offroad

[720driver97]

What are some offroad mods people have done on these trucks and what are some good ones to start with? Pictures would be great

[datzenmike]

Body suspension lifts for larger tires. Better diff gears to compensate for the larger tires. Front and rear lSD. Large winch, double battery. Bush guard for the front grill. Replace the auto with manual locking hubs.

[]2eDeYe]

What is your end goal? Rec wheeler, rock crawler, pavement pounder? 

[720driver97]

I want to build it for trails and some rock crawling

[Dolomite]

Try to stay away from body lifts, they are generally useless for legit wheeling. I live near the Rubicon trail, all the best rigs sport proper suspension lifts, body lift guys get laughed at.

[84720FourWheel]

Body lifts allow for larger tires and more true lift though. So it's function over form, but they are a pain in the ass compared to a suspension lift.

[720driver97]

What do I need to run 35s?

[]2eDeYe]

Body lifts allow for larger tires and more true lift though. So it's function over form, but they are a pain in the ass compared to a suspension lift.

 

They put more leverage on the body mounts and don't provide any extra ground clearance at the frame. That said, I have a 2" body lift, I kept it on the truck as it allowed me to clock my tcase flat and gain ground clearance that way. 

 

 

What do I need to run 35s?

 

 

 

Some 35" tires would be a start. You can lift the truck to clear them or break out the sawsall to make fender clearance as needed. It all depends on what you want for your truck. Re-gearing the axles is probably in your future either way.

[720driver97]

Would it be better to get a solid front axle and rear axle from a Toyota I also need a new transfer case what should I get for that?

[84720FourWheel]

Depends on what your plans for off roading are.

Rock crawling - SAS

Mudding - SAS

Occasional trail rides - IFS

Frequently driving on road - IFS

[Rhino13]

I don't have any experience doing a SAS, but back in the late 70's a company up in Washington converted Ford Couriers to 4x4 using a Dana Spicer 30 2 speed transfer case and a Dana Spicer 20 axle up front.

Figured if it's not useful info, it's a cool but of knowledge.

[]2eDeYe]

You got you designations backwards but the intent is correct. The Dana 20 was the 2-speed case and the Dana 30 is the front axle used. They were basically the same t-case and axle used in the Jeep CJ's of the era. 

 

Solid axle swaps are pretty fab intensive for Datsuns, so you will need some skills or $ to pay for the skills to pull it off. Toyota axles are great other than the lack of steering angle and have a lot of aftermarket support. 

 

I would get another TX-10 t-case and find another one to use as a doubler. That will be the easiest way to go. Does your 720 have a divorced or married case or are you starting with a 2wd?  

[Rhino13]

 

You got you designations backwards but the intent is correct. The Dana 20 was the 2-speed case and the Dana 30 is the front axle used. They were basically the same t-case and axle used in the Jeep CJ's of the era.

I knew 30 was an axle, didn't know anything about the 20, but if you look up the courier "Sasquatch 4x4" the brochure says opposite and it threw me off. I should've known, one of my last vehicles was a Cherokee with a Dana 30 up front.

[720driver97]

I have a devoriced transfer case, how do you make dubler? This won't be on the road so I'm not to worryed about road driving

[]2eDeYe]

One method.
 

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/nissan/1388849-tx-10-tx-10-a.html

 

 

Theoretically you can just bolt 2 divorced cases together.

 

Being divorced gives you other options for t-cases, but you are limited to t-cases that come divorced in other makes. 

 

 

 

Saying it won't be used on the road is usually an excuse to cobble stuff together. If it is built correctly and safely it will work well on the road. 

[Lockleaf]

 

One method.

 

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/nissan/1388849-tx-10-tx-10-a.html

Thanks for this redeye. Stoffregen motorsports and I were discussing ways of doubling tx10s a couple months back. We looked around and found people who had done it but no photos, somehow we both missed that thread.

[720driver97]

It there a thread on SAS?

[]2eDeYe]

Thanks for this redeye. Stoffregen motorsports and I were discussing ways of doubling tx10s a couple months back. We looked around and found people who had done it but no photos, somehow we both missed that thread.

 

If you search just the Nissan forum there a couple come up. One of these days I am just gonna buy a couple of t-cases to play with  :lol:

 

 

 

It there a thread on SAS?

 

 

There are a couple here. Have you done anything like this before? 

[720driver97]

Never done a SAS before but I do have welding fabrication experience

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Swapping in a solid axle is probably the best way to completely transform your truck. What size tires do you want to run?

[720driver97]

Want to run 35/12.5/15

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

OK, so nothing too big.

 

Do you intend to rock cralw this truck? If so, 5.29's in the diffs. If you can't figure out a dual case setup, then diff gearing is super important. 

 

We've talked about this in a couple other threads, but there aren't any clear options for dual cases in 720's. The best setup would be Toyota cases, but you will need to source a Toyota divorced adapter. Even if you ran one Toyota case with 4.7 gears in it, that would be much better than the stock gearing.

 

You're in MN right? So you're going to want to drive in the snow and probably some mud too? A single 4.7 case sucks for this. Too low for mud and snow. Hence the dual cases. Rarely do you ever need the dual cases together, but having the front 2.25 case for mud and snow and the rear 4.7 case for the rocks really makes a versatile rig.

 

Then there's the topic of which axle and how to swap it...

[]2eDeYe]

You will need to decide on driver or passenger drop for the axle. This is driven by your t-case choice or vice versa. 

 

What kind of suspension are you planning to run? Leaf spring? 3 link? 4 link with panhard? You will need to think about your steering as well. Using the 720 steering box may prove to be a challenge when selecting a pitman arm. 

[720driver97]

For suspension I am planning to use leafs but might switch later. What do you mean by passenger or driver drop?

[]2eDeYe]

The front axle in most 4x4's are offset to either the passenger side or the drivers side of the vehicle. This is because the transfer case transfers power to the front axle off center from the main drive gears. 

 

My truck is a passenger drop with a Dana 20. The Toyota behind me in the pic is also a passenger drop, but other mfgs go with drivers drop and some have swapped back and forth over the years. Jeep Wagoneers, for example have either offset depending on the year they were built.  The Nissan TX10 t-case is an oddball with a centered output below the main drive gears, that configuration eats up valuable ground clearance. 

 

 

 

There is a link to my build thread in my signature. I used a Dana 44 from an early wagoneer, a toyota steering box and and wagoneer  leaf springs. 

 

 

There are a lot of options available when it comes to building a 4x4 and even more opinions. Research before diving into the fab is your best bet. Your probably at the point now where you realizing that you don't know a lot of the questions you need to be asking. 

 

www.pirate4x4.com/forums

http://board.marlincrawler.com/

 

are some good places to start. :)