Help I need advice

[McDirtyCJ78]

I have a 1978 CJ7 with a cammed 360 but its not putting down big power numbers or anything. I dont run this jeep offroad very much. I want it to run down the highway 75mph and run good in the city . I wanting something tuff if i give it some throttle and not bust all to pieces. The T-150 3 speed I have in there is not cutting it. I am looking for a manual Transmission i can bolt straight up to the amc360 with out any issues. I dont care if i have to purchase a Transfer Case also. I have heard pros/cons to the T-5 and T-176 (cant find). So my question is what are some of you all doing or what have you seen done. If you are trying to sell a Transfer Case or Transmission nows a good time to pitch it to me. thanks

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Put an AMC 401 in the thing. They can produce more power than you will ever be able to get to the asphalt.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0503_amc_brute_engines/index.html

Then bolt a NV4500 to the beast. The NV4500 is the ultimate tranny, its bullet proof, has granny low plus an Overdrive and can be mated to the Dana 300 Transfer Case . Make sure you do a short shaft tail housing upgrade to the 300 as well as a yoke/strap change.

After that’s all done and before you take it for a test drive, make sure you have your life insurance paid up (check the limit to, might want to up it a little) so your wife & kids can make it ok when you wipe out on the highway or after stuffing your foot in it; at least leave your folks with a bit of cash for the funeral so you wont be a burden to them if your not married or have kids. Your folks will need their money for retirement. Driving a CJ at 75 mph or so with off road tires in my opinion is pretty much suicide but each to their own as long as no one else has to pay.

 

[mylittlecj5]

How about giving us a better picture of what you have now and are planning?
Gearing, tire type/size (now and future), lift, ect. all play a part in safely setting up your rig.
The condition of your steering and brakes is also very important at that kind of speed. A looseness or failure in either will lead to very bad things happening very quickly.
Since Jeep/AMC/Kaiser/Willys never planned on these vehicles going anywhere near that kind of speed, you have to pay pretty close attention to getting it right the first time.

And where are you in Oklahoma? I'll be in the OKC area all weekend.

 

[derf]

I'm putting an SM465 granny low behind my 401. It just takes an Advance Adapters bellhousing, the right pilot bushing and clutch disc. It's easier if you keep the NP205 or 208 that came with the Transmission . I'm bolting up an Atlas.

With the granny low Transmission , it's easy to run highway friendly gears and not lose off road capability.

 

[Glass84CJ]

I'm thinking that McDirty is right on track. The 401 would be nice, but there should be plenty of power with the 360. It has to be about the gearing. The T-150 isn't the greatest Transmission . It's pretty solid, but the gearing isn't really set up to go anywhere fast. Definitely stay away from the T-5 . It can't handle the power of the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l . The T-176 would be my choice. But you said that you couldn't find one. I've been looking for one around here, and can't find one either. I've seen them on ebay, but they're around $1100 and that's just for the tranny.

 

[BrockGrimes]

The T-150 has tall gears hell I had my cj with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and a T-150 up to 80 with 33x14.50x15 super swamper tsl's.

The T-150 lacks a low gear stock, but that's an easy fix.