Build Thread CJ 5 Build for RSQ

[bnz888]

I have recently traded for a '75 CJ5 it came to me in semi-decent condition. Its configuration is-

AMC 304 V8
3 Speed
Dana 20
Dana 44 Rear
Dana 30 Front

The intention is to put it to work for OffRoad Search & Rescue applications in AZ. I have been working in that for a few years and we are now putting together an Offroad team. At this point I have built the bumpers and installed the winch. Prepping to install tirecarrier/ tool rack as well as a custom cage and integrated rack for RSQ equipment. Planning on a matte tan and black paint scheme Any and all comments or input from those who have been down this path with the CJ's would be greatly appreciated.

Build pics to date-

 

[billyocup]

As another 75 owner, I think yours looks pretty good compared to what I started with. Mine had a bit of general abuse, but in the process of my build I found a few areas of wear that I think are just due to it being 36 years old.

I would check all the linkages. I found lots of wear in the entire clutch linkage. Also found lots at the brake pedal to master cyl. link. Other than that, if you don't have a lot of rust and the drive train is in good shape, you've got a great rig.

I really like the steps you built into the rear bumper.

Good Luck - Bill

 

[bnz888]

As another 75 owner, I think yours looks pretty good compared to what I started with. Mine had a bit of general abuse, but in the process of my build I found a few areas of wear that I think are just due to it being 36 years old.

I would check all the linkages. I found lots of wear in the entire clutch linkage. Also found lots at the brake pedal to master cyl. link. Other than that, if you don't have a lot of rust and the drive train is in good shape, you've got a great rig.

I really like the steps you built into the rear bumper.

Good Luck - Bill

I will look over the linkage. Thank you for the advice. The body is damn near rustless. A few things to deal with here and therebut very minor. There are several small cracks in the frame that I am gonna hang the Tig Welder to. I acquired in a very good trade. Basically made out like a bandit on it.

While waiting for a weekend where I can have a couple buddies help me with the build of the cage, I have removed the T Case and have ground the rails to do the twin stick conversion. Should have the shifters in a couple days and will shove it back in.

 

[73CJ]

Nice job on the bumpers.

Maybe look into lockers down the road.

Looks pretty clean. Don't see rustless tubs up here in salt country.

Welcome!

 

[bnz888]

Nice job on the bumpers.

Maybe look into lockers down the road.

Looks pretty clean. Don't see rustless tubs up here in salt country.

Welcome!

Thank you. I would bet you dont see much rustless anything in your part of the world.

Just finished rebuilding and doin a Twin Stick conversion to the Dana 20 . Pics below show different stages of rail surgery as well as final product before re-install. 1st pic features the ground area of the rear shift rail for the interlock pins, 2nd and 3rd illustrate the added weld to give the rear a tougher time poppin out of low (you can see the heavy slope before it was welded over in pic 1). Failed to take a pic of the weld being ground and smoothed out. Pic 4 is final before reinstall.

 

[defibvt]

Nice work.

 

[johull]

Thank you. I would bet you dont see much rustless anything in your part of the world.

Just finished rebuilding and doin a Twin Stick conversion to the Dana 20 . Pics below show different stages of rail surgery as well as final product before re-install. 1st pic features the ground area of the rear shift rail for the interlock pins, 2nd and 3rd illustrate the added weld to give the rear a tougher time poppin out of low (you can see the heavy slope before it was welded over in pic 1). Failed to take a pic of the weld being ground and smoothed out. Pic 4 is final before reinstall.

The twins look really good, is there an advantage to doing this? Just curious while I build my 79 CJ5 . Funny thing is I had a 70 c10 and the three on the tree always got hung up,so I put two shifters through the floor. I was the only person who could drive it lol.

 

[bnz888]

The twins look really good, is there an advantage to doing this? Just curious while I build my 79 CJ5 . Funny thing is I had a 70 c10 and the three on the tree always got hung up,so I put two shifters through the floor. I was the only person who could drive it lol.

The advantage to the twin stick conversion is independant operation of the front and rear axles. The left stick will allow you to put the rear axle in High, Neutral or Low without engaging the front (front is in Neutral). In turn you can put the rear in neutral and shift the front into High, Neutral or Low. You can also operate both sticks to go 4 wheel high and low.

I have done the same conversion to a NP205 and stuffed it behind a 700R4 in a 76 Chevy shortbed. This helped me get out of a sticky spot where I could not turn around, go backwards or forward. I put the rear in Neutral, put the front in High, engaged my parking brake, turned steering wheel to the left and hammered on the gas. The truck spun without hitting the big @$$ boulder that was appx 6-8 inches in front of the truck.

Not only does it have function, but it also has some serious cool factor.

 

[johnbilt]

I have a 73 CJ5 which is similar to yours. My frame tended to crack behind the rear perch of the front spring. I had a welder repair it and reinforce with some steel angle. This solved the problem. Your 75 may have a better boxed frame.

Also, the Dana 20 low range of 2:1 with a 3 spd does not offer a good crawl ratio. Even with 4.56 gears I found I was constantly hitting things too hard. You may want to consider swapping in a D18 low gear 2.43:1 or spring for a teralow kit. This made quite an improvement for me. I also converted to a T-18 , which provides the low 1st gear.

Of course, lockers and good tires, with a dose of finesse and common sense, will take you far!

Good Luck and thanks for the rescue work.

 

[bnz888]

I have a 73 CJ5 which is similar to yours. My frame tended to crack behind the rear perch of the front spring. I had a welder repair it and reinforce with some steel angle. This solved the problem. Your 75 may have a better boxed frame.

Also, the Dana 20 low range of 2:1 with a 3 spd does not offer a good crawl ratio. Even with 4.56 gears I found I was constantly hitting things too hard. You may want to consider swapping in a D18 low gear 2.43:1 or spring for a teralow kit. This made quite an improvement for me. I also converted to a T-18 , which provides the low 1st gear.

Of course, lockers and good tires, with a dose of finesse and common sense, will take you far!

Good Luck and thanks for the rescue work.

This is the kind of intel I need. General Fabrication and mechanical work is no problem, its these little details specific to the Jeep that I need. I did notice that the gearing is very tall and in need of some change. I toy'd with the idea of regearing the axl's, and would like to acquire a T-18 . Had no clue I could swap in the D18 low. This would be a good start as the Transfer Case is out of the vehicle. Do you have recommendations as to wher one should look for the Low from a D18?

 

[johnbilt]

I got my parts from PartsMike and Hicks 4X4 at the time. I imagine there are more sources out there. Teralow makes a Dana 20 (3.15:1 ?) kit, but the price I have seen is near $1K. I think I did my conversion for about $300.

There are several websites on this conversion wih pictures.

The D18 gear conversion requires a D18 gearset and a custom slider gear. The slider gear is a D18 gear with a Dana 20 slider hub welded to it. Once you have this, it all assembles into the Dana 20 case and provides a 2.43:1 low range. It may be necessary to grind out a bit of the Dana 20 case around the larger D18 gear. It took me about 10 minutes to do this. I just marked the interference spots on the case and ground a bit at a time to get the proper clearance. Well worth it.

You will also need the proper gear on the rear of the Transmission . I think it is a 29 tooth, but don't trust me on that. PartsMike, Hicks 4X4, or Novak has this info readily available.

Have Fun!

 

[bnz888]

I got my parts from PartsMike and Hicks 4X4 at the time. I imagine there are more sources out there. Teralow makes a Dana 20 (3.15:1 ?) kit, but the price I have seen is near $1K. I think I did my conversion for about $300.

There are several websites on this conversion wih pictures.

The D18 gear conversion requires a D18 gearset and a custom slider gear. The slider gear is a D18 gear with a Dana 20 slider hub welded to it. Once you have this, it all assembles into the Dana 20 case and provides a 2.43:1 low range. It may be necessary to grind out a bit of the Dana 20 case around the larger D18 gear. It took me about 10 minutes to do this. I just marked the interference spots on the case and ground a bit at a time to get the proper clearance. Well worth it.

You will also need the proper gear on the rear of the Transmission . I think it is a 29 tooth, but don't trust me on that. PartsMike, Hicks 4X4, or Novak has this info readily available.

Have Fun!

Spoke to the guys at Parts Mike and Novak and recieved a real good education on the low gear conversion on the D18 to Dana 20 swap. As it will apparantly take the sacrificing of a Bronco D18 (I am sure will cost a few $$ to acquire) it appears as tho the headache and cost situation favors the Terra Low Gear package. Time to make some build budget adjustments.

Thanks again for the intel.

 

[johnbilt]

Ok - My intention is to give you good info. I hope I haven't sent you on a wild goose chase.

I thought any D18 would work. The only exception is the earlier D18 had a 3/4" countershaft and a D18 with a 1" shaft is required to match up to a Dana 20 . Maybe the supply of these has dried up a bit in the last 10 years or so.....

A small tangent issue: I thought there were some rare Broncos or Scouts that had a Dana 300 with a texas pattern that would mount directly to a Jeep Transmission . But the Bronco had the output on the left side of the case. Hmm....

More later

 

[bnz888]

Ok - My intention is to give you good info. I hope I haven't sent you on a wild goose chase.

I thought any D18 would work. The only exception is the earlier D18 had a 3/4" countershaft and a D18 with a 1" shaft is required to match up to a Dana 20 . Maybe the supply of these has dried up a bit in the last 10 years or so.....

A small tangent issue: I thought there were some rare Broncos or Scouts that had a Dana 300 with a texas pattern that would mount directly to a Jeep Transmission . But the Bronco had the output on the left side of the case. Hmm....

More later

You definitly gave very good info. I appreciate the input. No wild goose chase at all. It gets one thinking about what they want to do with the build that will keep them happy. I am thinking the TeraLow kit will be the ticket. I want to do it right with this Jeep so we can accomplish the Rescue tasks we are given as well as have somthing that will show nicely at the community events. Thank you again for the info and the tangent. Anything that gets on thinking is a good thing.

 

[bnz888]

Have some time invested in bending up some tubing. Bent up the cage (partially tacked in) as well as the stigner and the the rear tire rack. Below are the pictures to date.

 

[bnz888]

More stinger pics

 

[bnz888]

More work done on the cage and the tire carrier hoop. Presently held with a strap to get the fit right before tacking in place.

 

[my73cj5]

If you want a low crawl ration w/o some of the hassle see if you can find a T18a tranny, it is a 4 speed with a granny low gear with a 6:1 ratio and works well even with my 3.73 gears.

 

[bnz888]

If you want a low crawl ration w/o some of the hassle see if you can find a T18a tranny, it is a 4 speed with a granny low gear with a 6:1 ratio and works well even with my 3.73 gears.

That would definitly be the way to go. Been looking around a little for one. Havent got as serious about it as I should. I do agree that it would be a hell of a good swap.

 

[madmax087]

If you want a low crawl ration w/o some of the hassle see if you can find a T18a tranny, it is a 4 speed with a granny low gear with a 6:1 ratio and works well even with my 3.73 gears.

Holy crappers, a 6:1? That seems like overkill to me, am I just being dramatic here?