If you're tired of the particular factory independent front side suspension (IFS) on your own truck, grabbing a good obs chevy sas kit has become the best decision you'll ever make with regard to your build. Let's be honest intended for a second: the particular 88-98 Chevrolet plus GMC pickups are usually legendary for styling and those comfortable interiors, but that will front-end setup? It's a nightmare as soon as you start talking regarding real off-roading or big tires. The particular CV axles click on, the ball joints scream, and the alignment changes every single time you strike a decent-sized pothole.
A Solid Axle Swap (SAS) fixes all associated with that by ditching the complicated, fragile components and changing them with a beefy solid axle. It's the gold standard for anyone who actually wants to use their own truck within the grime or just wants that classic, high-clearance look that merely a straight axle can provide.
Why Most people are Ditching the Manufacturing plant IFS
The particular factory IFS was created for ride quality on the highway. It does that job well plenty of, however the moment you include a leveling kit or a cheap bracket lift, the angles goes out the home window. You end up with high angles on your own CV boots, which leads to all of them tearing and spraying grease everywhere. Plus, the steering components with an OBS (Old Body Style) Chevy are notoriously slim.
When you install an obs chevy sas kit , you're essentially deleting those weakened points. Instead of twenty different relocating parts that may wear out, you've got a solitary, solid piece of steel holding your own wheels together. This simplifies the entire top end. You obtain better articulation, method more strength intended for bigger tires, and honestly, a truck that just feels even more like a "real" truck.
What's Actually Inside a good OBS Chevy SAS Kit?
In case you've never appeared into these packages before, you may think it's just a couple of bolts plus a prayer. The truth is, a good obs chevy sas kit is a precision-engineered variety of mounting brackets and hardware developed to make the conversion as painless as you possibly can.
Most kits are going to consist of: * Front Spring Hangers: These are the big brackets that bolt (or weld) to the particular front of your framework to hold the leaf springs. * Back Shackle Hangers: These sit down further back plus permit the leaf spring suspensions to maneuver as they will compress. * Shackles: The link among the spring and the frame. * Crossmembers: Some products include a fresh crossmember to clean the pumpkin (differential) on the new axle. * Hardware: All the Grade 8 mounting bolts you're going to need to maintain from falling away from.
The attractiveness of using a kit rather compared to fabricating many methods from scrape is that the particular geometry is currently figured out for you personally. You don't have to spend three times with a record measure trying to figure out when your axle is definitely centered or when your caster angle is going in order to make the pickup truck undrivable at 60mph.
Picking the proper Axle for Your own Swap
This is where items get interesting. Simply because you bought a good obs chevy sas kit doesn't mean the work is done; you will still need to find an axle to put under right now there. Most guys move for a Dana 60 or the Dana 44.
The "holy grail" for this swap is usually a high-pinion Dana sixty away from a mid-80s to late-90s Ford producer F-250 or F-350. Why Ford? Mainly because the differential is definitely on the driver's side, which matches the transfer situation output on your OBS Chevy. If you try to make use of an old Chevy square-body axle, you'll realize the differential box is on the wrong side, plus then you're searching at swapping exchange cases or turning axles, which is a massive headache you don't need.
If you aren't planning on working 40-inch tires plus doing hardcore rock crawling, a Dana 44 is a perfectly fine (and much cheaper) option. It's nevertheless leagues stronger compared to factory IFS and can handle 35s or even 37s all time long without smashing a sweat.
The Installation Procedure: Real Talk
I'm not heading to lie to you—installing an obs chevy sas kit isn't a "Saturday morning just before lunch" kind of project. You're going to need a decent set of tools, a heavy-duty jack, and probably a buddy who's willing to be paid in pizza and ale.
The initial step is the most rewarding as well as the most terrifying: cutting off almost all the old IFS brackets. You'll be spent hours with a grinder along with a torch taking away the factory supports. After the frame is clean, you can start mocking up the kit.
Most contemporary kits are "bolt-on, " but several people choose in order to add some weldings for extra serenity of mind. You'll be drilling openings through the framework, so make certain you have great drill bits. If you try to make use of cheap bits, you'll be there until the coming year. Once the hangers take, a person hang the springs, roll the axle under, and suddenly your truck begins looking like the monster.
Steerage and Braking Factors
One factor people often forget about in order to at an obs chevy sas kit is the steering. You can't use your factory steering box as-is with the solid axle without having some modifications. Nearly all guys opt for the "Crossover Steering" setup. This involves a new pitman arm and a drag link that will connects to a new arm upon the passenger part of the axle. It's much even more direct and removes the weird steering feel you frequently get with lifted IFS trucks.
Brakes are one more thing to bear in mind. Given that you're utilizing an axle from a various truck, you'll need to ensure your brake outlines reach and that your master canister can move plenty of fluid for the new calipers. Generally, it's simply a matter of getting some extended braided stainless lines, which you'd want anyway for that extra travel.
Leaf Springs versus. Coil Overs
While most obs chevy sas kit options are designed for leaf springs because they're simple and dependable, there are coil-over conversion kits away there too. Leaf springs good since they're simple to fixed up and quite predictable. If you're creating a work pickup truck or a weekend path warrior, leaf spring suspensions would be the way to go.
However, if you have a bigger spending budget and want a ride that's smooth because silk, coil-overs are usually the dream. They will allow for amazing tuning and also more wheel travel, but the installation is significantly even more complex and costly. For 90% of OBS owners, the particular leaf spring SAS kit will be the "sweet spot" of price versus performance.
Is the Expense Worth It?
Let's talk cash. Buying the obs chevy sas kit , getting an axle, getting new wheels (since the bolt pattern will probably change), and doing the steering isn't exactly cheap. A person could easily spend a few thousands of dollars before the truck even moves under its personal power.
But here's the thing: you're building a truck that will last. You're not going to end up being replacing tie fishing rod ends every 6 months. You're not going to be worried about the CV axle taking while you're miles away from the particular pavement. Plus, the particular resale value on a clean SAS OBS Chevy is with the roof right today. People love these trucks, and they will love them actually more when they're built right.
Final Thoughts upon the OBS Exchange
At the end of the day, an obs chevy sas kit is usually the key to unlocking what these trucks should have got been from the manufacturer. It transforms the particular Chevy from the soft-riding street truck in to a legitimate rough-road machine. It's the labor-intensive project, sure, but the initial time you contract it from the trail or even simply see it sitting down in the driveway with this aggressive stance, you'll know it was worth every penny and every busted knuckle.
Just take your time, do your research which axle you need to run, and don't unintentionally avoid the steering components. As soon as it's done, you'll have one from the coolest trucks on the road, and you won't have to worry about that annoying IFS ever again.