saveitforsunrise
Adventurer
ok guys, i havent had any problems out of my ifs, but i dont look forword to replacing anything either, my biggest question is how much would the full sas conversion cost? and how does the steering go together?
SAS or no?
- Thread starter saveitforsunrise
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saveitforsunrise
Adventurer
oh sorry, its a 97 k1500 tahoe, the main reason for the sas thought was the reliabilty for it, i dont want to get off in the middle of a swamp and my front end gernade itself
hillbillyjake
Explorer
i mulled over the same thing when i bought my '00 nbs tahoe this summer. i decided to keep the ifs based on the advice recived here. i think sas'n a chevy of that year is pretty common. there are many kits available. my suggestions is be sure your ifs is not going to do what you need the truck to do before swapping.
my dad just sold a '95 with 165k on it. original ifs front end from one side to the other. wheel bearings, ball joints, axles, r&p, the wholel deal was original. i would have to ask him to be sure but i would bet that the gear oil was never changed. ifs ain't that bad.
my dad just sold a '95 with 165k on it. original ifs front end from one side to the other. wheel bearings, ball joints, axles, r&p, the wholel deal was original. i would have to ask him to be sure but i would bet that the gear oil was never changed. ifs ain't that bad.
Loco-Nomad
Adventurer
Mine has 123,XXX and the gear oil hasn't been changed I found out. So far so good, and no complaints.
TurboChris
Adventurer
I agree....don't abuse it and you'll likely be ok. It's kind of like mud. I used to loveeeee mud. But I learned that hitting the mud pits is hard on parts. HARD on parts. So, as much as I like it....I rarely dive into the mud pits anymore...cause I don't want to break parts. You can go up and in some pretty serious terrain with IFS...but if youre the kind of guy that wants to haul *** over rough ground..spin the tires harder than you need going up all the tough hills...just hammer it a lot...then you may exceed the limits of it. Don't get me wrong..theres a time and place for everything...but...'Anything in moderation.....nothing in excess" really is a good rule for IFS.
coreys88burban
Adventurer
in my opinion being a half ton, id get a rear end first from a 3/4 ton or 1 ton then worry about the front end, IFS is stronger than you think, just the angle you need to be carefull with. id say pricewise the SAS will be about the same as a full lift kit and tires/wheels for the truck. $5,000 all the way to 20k for a oru 4-link never needed setup lol
saveitforsunrise
Adventurer
well i was looking at lift prices, and figured hey, if i can get more reliabity why not, im hard on it yeah, and its got 240xxx on it with nothing changed except a pitman arm and a blown power steering hose, so i figure its about time for things to start going, theres a ford 1 ton on CL front d60 and a rear d70 rolling chassis for 600$ kinda wanna keep it chebby though, so if i do decide to go with the sas im going to get a 1 1/4 ton military cucv and jsut use the axles and transfer case out of it, then ill have a passenger side drop too and be able to say its all chevy
Your better off going with the Ford front, HP D60, less work, hang some leaf springs and go. Why try to keep it all Chevy when you can go with the better Dana 60... There are kits out there but they are so overpriced its crazy, IMO not worth it when you can do it with $50 worth of metal.
poriggity
Explorer
Cocco, IMHO, to do a SAS RIGHT, it's gonna cost a whole heck of a lot more than $50 worth of metal, IMHO. There is a BIG difference between a cobbled together SAS setup, and a properly setup SAS. IMHO, if the IFS aint broke, don't fix it. If it breaks, and breaks multiple times, then MAYBE think about it. One thing to remember is, once you go SAS, you can't go back.
coreys88burban
Adventurer
tie rods are the enemy for IFS
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M9SA7MiY8c&feature=related"]YouTube - Hummer H2 Killed[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M9SA7MiY8c&feature=related"]YouTube - Hummer H2 Killed[/ame]
Rot Box
Explorer
No point in keeping it all "Chevy" when ALL of the desirable axles are made by DANA :bike_rider:
Imo if you are at the point you need a SAS you are at the point where you need a better rear axle and transmission/t-case upgrades as well... It won't come cheap no matter what route you take. I personally would not spend a dime on an IFS lift kit and if you do take it to that level do yourself a favor and don't cut corners. I would settle for no less than a Ford Dana 60 front and a 3/4-1Ton rear axle whether it be a Ford/Sterling, GM/14bolt or Dana 70-80.
That said you'd be surprised at what the stock running gear in that rig can offer with just a few upgrades. Look into the 14bolt semi float rear axle (6 lug--almost swaps right in) and a rear locking differential. It boils down to what your plans are. The IFS has its limits but most underestimate it :/
EDIT: As for the video the factory H2 tie rods are significantly weaker than what you have...
Imo if you are at the point you need a SAS you are at the point where you need a better rear axle and transmission/t-case upgrades as well... It won't come cheap no matter what route you take. I personally would not spend a dime on an IFS lift kit and if you do take it to that level do yourself a favor and don't cut corners. I would settle for no less than a Ford Dana 60 front and a 3/4-1Ton rear axle whether it be a Ford/Sterling, GM/14bolt or Dana 70-80.
That said you'd be surprised at what the stock running gear in that rig can offer with just a few upgrades. Look into the 14bolt semi float rear axle (6 lug--almost swaps right in) and a rear locking differential. It boils down to what your plans are. The IFS has its limits but most underestimate it :/
EDIT: As for the video the factory H2 tie rods are significantly weaker than what you have...
wrench-head
Observer
I drove my 95 Tahoe for 2 1/2 years before I did my SAS. I collected parts over that time for good prices. I figured if I did the SAS i had them already, and if I decided against it I could sell them easily enough. Eventually the IFS started needing a lot of maintenance as the miles piled up. I compared the price of that vs finishing my pile of parts and went the SAS route. Now I went all the way on my Tahoe, as I didn't want to cut corners and previous builds had shown me what worked and what doesn't. That being said I spent around 6K or so on it. In another post on here I listed things that I could have cut off and saved about half of that; sway bar, dual shocks, traction bar, alcans, and so on. I could have done it for far less and swapped in the upgrades later. With all that said, my truck handles excellent. It is a little stiff with the dual shocks and the springs meant for a big block that isn't there yet. I can drive down any highway at any speed with one finger on the wheel. It drives straight, doesn't wander, no sway, controls bumps,...overall everything far exceeded my expectations.
One piece of advice, don't let planning for the next project keep you from enjoying the vehicle now.
Oh, and the H2 is a 99-06 Tahoe chassis, and the tie rods are almost the same as yours and mine were. If you want to upgrade those look into bullet proof steering. Even the 1-ton trucks snap them and theres are marginally bigger. Watch enough diesel drags in 4WD at the strip and the above video is a common sight.
Any questions feel free to ask and my build thread is in here under 95 2 door tahoe sas or something close.
-Alex
One piece of advice, don't let planning for the next project keep you from enjoying the vehicle now.
Oh, and the H2 is a 99-06 Tahoe chassis, and the tie rods are almost the same as yours and mine were. If you want to upgrade those look into bullet proof steering. Even the 1-ton trucks snap them and theres are marginally bigger. Watch enough diesel drags in 4WD at the strip and the above video is a common sight.
Any questions feel free to ask and my build thread is in here under 95 2 door tahoe sas or something close.
-Alex