ALl the infromation out there is confusing me

ALl the infromation out there is confusing me
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thardy32541

Jeeper
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Location
Destin, Fl
Vehicle(s)
1985 CJ-7
258
3sp Auto
STOCK for now
1985 CJ7 with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l webberized. Three speed auto. Had finally decided I am going to lift it 4 inches with a ProComp lift. 15x10 MT classic wheels with 33x12.50 Pro Comp extreme MT's. What gears? well I discovered that I have 2.73's in a AMC20 . That sucks. Contacted 4wd.com to get a all around quote. Well, guess what, you have to replace the carrier since the 2.73 is specific and cannot change gears. After chnaging the gears in the front to match the rear, I will end up with 1500.00 in parts alone and still a AMC20 . I was at the point of pulling the trigger, ordering the parts until I slept on it. I have a client that has a 2005 Rubicon TJ he has converted into a serioud crawer. I remembered he told be he was upgrading to a 60. Lucky me, he is willing to trade some elbow grease for his Dana 44 with locker. He also is giving me the upgraded inner and outer cromally axles from the front. His ratio is a 4.88 which means I will have to replace the gears in the front on mine. I will now have all around disc brakes.

My question is this, Is this a direct swap and easy to do since I will be performing this while installing the lift?
 
Not a direct swap but a somewhat easy one. It will need to have all the link suspension parts cut off and new leaf spring pads welded on.
I don't know for sure on the brakes but I'm pretty sure the line ends would be different.
It is also something like 4" wider than the 20 you have now.
 
You will need a new carrier for the front when you regear.
The front axles from the tj will not fit your Dana 30 housing.
 
Since the axle width will increase with the TJ 44 and the front axles will not work, is it more economical to stick with what I have and beef it up? Or search for a TJ 44 for the front?
 
Your cj front axle has a passanger side drop (diff.) while the yj and tj have a driver side drop so it would not work.
 
The AMC20 should be fine for 33" tires as long as you use one piece axles.
You might save a ton of money by looking for used parts or a whole rear already built instead of new. I see quite afew built 20's for sale cheap.
If you went with your buddys 44 you could run wheels with a little more backspacing and/or run 1" wheelspacers up front to make it look the same width.
 
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Well SOB. Now the search begins for something already built or close to it. I was with my dad one time when his axle broke and literraly watched his tire and wheel bounce over the rail of a bridge. Thank goodness it floated. Thank you all for the information.
 
it is not a direct swap, it is not a hard swap, a small bit of welding will be needed, your rear track is going to be wider than before. 2 inches either side
no TJ front axle will work as the offset is to the wrong side. so you cannot match it that way. what is happening is you are moving into the area of needing a major drivetrain upgrade to mess with the Dana 44 from the TJ.
As stated that Corp20 can be made into a nice axle with 33 inch tires.
I know right now all the magizines are screaming about building CJs into super trail mobile because you an buy a CJ cheap
BUT the problem is, the magizine needs to sell issues so they can charge max amount of money for advertisers and the editors can make big bucks.
They will say anything to sell an issue and what they claim is cheap and easy soon has you 10 gs into it and still needing new driveshafts to fit.
your cheapest option you have is to regear, and while you do buy a 1 peice axle kit for the Corp20. and run 33s. 33s are going take you anywhere you want to go.
If you want to build a rack crawler, trust me on this a TJ would be the most cost effective way to go.
I say this because I see cost is an issue with you, and done properly you can have your axles regeared and rebuilt adding a 1 piece kit for under 4 grand and have it done right
 
To begin, a Rubicon has a Dana 44 front with unit bearings. A TJ/Rubicon Dana 44 rear has a 5 on 4.5" wheel bolt pattern. A CJ has a 5 on 5.5" wheel bolt pattern. Best bet for ditching the AMC20 is getting a Scout rear Dana 44 . Same wheel bolt pattern. You will have to cut off the spring perches and weld new ones on, but it would be the same price, if not cheaper, as upgrading the AMC20 since prices for Scout axles have really come down.
 
You can use the TJ front 30. Yes, the pumpkin is a driverside drop, but you can flip the Dana 300 . A lot of guys add a different drivetrain in TJ's using a flipped Dana 300 .....so why not in a CJ?

It's a hell of a lot of work to get TJ axles in a CJ though because of the immense amount of work that needs to be done to the axles. They have to have everything ground off and spring pads, shock mounts, etc measured out and welded back on. Steering is crossover and a different style then stock CJ's so that will need to be addressed. Brakes are the same issue. CJ's use different size fittings.
 
How about this? 1976 Scout II Terra 345 ih w/holly gold box electronic ign , 727 auto, Dana 20 transfer, Dana 44 axles w/ 3.42 gears and Trac Lock front and rear. I can pick this up for 1g. Has not title so it will make for a good donor. Correct?
 
Buy it and sell everything except the rear axle. You don't want the front. It has a funky caster angle that is a PITA trying to put in a CJ, plus the spring spacing is two inches wider than on a CJ. You might break even, depends on the condition of the body. Best just to try and find an axle.
 
thardy32541 said:
I found another set that was already under a CJ8 but he was running them on the outside of the frame.
Click to expand...

That's because they are also wider than your cj axles.
As a matter of fact, there is nothing out there with the same width axle as your cj. This is why people either change both front and rear axles or narrow something to cj width.
 
There's a guy in my area selling a D60/14b combo complete drum to drum, hub to hub with 4.11 gears out of an '82 1 ton. He wants $1100.

My point is there are options out there that will work better. granted, these are full size axles... but there are axles out there that will work with a lot less labor involved and you will be happier in the long run.

If I didnt already have f&r D60's, I would jump on this.
 
Do not worry about lug pattern or size, changing out Hubs is just too simple.
there are a ton of options when it comes to axles so do not get bound into one by not sourcing both axles before buying.
 
thardy32541 said:
How about this? 1976 Scout II Terra 345 ih w/holly gold box electronic ign , 727 auto, Dana 20 transfer, Dana 44 axles w/ 3.42 gears and Trac Lock front and rear. I can pick this up for 1g. Has not title so it will make for a good donor. Correct?
Click to expand...
If you can get the scout with the 345Ih buy it the motor and drivetrain are worth more then that as long as the motor runs. And what is the address and loction of this scout? Let me know!!:chug:
 
Sent you a pm.
 
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