There have many here who have asked the same question a great many times. From what I have read and talked to people about, it's a bit of a grey area, yet there isn't anything specifically prohibiting you from running it, DOT legal or not. The guys here running it that have been pulled over have yet to get a ticket for it, and usually the police are more interested in checking out their rigs than writing them up. A great many officers wouldn't even know the difference between that and the steering on the lifted fullsize trucks with three steering dampers on them anyways, plus, I have a trick up my sleeve called out of sight, out of mind. I plan on running the steering reversed of how you typically set up a hydro system. My D60 is actually a drivers side drop(ford style), but the weird thing is unlike the ford style D60's most are familiar with, it's actually a low pinion setup which lets me sit the ram up above the pinion and behind the differential out of site. It will also be shrouded by the front four link brackets, rod ends, and links, not to mention the tires. Pretty slick if I do say so myselfOut of curiosity is full hydro legal on the road up there? I know most states it is not..
Well, seeing as how the NV4500 and the NP205 are a full 5" shorter than the VX's transmission and transfer case I'm in good shape for the driveshaft. I was planning on a high angle unit anyways, since I may get ballsy and hack out the firewall like this guy did-freakin awesome!! It would push the engine and tranny's CGs back between the wheels for awesome weight distribution and balance. I was also toying with extending the wheelbase when I link it, but as Bart and I have had many discussions about, that kind of thing must be done with a gentle touch so you don't end up making the beautiful VX into a hillbilly bumpkin mobile that looks like a pepsi can got thrown in a blender. In other words, preserving the overall look of the VX is a big consideration when deciding to hack up cladding and body panels for the sake of wheelbase.How much distance are you going to have for a rear drive shaft with that combo? A 92" wheelbase doesn't lend itself very well to 1-ton hardware. I would give up on the dblr right now - you don't have the wheelbase for it. You won't need a dblr with the NV4500 anyway. Consider the Stak or LoMax if you haven't already - those are the two on my list.
The doubler was goin to be more of a future addon since it would be considerable additional expense. I haven't looked really hard into the STAK or lowmax that much, but that's mostly because I had found pretty much what I wanted in the Atlas II. Any reason that unit didn't make your list? I've heard they are supposed to be pretty good. The atlas would occupy the same space as the NP 205, so I'd still be looking good driveline wise.
As for the 14 bolt hitting the gas tank, that thing is getting ripped out so I have the travel you mentioned. I was thinking about a fuel cell initially, but I am going to start looking for alternatives. That was actually one of the things I have been mulling over lately. I may look into small car or truck tanks and play with alternative shapes. The VX is a great vehicle to mod specifically because no one really knows what they look like from the factory which gives a lot of leeway with the law, so if you make it look stock, who's to say it's not?(law enforcement forum members, forget you heard the last sentence)
So, as mentioned earlier in this post, the D60 being a low pinion unit will be a bit of a PITA, but it's something I'll have to work around since I got it for $200 instead of nearly $1200. Since the 60 and the 14 are both low pinion, I will likely end up with CV shafts on both. Which means more of a flat transfer case mounting setup rather than angled.
The steering was also addressed earlier in the post, and due to the nature of the drastic level of mods going on in the engine compartment, I thought it best to loose the stock steering setup. Being a four link front also brings the added issues of bumpsteer running a stock style or longarm steering setup. Full hydro makes steering nice, clean, powerful, and easy to run. Plus you can't run a panhard bar with a four link because it binds, so that's totally out of the question.
As for driving on the streets, hell yes I plan to. There really isn't anything making this rig dangerous that I can see. When the steering valve is properly set up, there's no reason to worry about hydro steering. It's every bit as safe as manual or power steering, if not more so due to the oversize components being used. One of the big hurdles I do have to jump is the engine swap. Nevada requires it to have all stock emissions equipment from the donor vehicle and the recipient vehicle, so that will be fun. Also its first SMOG check must be done at the state facility where they also inspect the engine installation. I talked to the guys there and they seem pretty savvy, but fair, and generally good natured in helping you, so I'll have to hope for the best.
Also, I really do appreciate the replys. They help give me a sounding board for all my whackjob ideas and help me consider other options or ideas I may have overlooked.
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