New CJ7 owner, help please!

[strazman]

Hi im new to this forum, and the new owner of a '80 CJ7 . This is my first jeep, i bought it for $800. This jeep orignally had a 4cyl in it, the guy i bought it from put a 6cyl in it. The engine runs great, but the only problem i have is the guy said that i needed to replace both drive shafts because the front drive shaft was to short and the rear shaft was to long (about 1" in both). Does this sound right? Are there different shafts for the different engines? If there is does anyone know what the lengths should be? He said it has the original SR4 tranny and Dana 300 Transfer Case , and that all he had to change was the motor mounts and now the drive shafts of course. This is my first jeep, im trying to learn as i go, any help would be great. Thanks

 

[asfaultdemon]

Hello
I just went thro a few driveline issues and if your going to replace the rear driveline . G to a shop and have them biuld a CV drive shaft for the rear .They work tons better and if you ever lift it more than 2'' youll have nothing but problems with the stock one . The angle is to great to solve any other way on the rear . The CV shaft is spendy (mine was 530.00) but it was way worth it.I have no driveline problems ever with no drop on the Transmission and a 4'' lift it runs smooth and never binds . I know this didnt answer your question but i just thuoght i might save you some hassel and money.The drive line shop willmeasure the drive shaft lenght for you or tell ou how they want them measured. every shop is different on how they measure. If your rear driveshaft needs to be shorter then imsure you will HAVE to go to a CV style .

 

[BajaEdition]

yes that is correct, it appears he moved the driveline to make the 6 fit.
failure to do so can grenade your t case
you can bring it to a drive shaft shop or make the measurements yourself
I am sure the way to measure those shafts will be posted real soon, I forget where we have them here.
I suggest you make sure he has the Transmission mounted correctly and have a torque mount on the Transfer Case as these are both needed to hold everything in place.

 

[BajaEdition]

here we go
http://www.4xshaft.com/MeasuringGuide.pdf

 

[Old Dog]

I suggest you make sure he has the Transmission mounted correctly and have a torque mount on the Transfer Case as these are both needed to hold everything in place.

We could use a little more info, such as do you have a lift and how high if so. Is this a street jeep or a trail jeep?
IMHO If you have 2 1/2" or less lift a cv shaft is a waste of money. Go to a local driveshaft place and have your rear shaft shortened, should be $100 or less. Also see what they want to lenghten your front, it might be less than a new one.
I know you didn't ask this but that SR4 is a 4 cly. Transmission . and probally won't last long behind a 6cly. So I wouldn't spend to much on driveshafts that you will be replacing in the future with the new Transmission .

 

[strazman]

This jeep is just a street jeep with no lift. I plan to call a local drive shaft company and see what they will charge. I was just wondering if i could just find a drive shaft out of a 6cyl jeep and install that. The jeep only cost me $800, so if i have to spend a little money on shafts, that will be fine.

 

[CJ]

Per this post >> http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f15/your-profile-3975/ << which you were directed to read, please fill out your profile information so we may better help you.

 

[CJKrawler]

You could do some searches on craigslist. You might get lucky enough to find someone parting out a CJ. You will have to make sure they have the same engine and Transfer Case that you have. All this will depend on whether the PO put the engine in the same place as the factory did so. Your best bet to make sure you are getting the correct length is to go to the shop and have them help you.

 

[BusaDave9]

Instead of going with the one inch recommendation of the PO make your own measurements as per the link that BajaEdition referred you to.
http://www.4xshaft.com/MeasuringGuide.pdf
Then call up Tom Wood's Drive shafts at 1-877-497-4238. They built me a strong custom drive shaft for a lot less than it cost me to have a local shop repair a shaft.