1972 cj5 trans swap

[bubba65]

hi guys i am new to jeeps and have a 1972 jeep CJ5 with AMC 304 v8 and T-18 ? 3 speed tranny, Dana 20 trasfer case i would like to swap over to a auto Transmission but don't know where to start and how much work is invoulved,
i know that amc put tubo 400 in there fls wagoneers and that the adapter plates are still around, but i did not know how much fab work would be involved due the shortness of the CJ5 if any one has in info would be
much apprecated.

 

[BrockGrimes]

The best option is a TH350 you can get the whole adapter setup from novak adapters.
It's pricier than other options but it's probably the easiest. And trust me easy is
always better than cheap/hard. The aggrivation saved will make up for the cost.
It's also your shortest option. The 400 will be to long.

 

[CJ]

Hello bubba65 and welcome to the site!

As the owner a 72 CJ I can tell you swapping in an auto into that 5 is going to be tight. The rear drive shaft will be severely compromised but... I have done this before with pretty good results (a th350 - not a 400).

Our first swap was a disaster as the rear shaft kept tearing up u-joints (CV drive shafts were not that common). We learned allot from the trials and failures. The next swap was pretty successful but still had a few problems with the rear drive shaft. We moved the engine forwards and used a homemade CV.

If I were going to go through the trouble of swapping in a auto, I would move the engine and Transmission forward as far as I could, and get a good CV form a vendor like Tom Woods.

 

[coldwater]

Your 3 speed is a T-150 , not a T-18 . A CJ5 is not really set up for using an auto tranny because of It's short length. So if you do it, buy lots of U-joints, you're prolly gonna be good at replacing them.

 

[LongHorn]

Your 3 speed is a T-150 , not a T-18 . A CJ5 is not really set up for using an auto tranny because of It's short length. So if you do it, buy lots of U-joints, you're prolly gonna be good at replacing them.

X2 on that. That's exactly why Jeep made the CJ7 .

 

[bubba65]

thank guys for the info what 5 speed or 4 speed would be recomended for the CJ5 i know that muncie 4 is to be good but 5 speeds don't know about
i might just stay with the 3 speed for now.

 

[CJ]

I vote for a T-18 four speed... You won't get the Overdrive of the 5 speed but if you select the correct T-18 you'll get one heck of a granny gear and it is a popular swap.