Mr. Williams,

Before you pull the plug and shove a solid axle under Red's frame, fix the IFS one last time, drop to 35s instead of the 37's, keep the front locker disengaged, and do a head-to-head test against the ol' Dodge Log!

They are both huge with their extended cabs and long beds so it should be a fair suspension contest.  

I like that idea, unfortunately the Log left shortly before Jerrod Jones went to Off Road magazine.

This brings up a good question, should I cut out the IFS, or should I take it a step further?  I was pretty burnt out on that truck, and tired of fixing it, and tired of it ruining every off road trip. But now that it's been sitting for a while in my shop I'm starting to get renewed interest in it.  I've had readers upset that we supposedly tested the truck "too hard" and caused it to break.  I guess I never felt we were doing anything that was beyond what a solid front axle truck should be able to take, whether that is jumping it or doing a front dig.  and that was the point try to get an IFS to be as strong as a solid front axle.

So what would you like to see readers?

Keep pushing IFS, build a stronger center section from steel, bigger A-arms etc etc, even if it means breaking new ground and doing stuff that is outside the box.

or

Cut it all out and swing under a something solid?  

here is your chance to influence the next step.  

well Mr. Williams,...being that I have a 93 k1500 single cab longbed and am still VERY interested in seeing how far you can take an ifs and beat the hell out of it...you now how the corr series had the ifs truck flying around tracks, those didnt have S As under them and as i recall they never broke or i am not aware of them breaking...anyways id like to see how much BEEF you can add to the ifs so they have a tougher time breaking...
and one more thing, I enjoyed all of your articles and never got pissed off once that you "broke" the sled.
so keep up the hard Bashing work on the sled cause i want to see how far you can go w/ifs...  

my ultimate I/S would use a ford 9" center section so you could build a custom housing.  make some custom slip shafts with cornay joints, slap on some portal hubs.  

custom upper and lower A arms "long travel desert baja racer style"  center the diff by using a two peice front shaft,  make sure to put the rear pivot point of the lower A arm way back by the t-case crossmember and voila!!

I got it all in my head there buddy!!  just need someone to build it!!  no really!! I'm not crazy I swear it!!  

I am usually a huge anti-IFS a guy and would say to SAS it....BUT i say be bold and build the IFS.  It would be great to see how far you can take it and  would at least be much more interesting to read about than another SAS.  Just an opinion anyway.  I guess its also pretty easy for me to say that when its not my money!  

let me mention another thing, I get at least a letter a month from a reader who wants to know all the steps of a solid axle swap.  I want to push the IFS, but if I build something that is crazy trick but hard to copy will the readers just be angry?  there is a fine line with giving the readers something they can copy and building something cool to read about but out of reach for most people.  Give me the go-ahead and I'll do whichever you want.  Either way it's just going to take some time, and  probably won't be done until the end of the year, but with updates as we proceed.  

I'll give you the green light to build a trick ifs chevy...I've never seen one before but I have seen plenty of SAS on the chevies but cant recall one for a trick ifs. Everyone know that the SAS is stronger and can take a hell of alot of abuse. So take your time and show us how to BEEF up ifs to last because what does it cost, like 10Gs for a SAS? at least for new stuff.
I want to keep my k1500 and beef it w/out spending THAT much $ on it!
thanks for reading and keep up the great work, i love your articles there funny!  

SAS conversion is sort of like putting a SYE on a 231j t-case, it's rudimentary by now!!  

im a chevy guy myself and i would never coplain about beefing up the IFS. if i could only do that to one of my rigs at a fair price i would. i own an 88 s10 blazer and an 01 s10 pickup. i kinda would like to see more on these smaller unsung rigs. it seems to me that all i see is jeeps and full size trucks being built up. dont get me wroung, i read the articles to see if i can get some ideas, but wat happend to the mid size trucks?  

sorry i meant "mini" trucks.  

i'd like to see fullsize ifs underneath a mini truck. i was really into the walker evans s10/buggy with its fourwheel ifs. as far as ifs goes in general, i have had good experience with no lift and big tires(35's-38's). the engineers spent countless hours getting everything to work just right, so keeping the geometry as close to factory specs is key. but i also like a low, stable, and powerful rig and dont mind to much body damage. when in doubt, cut it out  

ok next question, what would you consider a fair price?  the costs add up quickly, and I wouldn't be surprised to have $10,000 wrapped up in a front end that can take the abuse of 37-inch tires, a big block, and 5 to 1 gearing, Not to mention doing front digs and jumping the truck.  i could build it to take less abuse, but I know no matter how hard I am on the truck there are guys out there who are even more abusive on their trucks and I want to come up with something they will be able to abuse.  

I'll do some research and figure out how much it would cost to do a solid axle swap with coil overs, a link suspension, and a new or rebuilt dana 60, then I'll set that as my budget limit.

thanks for your input guys, it's aways great to hear your ideas.  

What about a high pinion 9 inch center section in a reinforced housing. Then use the materials they use in the aluminum drive shafts and make some front half shafts with the big offset u joints,made for high angles. would a slip yoke work on a halfshaft, for that big droop?
Or make a hybrid 9 inch like center, with a dana 60 ring and pinion but set up with the best of both designs,or snoman said theirs a Gm drop out center section from bak in the day,and fabricate the same front section.  

i already have the ring and pinion as well as the locker for an aam 9.25.  this same gear set is used by hummer h2 rear axles and dodge truck front axles, so I'm looking for either of them at a junkyard.  then i can make a real Iron center section.  

d60 with chopped tubes/axle shafts, semifloater outer bearings with the axle hubs drilled and tapped for the halfshafts to bolt up. custom mounting ears to practicaly bolt it on the place of the factory housing....maybe even use a CAD depending on the t-case.

how could that cost any more than a shortened diff to stuff into a TJ?