Latest update from down under...
The radius arm SAS rig is up and running. Owner and builder are pretty happy with the results. Although not as flexy as a 3-link, it gets the job done. Shock & spring valving is good enough that they have decided to run without a front sway bar. The truck handles, and brakes very well but, still has enough travel to tackle most off-road obstacles they would encounter. Best of all...the front axle won't snap if you look at it wrong, and it now has gearing to work with larger tires. The 2" stretch on the front axle allows it to sit this low. This is possible in large part to using a Toyota steering box with a forward facing pitman arm. These pics are with 35" tires, and 37" are coming in the near future. The larger tires will probably require a height adjustment, so the SOA might be needed, along with a front coil-over adjustment. Here are some poser shots...
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As predicted, this rig is all droop, and no up-travel. It has 5.13s, a 4:1 low, and retains all the factory traction aids. This "creeper package" more than makes up for the limited flex. Although these pics might seem extreme to the typical Hummer guy, this is a very mild build in the Jeep world. I have no idea what the KING reservoir is that is hanging down on the tie-rod in the last photo.
The truck is currently coming back apart for a V8 swap. The owner ran a turbo on the 5-cyl. for awhile but, it smoked the #5 piston. Given the rarity and cost of rebuilding a 5-cylinder in Australia, the V8 upgrade was a no brainer. His swap will be different from state-side swaps because the 5.3 LS is a rare critter down under. So he will be swapping in an LS2 6.0L from a Holden (GM truck). Tranny has been rebuilt with the V8 input shaft and Corvette servos. He plans to run a manual torque converter lock-up (on a switch), along with an aftermarket converter. Stay tuned for more on this build.