Double Axle Swap Front SAS 100 Series LX470 to LX480 or LX105 UZJ100

[SoCal FZJ80]

Lol. Don't think anyone is focused on the Uber powdercoat on your bumpers or sliders. It's the sas man, show us the sas!

I understand, the allure of SAS is the draw... Just putting in order the process of the build since each step was concurrent. The armor went out for
powder coat while the carnage began... now on with the show...

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

The one thing to remember on this build is that it was not only a front IFS to SAS.
It was a double axle swap, I will call that a DAS in that both front and rear axles are from another vehicle.
The goal on this build was to retain as much Toyota content as possible. So both new
axles were eLocker axles originally for an 80 Series. Here is a pic of the easier part to remove:
The rear axle was removed as an entire assembly by unhooking the Lower shock bolts, Driveshaft, UCA's, LCA's,
Pan hard bar , Brake Lines, eBrake, and ABS sensor cables at the frame side and rolled away on the original wheels.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

Here are some of the "bolt on" parts you will look forward to removing to make room for the fun stuff.
Don't worry, for those of you out there that like challenge, there is plenty of non-bolt on fab work to come.
In picture (and not yet pictured) is the front differential, LCA's, UCA's, CV axles, Spindles with hub/rotor/caliper assemblies, shocks,
Torsion bars, key ways, rack and pinion, Rear springs, Front & Rear bumper assemblies, running boards, spare tire carrier, sway bars/links.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

Bolt up of ARB body Armor.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

1st pic Preparing rear frame area to install 80 series eLocker rear. Rear brake lines are removed and will not be reused. Emergency brake cable will be removed, but retain because it will be modified and reinstalled later. Abs sensor lines tied up, they will be modified and reused later.

2nd Removal of rack and pinion from front frame cradle. Intermediate shaft to main steering column will also be removed at this point. Do not discard intermediate, it will be modified and reinstalled later. Also, remove and retain power steering high pressure hose/fittings as they will be modified and reused later. Brake lines are removed and not reused. Abs sensor lines tied up, they will be modified and reused later.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

Initial mock up and positioning of rear eLocker axle in place. In the case of using a Toyota eLocker rear axle from a FZJ80 under a UZJ100, you will need to keep in mind that the positioning of the triangulation in the four link is not the same between the two axles. They are not a plug and play swap. We decided to retain the UZJ100 suspension geometry. This required plasma cutting the link mounts from both axles and then reattaching the UZJ100 rear axle link mounts to the FZJ80 rear axle assembly. This also allows you the chance to rotate the axle housing to adjust for pinion angle correction due to the lift height. Also keep in mind you will need to cut and relocate the axle shock mounts as well. Make sure to measure twice and cut once. We later modified the axle side pan hard mount and raised it to keep the pan hard as flat as possible. Depending on lift, you will also need to adjust the length of the rear brake proportioning valve lever equal to the total amount of lift. Write down your original measurements before removing the axle so you can calculate the length of extension later. This is a good time to have your tire/wheel size decided on so you can use for suspension mock up. In the case of this build 37" was the original goal so a set of H1 takeoff tires were mounted on 16.5" wheels to use for suspension setup. These were later swapped out for new wheels and tires when the build was complete.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

Final commitment begins here, removing OEM IFS cradle via Plasma cutter and than grinding clean the frame rails.
1/2 way in it all looks very nasty and you will question your sanity.

Push past and beyond. Only SAS from this point forward. You're all in.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

IFS cradle removed, frame rails shaved & cleaned, and front 60mm fender flares installed.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

I think I've seen some build threads post more updates then this. Feed us some more SAS porn!

Yes Sir, I think I may have just read another SAS100 thread that had many pictures... wonder who posted that up??? LOL

 

[ikarus]

dude this is looking sick!

 

[yotasavg]

It's getting good now!

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

37" Hummer H1 Tires mounted on old school Weld Racing 16.5" Wheels for test mock up and positioning.

60mm Flares installed on rear quarter panels.

ARB Real bumper and dual swings installed.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

On the front end you have some options, some lend themselves better to rock crawling, some lend themselves better to street handling manners. We decided to build it half way in between and retain the original radius arm setup for this. In order to make the factory radius arms to work without getting the geometry to crazy we needed to bridge the gap between the axle mounting points and the frame mounting points. We found we were able to easily get 5" off offset by doing what is called a radius arm flip. We plasma cut the factory mounts from the underside of the axle and then made similar style plates to mount them to the top of the axle instead. The balance of the distance we made up for by creating custom drop down bracket mounts on the frame design. You will also see the beginning of the OEM spring bucket and high steer arm being installed on that later. Overall, it came out looking pretty clean. At the same time as keeping geometry reasonable, the byproduct was that we were able to retain more factory Toyota suspension components. This is not always easy, and sometimes takes longer that putting a coil over and link setup in. But for the sake of using as many OEM Land Cruiser parts- we feel it came out rather well.

 

[georgezevski]

Seems like a great job. But would not be easier just to import some SAS truck /like TLC 105 series/ from other country. I`d sell and ship mine if someone interested. 2006 FJZ 105 series 5 speed manual, fr rr diff locks, dual tanks, dual spares, 134,xxx km on the odometer, runs excellent.

 

[KC100series]

That would definitely be the easiest route, but the import laws in USA don't make that an easy process. Until the 105 is 25+ years old, it will be incredibly difficulty to get one of these in the country without spending a ton of money and working on the fringe of the law

 

[georgezevski]

That would definitely be the easiest route, but the import laws in USA don't make that an easy process. Until the 105 is 25+ years old, it will be incredibly difficulty to get one of these in the country without spending a ton of money and working on the fringe of the law

I see. Thought the same engine with US imported 80 series and lx450 would not have problems. I guess I was wrong. Thank you.

 

[DirtDawg]

I see. Thought the same engine with US imported 80 series and lx450 would not have problems. I guess I was wrong. Thank you.

Has to do with a lot more than just the engine. Safety features and emissions requirements mainly. Even if you could import them, a solid SAS can be done for cheaper than the total cost it would take to import the vehicle (port fees, shipping, registration, etc.).

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

I would love to import that Cruiser, but unfortunately due to USA import laws mentioned above of the US Customs 25 year law the smog / emissions (based on registered location) prevents those vehicles from existing here. The only way for that Cruiser to come in today is "drawn and quartered" as in literally plasma cut the entire vehicle into multiple chunks and then staggered in split shipments (cannot be entire vehicle in one container even in pieces). Then you would have to completely reconstruct the vehicle once you had acquired the parts over multiple months of shipments. This is why in the USA there was a huge movement of people importing "half cuts" to get diesel engines with H55 manual trans setups. Now that has slowed down quite a bit since the HJ61 and early HDJ81 are now able to come in as complete vehicles under the over 25 year law. But not until 2023, the 1998 FZJ105 will not be legal for import to the USA unless import laws are changed.

 

[HDJdreams]

@SoCal FZJ80 Will the 5 lug hub and rotor of a 100 series fit on the spindle of 80 series spindle? In other words, is it possible to do an SAS swap on 100 without having to swap the rear axle and retaining the larger brakes of the 100?

If you still have the outer knuckles/spindle/hub assemblies for the 100 and were planning on scrapping them, shoot me a PM on what you would sell them for.

Thanks!

 

[duggy]

@SoCal FZJ80 Will the 5 lug hub and rotor of a 100 series fit on the spindle of 80 series spindle? In other words, is it possible to do an SAS swap on 100 without having to swap the rear axle and retaining the larger brakes of the 100?

If you still have the outer knuckles/spindle/hub assemblies for the 100 and were planning on scrapping them, shoot me a PM on what you would sell them for.

Thanks!

Short answer is no. The 100 series IFS hub has larger bearings and a different spindle. You could go with 105 hubs and 80 spindle and retain 5 lug, but at the tune of $450/hub and little availability, it's a hard pill to swallow especially if you need a replacement hub. 6 lug also gives you the ability to fine tune your offset since there is a much larger selection of wheels as the 80 track width is narrower than the 100.