I've been ponderin'
Hedgehog
Always Off-Roading Jeeper
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- 9,370
- Thanks
- 4
- Location
- Tucson/Marana Arizona
- Vehicle(s)
- -1975 Jeep CJ5, 360 V8, Headers, Duel Exhaust,T15 transmission, D-20 Transfer case, Twin Stick Conversion, Warn 8274 Winch
-1951 Willys Wagon, 4 cylinder, "F" head, little rust, very close to stock
Okay this is about swapping one Dana 30 front end for another........
The candidates are
1 - the Dana 30 on my '75 Jeep, it has drum brakes, an open differential running 3.73 gears, new bearings all around and a nice set of brand new Warn Delux Hubs
2 - A Dana 30 from a '76, it has disk brakes, an open differential running 3.54 gears, the hubs, well at least one hub is cracked.
Oh why oh why would I want to swap?
First off I'm a Jeeper and can't leave well enough alone, then the discussion gets more serious.
Brakes:
My '75 has drum brakes, but to be honest I'm not all that sure what is so great about disk brakes. Don't worry about preaching the virtues of disks, I've had'em for years. Honestly I was all set to change the drums out until I actually drove my Jeep and found the drums weren't all that bad, to be honest they are far better than expected. So swapping simply for the brakes change over is iffy at best.
Then there is the gearing:
Most would prefer the 3.73's to the 3.54's. I understand their reasoning, but I'm going to try to face my deamons straight on. Most of my driving will be on an interstate to a place I want to hunt. I've been driving the '75 for about a 2 months now and have documented every mile. I've gotten a low of ~8.5 and a high of 12.6 MPG. I don't know where the 12.6 came from, but it apears that 10.5 MPG will be about average. I want higher mileage, no I'm not crazy, I'd just like "some" more miles per tank full. The 3.54's are tempting for several reasons. They are already at home in their Dana 30 so I would save on install costs. The Dana 30 carrier is already the small one so if needed 3.31 and higher gears will fit without worrying about a new carrier. The '76 would cost ~$300 complete. The labor for Installing a different carrier and gear set would be far more than that, then when you factor in the front brakes. All in all it seems like a good idea, but I have a brand new drum master cylinder and preportioning valve that would be trashed.
I'm interested to see your thoughts on the matter.
The candidates are
1 - the Dana 30 on my '75 Jeep, it has drum brakes, an open differential running 3.73 gears, new bearings all around and a nice set of brand new Warn Delux Hubs
2 - A Dana 30 from a '76, it has disk brakes, an open differential running 3.54 gears, the hubs, well at least one hub is cracked.
Oh why oh why would I want to swap?
First off I'm a Jeeper and can't leave well enough alone, then the discussion gets more serious.
Brakes:
My '75 has drum brakes, but to be honest I'm not all that sure what is so great about disk brakes. Don't worry about preaching the virtues of disks, I've had'em for years. Honestly I was all set to change the drums out until I actually drove my Jeep and found the drums weren't all that bad, to be honest they are far better than expected. So swapping simply for the brakes change over is iffy at best.
Then there is the gearing:
Most would prefer the 3.73's to the 3.54's. I understand their reasoning, but I'm going to try to face my deamons straight on. Most of my driving will be on an interstate to a place I want to hunt. I've been driving the '75 for about a 2 months now and have documented every mile. I've gotten a low of ~8.5 and a high of 12.6 MPG. I don't know where the 12.6 came from, but it apears that 10.5 MPG will be about average. I want higher mileage, no I'm not crazy, I'd just like "some" more miles per tank full. The 3.54's are tempting for several reasons. They are already at home in their Dana 30 so I would save on install costs. The Dana 30 carrier is already the small one so if needed 3.31 and higher gears will fit without worrying about a new carrier. The '76 would cost ~$300 complete. The labor for Installing a different carrier and gear set would be far more than that, then when you factor in the front brakes. All in all it seems like a good idea, but I have a brand new drum master cylinder and preportioning valve that would be trashed.
I'm interested to see your thoughts on the matter.