'76 CJ-7 Axle Conversion??!!

I see a lot of 'Optionals'...


"L.W. ("ßill") Hughes III" > wrote in message
...
> The Javelin ran over four hundred horsepower in front of your axle:
> http://www.lhmopars.com/MOPAR_Ads/19...avelin_ad.html
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> http://www.billhughes.com/
>
> Drink wrote:
>>
>> Okay, first things first: Don't kill me for asking
>> Now... I want to do an axle conversion and need some advice on what to
>> swap (Dana 30 frt/AMC 20 Rr, 11" drums). I've done a lot of searching
>> and
>> scrounging but can't find the right axles. A friend in a tranny shop
>> recommends 10/12 bolt Chevy's. Another guy want $800 for Dana 44's from
>> a
>> 79 Cherokee. Another guy who customs Jeeps wants to unload a 14 bolt
>> rear
>> and 44 front for $600 (and $1500 in labor).
>> I've read everything from a 8.8 Ford rear to how Scout axles have
>> unacceptable drawbacks (for me at least). I either can't find the silver
>> bullet website or am overwhelmed with a million "Hey! I did this and
>> don't
>> like this about it" hits.
>> Can you guys give me some solid advice on axle swaps? I don't mind if
>> it's wide since that'll help handling. Don't care if it's spring over or
>> under either since I live in the flatlands. I'd really like better
>> braking,
>> though. I just don't want to go straight to a machinist off the bat.
>> P.S. tire size and gearing are a thought as well since I have a NV4500;
>> granny 1st is unuseably low right now and wiiiide gear ratio makes it
>> drive
>> like a dump truck
>> Regards,
>> Jim

I didn't see you mention Ford 9", once installed it has the lowest priced,
easiest to install, widest range of parts, daughter got one for her YJ from
a 69 ford thunderbird, think it was 69, only 3" wider so didn't do any
cutting, best thing about it is that if going to a machanic for gear swaps,
lockers etc. you just pull 3rd member and take it to him. I'd hate to tell
you that my daughter got her 9" from Pick Your Part in Calgary Alberta two
years ago, boxing day sale, all front or rear ends $29.00, all trannys
$39.00, all engines $49.00, only thing was you had to pull it yourself, no
gas or electric tools alowed, and it was minus 22 C, that's about minus 3 F.

"Drink" > wrote in message
...
>1 Pockets not very deep at the moment but time heals all wounds. Arms are
>kinda lanky but not sure what that has to do with axles
> 2 Lookin' for as capable as I can get but don't do anything radical;
> mostly inch-worm, creepy-crawly kinda stuff and camping.
> 3 Lockers are better but could live with open diffs til can upgrade later.
> 4 Got 33's for the past many years. Could go bigger to keep dimensions
> right. Not interested in size, though, just ability.
> 5 Just swapped in a Chevrolet 350 w/TPI, headers, etc. It's backed up
> with a NV4500 & Dana 300. Plenty of torque and power. Gonna upgrade it
> again and the numbers will go up (only 'cause I haven't rebuilt yet).
> 6 Outstanding question. I've owned it for somewhere around 13 years now
> and would never part with it. It's a sentimental hobby car since my son
> used to love beating it with a hammer as a toddler (lost him shortly
> thereafter All I can tell people is, "It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't
> understand." Anyway, it's not meant to be a bogger, rock-crawler or
> pit-beater. It's a quest for the best all around 4WD I can build based on
> design; 44" tires and 10' tall isn't cool unless it's optimum (33" tires
> were it due to handling and brakes).
> Basically looking for the best starting alternative to look for and have
> all the time in the world to upgrade/modify from there. I have two little
> girls to beat on it with a wrench now
> Best Regards,
> Jim
>
> "Carl" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> Well, a lot depends on what you want to do.
>> 1. How deep are your pockets, and how long are your arms?
>> 2. What type of terrain do you intend to conquer?
>> 3. Do you want lockers?
>> 4. What size tires do you want to run?
>> 5. What engine do you have?
>> 6. What is your overall goal for this Jeep?
>>
>> I ran my 89 Wrangler 2.5L on 33's with stock axles (Dana 30, Dana 35)
>> without any axle problems. Generally stock axles are OK up to 33" tires
>> w/o lockers. I've heard of people daring for 34's and 35's, but I
>> probably wouldn't go that far. Lock it up and wave goodbye.
>>
>> Unless you want to lift your Jeep, keep it Spring-under. If you go
>> spring-over, you will get quite a bit of lift, on average about 6". If
>> you do want to lift it, during the axle swap is the time.
>>
>> Anyhow, assuming you want lockers and/or tires above 33", any of the
>> axles you mentioned will be just fine, I would pick the one You can get
>> the best deal on. Remember that a full-size truck's axle will need to be
>> narrowed to fit under your Jeep properly, it'll look silly and probably
>> be illegal someway, somehow if you don't have it narrowed.
>>
>> I suppose if you really wanted to pick one rear that would be the best
>> bang for the buck, it would be an 8.8" rear from a 96 and up Ford
>> Explorer and keep the Dana 30 front. The 8.8 is pretty close to the same
>> width as your front axle, has larger, stronger tubes and axle shafts,
>> than your AMC 20 and has factory rear disc brakes. I'm not sure if your
>> CJ has the wide-track or narrow-track axles, but someone who knows will
>> likely chime in.
>>
>> HTH.
>>
>> Carl
>>
>>
>> "Drink" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Okay, first things first: Don't kill me for asking
>>> Now... I want to do an axle conversion and need some advice on what to
>>> swap (Dana 30 frt/AMC 20 Rr, 11" drums). I've done a lot of searching
>>> and scrounging but can't find the right axles. A friend in a tranny
>>> shop recommends 10/12 bolt Chevy's. Another guy want $800 for Dana 44's
>>> from a 79 Cherokee. Another guy who customs Jeeps wants to unload a 14
>>> bolt rear and 44 front for $600 (and $1500 in labor).
>>> I've read everything from a 8.8 Ford rear to how Scout axles have
>>> unacceptable drawbacks (for me at least). I either can't find the
>>> silver bullet website or am overwhelmed with a million "Hey! I did this
>>> and don't like this about it" hits.
>>> Can you guys give me some solid advice on axle swaps? I don't mind if
>>> it's wide since that'll help handling. Don't care if it's spring over
>>> or under either since I live in the flatlands. I'd really like better
>>> braking, though. I just don't want to go straight to a machinist off
>>> the bat.
>>> P.S. tire size and gearing are a thought as well since I have a NV4500;
>>> granny 1st is unuseably low right now and wiiiide gear ratio makes it
>>> drive like a dump truck
>>> Regards,
>>> Jim
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Who would have thought after that, that the 360 would be putting out 0.41 hp
per ci by 1991, about the same as manufacturers were managing in the early
1930's.

Dave

"L.W. (ßill) Hughes III" > wrote in message
...
> The Javelin ran over four hundred horsepower in front of your axle:
> http://www.lhmopars.com/MOPAR_Ads/19...avelin_ad.html
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> http://www.billhughes.com/
>
> Drink wrote:
> >
> > Okay, first things first: Don't kill me for asking
> > Now... I want to do an axle conversion and need some advice on what
to
> > swap (Dana 30 frt/AMC 20 Rr, 11" drums). I've done a lot of searching
and
> > scrounging but can't find the right axles. A friend in a tranny shop
> > recommends 10/12 bolt Chevy's. Another guy want $800 for Dana 44's from
a
> > 79 Cherokee. Another guy who customs Jeeps wants to unload a 14 bolt
rear
> > and 44 front for $600 (and $1500 in labor).
> > I've read everything from a 8.8 Ford rear to how Scout axles have
> > unacceptable drawbacks (for me at least). I either can't find the
silver
> > bullet website or am overwhelmed with a million "Hey! I did this and
don't
> > like this about it" hits.
> > Can you guys give me some solid advice on axle swaps? I don't mind if
> > it's wide since that'll help handling. Don't care if it's spring over
or
> > under either since I live in the flatlands. I'd really like better
braking,
> > though. I just don't want to go straight to a machinist off the bat.
> > P.S. tire size and gearing are a thought as well since I have a NV4500;
> > granny 1st is unuseably low right now and wiiiide gear ratio makes it
drive
> > like a dump truck
> > Regards,
> > Jim

These push rod engines are starting to sneak back in here.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

Dave Milne wrote:
>
> Who would have thought after that, that the 360 would be putting out 0.41 hp
> per ci by 1991, about the same as manufacturers were managing in the early
> 1930's.
>
> Dave

Thanks to all for some good thoughts. I've considered the 9" but would
still like to find discs (think they came on a Lincoln for a short while?)
Two things wrong with the D30 up front: 1) needs complete overhaul and
gears from center all the way to locking hubs. 2) 11" drum brakes suck. If
my drums get wet, they're Absolutely, Utterly Worthless for several miles
til they dry out and that's why I want discs so bad.
Can't remember exactly what the thing was with Scout axles; whether it was
finding parts or a PITA mod recount. Don't know what it is about the
panhandle here in FL but I can't hardly find squat. There's two tiny
junkyards in my area and they're about a 1/4 acre each (haul cars and sell
scrap metal).
As for wheel bolt patterns, I'd just get whatever rim I could find for the
axle. Not sure but it looks as if a couple of front axles have
interchangeable hubs (Dana44?) that I could ~simply~ swap to a matching bolt
pattern for the rear.
Not sure about the width but I might be able to get a D44 front with discs
from a '79 Cherokee. The guy says he has the matching D44 rear from the
same Jeep and wants $800 for the set (ridiculous expensive?). Those axles
have a 6 x 4.5" bolt pattern, though.
I'm just totally confused.
1 says "we always use GM 14 bolt's in our Jeeps", 2 says "GM 10 bolt/12 bolt
is the only way to go" and 3rd says "buy my '79 Cherokee axles for $$$".

"Carl" > wrote in message
...
>I guess it's back to the 8.8 rear then, with factory disc brakes. That will
>make a big difference in braking. For a wider stance, get less backspacing.

I would say they are all good. I would buy the set that most closely matched
the width of my Jeep, thereby requiring the least amount of mods. Make sure
you can get discs all the way around, and, of course, matching gearsets.

Carl


"Drink" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks to all for some good thoughts. I've considered the 9" but would
> still like to find discs (think they came on a Lincoln for a short while?)
> Two things wrong with the D30 up front: 1) needs complete overhaul and
> gears from center all the way to locking hubs. 2) 11" drum brakes suck.
> If my drums get wet, they're Absolutely, Utterly Worthless for several
> miles til they dry out and that's why I want discs so bad.
> Can't remember exactly what the thing was with Scout axles; whether it
> was finding parts or a PITA mod recount. Don't know what it is about the
> panhandle here in FL but I can't hardly find squat. There's two tiny
> junkyards in my area and they're about a 1/4 acre each (haul cars and sell
> scrap metal).
> As for wheel bolt patterns, I'd just get whatever rim I could find for
> the axle. Not sure but it looks as if a couple of front axles have
> interchangeable hubs (Dana44?) that I could ~simply~ swap to a matching
> bolt pattern for the rear.
> Not sure about the width but I might be able to get a D44 front with
> discs from a '79 Cherokee. The guy says he has the matching D44 rear from
> the same Jeep and wants $800 for the set (ridiculous expensive?). Those
> axles have a 6 x 4.5" bolt pattern, though.
> I'm just totally confused.
> 1 says "we always use GM 14 bolt's in our Jeeps", 2 says "GM 10 bolt/12
> bolt is the only way to go" and 3rd says "buy my '79 Cherokee axles for
> $$$".
>
> "Carl" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I guess it's back to the 8.8 rear then, with factory disc brakes. That
>>will make a big difference in braking. For a wider stance, get less
>>backspacing.
>
>