Gearing opinion's / ideas wanted

[tvince]

I have a 78 CJ7 AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l / T-150 / Dana 20 / 3:07 gears and 33" tires So My low end definatly is lacking.
Unfortunatly not hardly anyplace to do any trail / offroad driving anywhere close to me (KC MO) So I dont want to kill my highway RPM's or buy a trailer rig But....
So I want to do something to improve my low end and try not to break the bank.
Just lookin for ideas / opinions I know theres many options

I know of a T-176 w/ Dana 300 out of a 82 CJ for a couple hundred bucks which should give me a little more low end does anyone know if it would be a reasonably easy swap?
Anyway thanks in advance for your input
Todd V

 

[Tommy]

I have an '81 CJ5 with the T-15 , Dana 20 combo and just bought a T18a to go in place of the 3 speed. It has a granny low and more than doubles my ratio in low end. 4th gear is 1:1 just like the three speed so no highway loss. Just picked it up last week and have not made the swap yet. Got a lot of good advice from the members here. Good luck.

Tommy

 

[IOPort51]

next time you need tires try 31's

I have a 78 CJ7 AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l / T-150 / Dana 20 / 3:07 gears and 33" tires So My low end definatly is lacking.
Unfortunatly not hardly anyplace to do any trail / offroad driving anywhere close to me (KC MO) So I dont want to kill my highway RPM's or buy a trailer rig But....
So I want to do something to improve my low end and try not to break the bank.
Just lookin for ideas / opinions I know theres many options

I know of a T-176 w/ Dana 300 out of a 82 CJ for a couple hundred bucks which should give me a little more low end does anyone know if it would be a reasonably easy swap?
Anyway thanks in advance for your input
Todd V

 

[tvince]

Good luck with your swap havent been able to find a good 18 around here except from Novak a new T19 or 18 w granny w/adapters for around 1700 would solve my issues. Its a serious consideration
Thanks

 

[tvince]

next time you need tires try 31's

But the 33's are cool enough to build around This wasnt unexpected to need to do something about the gearing just put my tires before the gearing! Maybe backwards but .....

 

[IOPort51]

call a few wrecking yards and check out novaks TC adaptor. I would say you could put a T-18 in your rig with your Dana 20 for 7 or $800 maybe less.

Good luck with your swap havent been able to find a good 18 around here except from Novak a new T19 or 18 w granny w/adapters for around 1700 would solve my issues. Its a serious consideration
Thanks

 

[Petescj]

The answer to this is yes its relatively easy. The Transmission will bolt up to your current bellhousing. The only other thing you need to be aware of is if you can get the driveshafts with your Transmission and Transfer Case also. Im just not sure how much low end you'll gain. The T-150 has a low first gear. If your not 4 wheeling it you wont really see the gain of the lower gearing in the Dana 300 . IHMOP I like the T-176 Dana 300 set up better , but for what your looking for I wonder if it would be worthwhile for you. Look for a Cj with a 4 cyl. They came with narrow trac axles and 4.10s stock. 4.10s are where you should be with 33s anyway.

I
I know of a T-176 w/ Dana 300 out of a 82 CJ for a couple hundred bucks which should give me a little more low end does anyone know if it would be a reasonably easy swap?
Anyway thanks in advance for your input
Todd V

 

[Tommy]

I found my T18a Tranny with attached Dana 20 on EBay for $275. (I've seen them as low as $125 but you want to make sure you get the 6.32 granny low. Patience is a virtue here.) I need to swap out the long input shaft for a shorter one. It was in a '76 J20 V8. The kit is $199 at PartsMike.com. I expect that with changing the length of the drive shafts and other mods, the swap will run me around $750. I'll know more as I progress with this swap but feel confident I can keep it below $1000. I will do most of the work myself with the aid of my brothers, so that will help keep the cost down. For the money, I don't know of a better way to get the low gears you want without sacrificing your high end for highway travel.

Tommy

 

[tvince]

Thanks for the input I dont think I'll be happy til I get a T-18 w granny and 4:XX gears been lookin for the 18 for a while guess I'll be patient and go to some local Salvage yards and agressivly search. And also get the gears I need and buck up and Install em. The gear installation is just a little intimadating but nobody should get hurt.
Any additional input / ideas / parts resources / still welcome
Thanks again

 

[IOPort51]

There is nothing in the world quite as much fun as changing out a ring and pinion set. It is something you will talk about for years to come.
I will suggest you change the R&P first, I don't see you getting that much use from a granny low in Kansas. IMHO.
I have run 33 on my CJ5 with 3.54;1 R&P’s, other than thinking it was a bit top heavy at high speeds, I did not have any major problems with low end. If I were to change gearing it would not be to more than 3.73’s. But that’s just me.

There really are about 1037 different ways to skin a cat,
how would you :grinjeep:like to skin yours??

Thanks for the input I dont think I'll be happy til I get a T-18 w granny and 4:XX gears been lookin for the 18 for a while guess I'll be patient and go to some local Salvage yards and agressivly search. And also get the gears I need and buck up and Install em. The gear installation is just a little intimadating but nobody should get hurt.
Any additional input / ideas / parts resources / still welcome
Thanks again