New project

[thistle3585]

I have the opportunity to pickup a CJ7 frame, fiberglass body and tilt front end. It has a Ford 9" rear end but no motor, tranny or transfer. I'd appreciate any thoughts on a direction to take on the drive train. I'm not opposed to pulling the Ford 9" but haven't any experience with one. I am planning on this being a daily driver for my son, so I'm thinking of a straight six or similar. Any thoughts? What would you do?

 

[rufus1138]

depends on budget, if reliability and mixed on/off road usage is planned i would go with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l amc or a ford 302 pushrod v8 both are capable of lasting for extreme amounts of miles and make respectable power where its needed while having an excellent parts base that wont break the bank. drivetrain i would go with a T-18 wide ratio and you can argue till you're blue in the face about Dana 20 t-cases vs Dana 300 's, axles are easy just pick what you want and make the ratios match, the ford 9 inch wont hurt you but you may want a pair of dana's front and rear so that parts are simpler to source. it all depends on how much you wanna spend in each area.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Building one for my kid would have

AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 6cyl
Ax-15 5sp Transmission
Dana 300
Keep the 9" it's a good axle with the right bolt pattern
Dana 30 front
Keep the tires on the smaller side.. 32-33" tops
4" springs for a sua

There's my .02

 

[Petescj]

Building one for my kid would have

AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 6cyl
Ax-15 5sp Transmission
Dana 300
Keep the 9" it's a good axle with the right bolt pattern
Dana 30 front
Keep the tires on the smaller side.. 32-33" tops
4" springs for a sua

There's my .02

This , but Id use a F.I. 4.0 liter.

 

[mtnwhlr]

This , but Id use a F.I. 4.0 liter.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Looking back yes I would go with the efi.. While the carb is easier to set up and normally cheaper but the efi is a little bit more dependable. Ive sworn off a jeep as my primary vehicle. Would I drive one every day? Yes. Do I keep another vehicle as back up for when the jeep s the bed. Sure do. My buddy sold his grand Cherokee DD to fund his wrangler project. He's been left stranded 3 times last month.

 

[Posi]

For your son's safety, six point cage tied into the frame. Good quality seat belts, and brake booster.