish those nwf doubler kits were cheaper, sounds like that would solve all my problems. But I'm just trying to get it on the trails this season and hopefully next year sometime I'll have the money saved to put a SD33T in this bad boy, but we all know how that goes.
 
Gears are installed no pics cause my camera crapped out on me, but I would really like to thank ECGS, and Tom Woods for all the help and the great customer service! any way im stalled out again on getting it back together, i broke a knuckle stud lol....but not really :mad:

Anyone know where i can get these? (chevy 44, flat top knuckles)
 
If your busting studs off, you might want to look into the keyed arms and knuckles. little more cost effective then the 4 bolt knuckles
 
HUGE thanks to ECGS they've have helped me greatly with this part of the adventure! Sorry still no pics but the truck is put back together, and it works! the tom woods offset u-joint gave me the clearance i need at ride level but im scared it might bind at full droop but i have no way to test it now soo ill have to wait and see. The next pics i upload should be offraod shots but will see if i cant manage to break it before then :shaking:
 
ok well i decide to go a different route than the DOM, Im just going to get some 2x3 tube and finish the crossmember out of that. heres the progress i made today, my welds sucked, im not decent at joining to pieces that are different thicknesses, yet.
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Also I need opinions on how I should build the cross member, hoop over the driveshaft, hoop under the driveshaft, or hoop on the same plane as the cross member pointing back toward the t-case?
 
Are you switching to a one piece rear drive shaft? Either way, I'd plate it along the bottom with that 1/4" or 3/8" that you have, then go over top with truss like thing. Something like /-\. How far from the end of your tailshaft to the pinion yoke on the rear? I may have a one piece shaft that will work.
 
Oh yea sorry I'm going to a one piece drive shaft. My two piece just kept eating the rubber around the bearings and causing a terrible vibration. At first I tried to drop the center support to improve the angle but with that setup I went through a bearing in two months so I need to eliminate the center support bearing. I've heard that one model of the frontier rear drive shaft is a direct bolt on but I'm positive that I have too much lift and the drive shaft would not clear with out cutting the cross member.

So you think I should build the cross member brace over the drive shaft? When you where runing your one piece did you DS ever come completely out of the t-case? My only worry is the DS coming out and hitting the ground and muffin up the slip and being un drivable, but if you did have that problem I don't think I would. Right?

And I will get that measurement tomorrow for yah.
Thanks man
 
Remember, the only time that the driveshaft is pulled out as far as it can is when the rear axle is totally drooped away from the frame. Under normal load and flexing from side to side the actual centersection of the axle does not move too much. I had a one-piece on mine with a 3.5" lift and no issues whatsoever. If Kelly doesn't have a spare driveshaft, I know I do. Post up the measurement when you have it.
 
sorry thats from the end of the t-case output shaft to the face of the yoke flange.

finished the cross member today, nothing fancy but it works
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Nissanwheeler said:
my welds sucked, im not decent at joining to pieces that are different thicknesses, yet.
Click to expand...

(If you are using MIG) Set your welder for the thicker material, start your weld on the thicker material and draw the puddle over to the thinner material to get it to melt into the puddle to join it. Otherwise you will blow holes in the thinner stuff.
 
thanks man im always i need of tips and tricks and thats most likely why i was having a hard time with it, i set my welder for the thinner metal. It should still hold right? I patched the holes, Ill go back and re-do it if i have to.
 
Got my one piece ds back from Universal Automotive today, huge thanks to those guys! They are truly 2nd to none. The truck has never felt more solid, besides when it was stock :cool:, no vibes. no noise. I still need shocks BADLY. Anyone have any 12" travel shocks, eyelets on both ends, that that your trying to get rid of?
 
So I haven't posted in forever...well her it goes.

After three years of working on this pile that I love so much I finally took it out wheeling, jambaree weekend. Things weren't looking up when I got there at 10pm dark as hell and having no clue were to camp so we road around looking for a place for the night with no luck we were ready to give up but we were stop on the way up to falls dam by the NOAS group and they invited us to camp with them. So huge thanks those guy for not only letting camp at there site but for all the help on the trails, feeding us, and justshowing us an over all great time! I highly recomend checking them out if you own a nissan or even if you dont, these are a great group of people friends and family alike. http://www.noas4x4club.com


Sorry I didn't get any pictures I was busy having a good time. This was more or lessa shake down run just because I knew something was gonna give, I honestly figured it would be the gears but to my susprize I geuss I did a decient job of setting them up. It was actualy my front drive shaft, well not the shaft its self but the severe angle caused me to shear the caps off the front yoke. Nothing to bad I lemped her off the trail but apperently it brings me back to haveing to learn a lesson the hard way and the worst part about it is that its the same lesson every time, do things right the first time.

So it looks like ima have to cut and turn the c's. Which I will be doing soon and I'll post lots of pics on the process and possible a write up if I'm fealing randy haha.

But here's something cool, I finally got a DD so I can work on the hardbody with out being rushed! Her she is...

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1977 Datsun 620 LB20 4 speed and a little cancer. A classic.
 
I have not had time recently to work on the truck with work and school but work slowed down from 7 days a week to 13 days on and 1 off so I've been trying to get some things taken care of.
I traded my 4" waggy springs, which at the time i had reduce to a four pack of leaves instead of 6, for a set of stock waggy springs. I did this because I was tired of the truck being so tall and i want to start driving more again so lower center of gravity, shocks, and smaller tires is what i want to get done before school starts back.

So far I have bought some shocks from "RaunchBox" here on the forum, thanks again man! They are 12" travel Bilstein 5125 i believe. And I've also lowered the truck about 4 or 5 inches. It took a couple times of taking the springs in and out to fine tune them but i believe it was well worth it.

I ended up using just the stock set with the second smallest leaf taken out and replaced with a little bit thicker leaf that came out of an aal pack for the rear of the truck. It came out nicely, about the best ride hieght im going to be able to get with my spring over set up, and no negatively arched springs (which is what i got the first three times).

What sucks now is i have to go back and rework the rear shackle mount. And i haven't checked if its improved my pinion angle. Hopefully i can get more done before we move.

Here are a few pictures of a before (Bed off) and after (Bed on), and id say about 4 Inches of drop. I cant tell you accurately because i forgot to measure the thing up before i took the old springs off.
 

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Funny story actually I already blew the datsun up. Yea i though the 4 speed could handle my daily commute but it didnt. Spun a bearing, and traded it for a 240z, just sold the z last month. I did love that truck and in retrospect I wish i would have just kept and swapped the motor, but oh well
 
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