• Welcome to H4O! For a reduced ad experience, please login or register with the forum.

5GN-H3T - My '06 SAS

4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
All my axles are show quality, (at least for a half-hour until I find a mud hole!)
Truss not needed. Chromo shafts already installed.
 
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
I have all of my linkage playing nicely with each other. I rotated the track bar mount a little forward on the axle and moved the frame mount forward. Looks like it's going to crash into the pumpkin and then magically clears. Other than the pitman arm and frame, nothing else is trying to occupy the same space at the same time.

My NISSAN pitman arm is only 5" center-center. I would really like to make it at least 6" and I also have the frame interference. Right now I have a 6" C-C steering arm on my truck. May end up making a pitman arm. Ugh.
 
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
Foxtrot Unicorn Charlie Kilo. Just spent a lot of time out in the sun ruining a steering arm. I reamed it out (by hand) to the slightly larger 2026/2027 TRE taper then I realized I would be better off using the (smaller) 23434 TRE. I'd rather be fighting with an engine swap.
 
Last edited:
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
It moves! I reamed my pitman arm a little more and added a .035" shim under the drag link end nut. The grease fitting just knocks the rust off the frame. The brakes are hooked up, I threw the way too short stock driveshaft back in and I began the final welding of my brackets. Still need a bunch of stuff (shocks would be nice), but she's a running and driving driveway ornament! Oh, and I lowered the front 1/2" and now plan on lowering the rear.

attachment.php

attachment.php

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 0285.jpg
    0285.jpg
    61.7 KB · Views: 699
  • 0280.jpg
    0280.jpg
    135.4 KB · Views: 689
  • 0287.jpg
    0287.jpg
    100.6 KB · Views: 773
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
Nice. Glad to see it back on the ground.
On the pitman arm issue...I do run a custom made one on my H3. I cut apart the stock Nissan arm and re-used the splined hole. I basically shaved away all of the stock arm and welded the splined hole piece to a new 1" thick flat billet arm. Then I added a tapered hole on the other end for the 1-ton DRE. It's tapered from the bottom-up....and yes, it is longer to match the arm on the passenger side knuckle. (Pic coming soon).
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
P.s. Don't drive it without shocks! I gave into temptation and decided to go around the block. It's terrifying without shocks!
 
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
4speedfunk said:
P.s. Don't drive it without shocks! I gave into temptation and decided to go around the block. It's terrifying without shocks!
Click to expand...

Haha, that's one of the few things I know better than to do. It's habitat will be the driveway for a while longer. The oil filter is also doubling as the bump stop. I don't want to tempt fate. I'm going to run the xterra arm for now and see how it feels once it's actually on the road.
 
Cowboy

Cowboy

Well-Known Member
Messages
87
Location
Alameda
Nicely done. I got mad respect for you guys tearing up these expensive rigs with these extreme upgrades. Really well done


Can't make it through the day? Back up, and get a run at it!
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
Okay...finally found some pics of Pitman arms...

Here's mine. Its flat and tapered from the bottom...
attachment.php


Here's the comparison to the stock Nissan...
attachment.php


Here's Big Red's...same basic arm...
attachment.php


Here's what it takes to make your own. You trim away your stock Pitman arm leaving only a donut with the splined hole. Then you make a new arm from some billet material...bore a large hole to accept the donut...drop the splined donut slug down into the hole...index it so it sits centered...then TIG it in place. Take it somewhere and have a certified TIG guy do it...its not something you want to make with a crap-box 110v Harbor Freight Flux-core MIG. When done, measure and drill the DLE hole and ream it with the proper GM 1-ton taper. Paint. Install. Wheel-on!...

attachment.php


The Nissan Pitman arm is a forging (not a casting). Not an issue to weld.
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0004.JPG
    DSC_0004.JPG
    47 KB · Views: 1,299
  • DSC_0005.JPG
    DSC_0005.JPG
    39.5 KB · Views: 1,185
  • IMG_0603.JPG
    IMG_0603.JPG
    113.6 KB · Views: 1,307
  • m_finished1.JPG
    m_finished1.JPG
    78.6 KB · Views: 1,231
Last edited:
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
Spring over in the rear and they are 37's. I'm going to lower the rear an inch or so. Here's the right side view of that pic. The slope of the yard is a lot more than it looks.

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 0282.jpg
    0282.jpg
    189.8 KB · Views: 1,296
Last edited:
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
I recommend running a rear sway bar. It helps take that "yo-ho and a bottle of rum" feeling out of corners...really flattens it out without effecting the travel.
 
H3slate

H3slate

Brush raked
Messages
983
Location
Tualatin, Oregon
Are those the oem steelies? Are you running spacers? I thought there was clearance issues running stock wheels on a SAS H3.

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
Get your ride height and wheelbase set in stone first. Then measure and get a new one made. You can reuse the stock slip yoke. The factory shaft is a weird metric size tube, so it's hard to lengthen it. Easier to just make a new one.
 
Last edited:
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
2018 update - Still moving forward. Got a rear locker installed, rear axle is fully bolted in, new leaf springs, new shackles, cut the stock spring hangers off and welded in some lo-pro replacements. New radiator, replaced the evap hard line from the fuel tank to the engine. This is becoming as much of a restoration as an SAS project. I didn’t start it in months and one day the damn radiator just starts dripping in the driveway. I get the rear axle done-ish(still needs backing plates and brakes), go to put the fuel tank back in and the evap line crumbles into dust. Then the compression fitting on the fuel feed line starts leaking. Ugh.
 
5gn-h3t

5gn-h3t

Well-Known Member
Messages
616
Location
Northeast Pennsyltucky
Replaced the backing plates yesterday and got the e-brake assemblies together. Rotors, calipers, and some fluid and this thing will have a normal braking system.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top