What do I have

[jhowe32]

New to this forum but find it a wealth of information. New to the CJ ownership realm and need some help. I have a 1980 CJ7 with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l six cylinder, automatic Transmission and QuadraTrac Transfer Case . I am interested in removing the QuadraTrac and replacing it with a Dana 18, but am finding conflicting information on if there is a GM Turbo 400 or a 999 automatic in my Jeep. Some thing I read say the TH was discontinued in 1979, others say the GM Turbo 400 was the only Transmission ever bolded to a QuadraTrac case. I will not carry on, but the more I plot the changes, the more questions that seem to arise, but want to work through the TC question thing first

 

[Petescj]

If you have the QuadraTrac then you have the GM Turbo 400 Transmission as well. Your Cj may be titled a '80 due to it leaving the dealers lot late. This is how some Scramblers were titled as '86 when the last year they were made was actually '85.

 

[Incommando]

CJ QuadraTrac = GM Turbo 400 . Some later systems in other platforms were also called the QuadraTrac and used other trannies but that is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

Are you for sure you have the QuadraTrac ? Not trying to be insulting but it has happened before. The fact that you know you need an off-set output Transfer Case like the D18 over the Dana 20 or Dana 300 indicates you probably do have the off-set output QuadraTrac .

Look up a pic of the tranny pan gasket on line for each of the possibilities and compare it to the shape of your pan.
904: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&...nw=85&start=0&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:90
GM Turbo 400 : http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/th400.htm

There is a remote possibility that someone for some unknown reason WANTED a QuadraTrac and swapped that into a later CJ7 as well... Maybe someone wanting a Dana 300 drivetrain for an earlier Q-trac Jeep swapped the whole deal between the two?

Although sometimes states titled items by year of sale instead of year of manufacture that pretty much ended by the 50's and modern consumer protection & EPA laws prevented a '79 vehicle from being sold/titled as another year. I did have a titled 1945 CJ2 sold in October of 1945 that actually fit the '46 2a description better but there again that was a long time ago before EPA and other regs.

Just because a vehicle is produced in a given year does not mean it is the model from that year as the model year generally begins on or about September 1st of the previous year. I am sure you all know you will be able buy a 2013 Jeep in September of 2012 that was obviously produced in 2012. Heck there are a few "2013" model year vehicles on sale now! Jeep called/certified them '86 CJ8 's, they were sold in the '86 model year, and it does not matter what year they were bolted together as about 25% of the production run of any model is assembled during the previous calendar year. Again: CALENDAR year and MODEL year do not mean the same thing. Every database I have ever seen lists the CJ8 production run as '81-'86. They are '86 CJ8 's because Jeep made them as '86's not due to some whim of a local registrar or the sale date... If you doubt this have someone with an '86 CJ8 post up the emissions sticker from under the hood of that '86 and if it is original it will say that the vehicle complies with all emissions qualifications for the 1986 model year...

http://www.jeepfan.com/tech/prod-numbers.htm

 

[jhowe32]

Yes, it is the QuadraTrac because there are no Transfer Case shift levers on the floor and the e-drive switch is in the glove compartment. Ok, so all I need to do is find a Dana 18 Transfer Case and swap out the Q-trac and that hump is over with an adapter from AA or Novak. THANKS ALL, and I fully expect to be asking a lot of questions as I enter the world of CJ ownership and modification

 

[tarry99]

Jhowe:
What do you have for axle gear ratios in the front & back?

 

[jhowe32]

I honestly do not know what the axle ratios are, why do you ask? Again, still on the learning curve with this CJ stuff, but learning fast

 

[tarry99]

jhowe32,

If your thinking about a D-18 offset twin-stick Transfer Case that's fine, but there are several options using the offset Transfer Case as far as gear ratio's are concerned that you should understand before you go sourcing parts.
Understanding how your going to use the Jeep , and what gears you currently have is important to tailor that Transfer Case choice.