AMC 360,T18A, Dana 300

[JustaJeeper]

What would I need to put a T-18A Transmission with the "granny" 6.32 first gear between an AMC 360 V8 fule injected and the Dana 300 Transfer Case in an 82 or 83 CJ7 ? Adapter? Different Bell housings? Welds or mounts? Thanks

 

[Incommando]

What would I need to put a T-18A transmission with the "granny" 6.32 first gear between an AMC 360 V8 fule injected and the Dana 300 transfer case in an 82 or 83 cj7? Adapter? Different Bell housings? Welds or mounts? Thanks

There is not enough info for a definitve answer but:
Assuming you are replacing a Dana 20 you would need an adapter between the tranny and t case or a fairly rare Dana 300 from a 1980 Scout.

You don't say what you are replacing but if the T18a was from a jeep and had the bellhousing that came with it it will bolt to your 360. If the 360 did not have a flywheel you will have to get a flywheel for a 360 or you will have balance issues. No idea what fuel injection you have adapted but it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Torxhead]

I would suggest looking at the Advance Adapters website.

 

[JustaJeeper]

Thanks alot. I do not have the parts now, just thinking about future build.

 

[BusaDave9]

AMC 360,T18A and a Dana 300 . Sounds like you are looking for the ultimate jeep drivetrain.

The AMC 360 was never offered in a CJ but it has the same block as the AMC 304 . For that reason it can be bolted in wherever a AMC 304 was.

The T18: you can get either a Ford or a Jeep version. The Jeep version will easily bolt up to a 360 or AMC 304 . The Ford T-18 is the best choice for a Dana 300 but still requires an adapter.

If you are set on a Dana 300 I would get a Jeep T-18 . and go to Novak to mate the two together.

It sounds like you don't have these drivetrain components yet. Are you really set on the T18A and the Dana 300 ? If you are a little flexible I would recommend a Dana 20 in place of the Dana 300 . If you go that route you can bolt all 3 components without any adapters.
The only reason the Dana 20 might not be as desirable is it has a low range of 2.03 and the Dana 300 has a low range of 2.62.
If you want a lower low you can install a Terra Low into a Dana 20 to get a low range of 3 to 1. I did that and it's an easy mod. It entails rebuilding the TCase with all new gears and since the Dana 20 is over 30 years old it is about time for a rebuild anyway.

 

[JustaJeeper]

Awsome, thanks for the seggestion, defenitly gona check out the Dana 20 . I will see what comes up. Still waiting on my CJ7 build thred to be approved.

 

[Posi]

If you decided to go with a Jeep T-18 /Dana 300

Below is the T-18 I used to mate to the Dana 300 . I removed the Dana 20 , adapter, and b-housing.





The first thing you have to check is if the adapter came with the correct 23 spline mainshaft because they make a 27 spline for a Ford T-18 as well.

The adapter has 2 bottom mounting holes that the T-18 does not so I have to drill and tap the case. I installed the adapter with 4 of the 6 mounting bolts and scribed the case. I used whiteout as a base to help ID the marks.



I then removed the bearings and mainshaft. There are 22 roller bearings that will fall to the bottom of the case I happen to find 23, maybe one is the top shift pin or someone could have already been in there. I’ll know more once I inspect the roller bearings.

Bearings, mainshaft, retaining and lock clips




Just a note about removing the mainshaft bearings, they make a bearing remover that slides behind the bearing snap ring that makes removing the bearing a breeze but it’s not needed. After removing the snap ring I used a brass drift working from inside the case to remove the rear bearing. I left the lock ring on the front bearing and used a dead blow hammer on the tip of the clutch shaft to remove the bearing. Both front and rear mainshaft bearings are ball bearing type opposed to the cylindrical or tapered roller bearing.

I next removed the lock plate from the rear of the case that locks the countershaft and reverse idler gear shaft. I tapped out the countershaft to the rear of the case using a brass drift once the shaft was out I was able to remove the countershaft gear assembly. The countershaft assembly has 88 roller bearings and the reverse idler has 74 bearing rollers.

The reverse idle gear shaft does not come out as easily as the countershaft because the front of the shaft is located inside the case unlike the countershaft that is on the outside of the case. I used a long extension and dead blow hammer.

Note the magnet at the bottom of the case it’s a well thought out option.



I cleaned the case for a second time and chased all threads as well. I used a 5/16 bit and drilled 2 holes for the adapter.



After cleaning the burs I tapped the hole using a 3/8” 16 tap. You can drill a hole in a block of wood and use it to keep the tap going in straight I chose to use a torpedo level it worked for me.

I test fit the adapter and all holes lined up perfectly.



I cleaned the case of metal filings, washed, and prepped for paint.







While test fitting the adapter to the back of the Transmission I noticed the supplied bolts are too long and will interfere with the reverse idler gear and the front clutch assembly. There are two other bolts that are not in the pic that are too long as well.

One bolt was a 1/4” too long and the other three 1/8” so I used a drummel to cut off the tips and cleaned them up with a fine file.



After cleaning and inspecting the small parts I decided to purchase a new parts kit.



I used a 1” dowel with some assembly grease to install the 88 roller bearings and 6 washers.



I put some stickum on the two rear washers and the front thrust washer. I used the two shafts installed just enough to help hold them while I installed the counter shaft.



On the second try I dropped the countershaft in.



I removed the reverse idler gear, 74 bearing rollers, 2 thrust washers, 1 spacer,1 bushing, and 2 snap rings off the shaft. All the bearings look fine and it was a good thing because their not supplied with the kit.



All packed and ready to install on the shaft.




This is a massive countershaft




Next is the dismantling of the mainshaft to be replaced with the AA shaft.



After removing the front snap ring you need to be careful not to let the clutch sleeve slide off the clutch hub. Inside the clutch hub are springs, shift plates, and lock balls that will come flying out with force. Eye protection is a must. The best way to remove the clutch sleeve is to wrap a towel around it to contain the small parts.

There are two clutch hubs, (from left to right) item number 2 and 4.



Mainshaft and replacement, note the shoulder on the new shaft. One snap ring and one thrust washer will be omitted on the new shaft.



New shaft assembled minus the thrust washer and snap ring.



I drilled and tapped the lock plate using a 1/4 bolt cut to size.



I packed the 22 roller bearings in the clutch shaft then put it through the front bearing bore from inside the case. Then I dropped the rear end of the mainshaft assembly through the bearing bore at the rear of the case (won’t drop straight in). I installed the snap rings on both bearing and used a pipe and soft plow hammer to install the bearings. Make sure you tap on the inner part of the bearing and not the outer.

To keep the 22 roller bearings in place I used a piece of wood at the end of the shaft and tapped on the bearings.



Complete



Hope this helps.

 

[Posi]

I installed the 4.1 kit as well.

First, the Dana 300 4.1 kit directions are lacking compared to the Dana 20 3.15. The 20 kit gives you step by step instructions to disassemble the case the 4.1 kit doesn't.

Some of the tools you will need:
3/16" allen socket
1 1/8” socket
Gear puller
Press (nice to have but not needed)
Dial indicator
External snap ring pliers
File or grinder

I did an initial degreasing and prepped for tear down.



The gears and case look good.



Empty case.



All the bearings and needle bearings look good so I plan to reuse them.

Below is the input shaft, shaft support, bearing, with old and new rear output gears.





.
New 4.1 gears installed





Overall the swap was straight forward with patience and attention to detail the job is fairly easy. First, the advance adapter’s Dana 300 4.1 kit instructions are absolutely worthless which is a surprise because their Dana 20 3.15 installation instructions I used last year for my 20 case were excellent. I instead used Lomax 4.1 kit installation instructions that were easy to follow.

If I had a choice between AA or Lomax on 4.1 kits I would choose Lomax for a couple reasons. First the AA came with no directions (let qualified mechanic install gears) and the price, as of today the AA kit sells for $705 and the Lomax at $450. The AA kit I installed came in a box as an extra on a Jeep deal.

FYI,

Torque specs Ft-lbs

Bottom cover bolts = 20
Cover plate bolts = 35
Output yoke nuts = 120
Bearing caps = 35
Shift fork set screws = 15



Hope this helps.

 

[BusaDave9]

Excellent writeup Posi!

 

[johnbilt]

My 73 needed a different bell housing to fit a T-18 . Some of the newer housings may have the correct bolt pattern. Novak is a good resource. Keep in mind that the Dana 20 provides a shorter combo which can be a factor for a CJ5 with a short driveline.

 

[Posi]

Thanks Dave!

Keep in mind that the D20 provides a shorter combo which can be a factor for a CJ5 with a short driveline.

The original poster has a CJ7

However, if the T-18 /Dana 300 were to be installed in a 5 it would have a stupid short DS of 13".

 

[JustaJeeper]

Thanks for all the info and pics. From what has been posted, this seems like it may not be too hard to do, just a little expensive.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Thanks Posi for the great post! This combo won’t fit in a CJ5 but will fit in a CJ7 without making the rear driveline too short. If the jeep you find to buy has a T18 already in it great but if not follow this link for some of the particulars to doing a T18 swap in a CJ:

http://www.jeeptech.com/convtrans/cjt18/

 

[Posi]

Thanks for the kind words.

I should have typed “planning to buy a CJ7 ”.

Side note: If you find a CJ with a T-5 /T-4 -300 it would be the same length as a T-18 /300 with 3”adapter, no need to change D/S length.

 

[JustaJeeper]

I absolutely love this sight!!!! I have gotten more help and info in three days than I did in 3 months of research!!!