would spirit and eagle parts work on my cj?

[raser13]

hey guys just a weird musing. while i was at the local bone yards i couldn't find any jeeps at all, but they had several 4X4 spirits and eagles with the straight sixes. would the tranny, drive shafts and axles match up to my '77 cj?? just wondering because my jeeps parts pool is almost nothing here.

 

[Incommando]

IIRC the rear was some bastard axle that didn't match anything: weaker even then the Cj M20. It was a Model 15???. Also I think they were wider than a N/T CJ. The front's used a vacuum operated switch ( front axle disconnect) that literally pulled the passenger side front axle shaft apart ( 2 pieces) to disconnect the front axle and stop wear/tear when the weird AWD system was switched to 2wd. It is common to bypass this weak set-up in most vehicles that used it. They also used super silly gear ratios like 2.25:1 and are hard to re-gear. I am not sure what gears are even available for the rear.

I am thinking that they also used a driver's drop front diff and the NP "round" tranny to Transfer Case bolt pattern like those found in an XJ. If so the tranny would probably not work with your Dana 20 Transfer Case without an expensive adapter if then. Your CJ front axle would not work if it is driver's drop.

Could they physically be swapped? No doubt. Get your tape measure and have at 'em! SHOULD they be swapped? Not IMHO.

If finding CJ stuff is that hard and if you are willing to go driver's drop on your Transfer Case '90-and up XJ axles can work. The HP Dana 30 front is notably stronger than the CJ unit, especially if it is a '96-up unit with the 297/760 ujoints in place of the weak 260's in the early XJ's and CJ's. The optional 8.25 rear axle is also decent, especially the '97-newer 29 spline version. YJ/earlier XJ front Dana 30 's are also good for the same reasons but will all have the small ujoints except the last year- '95 and they have vacuum disconnect. The disconnect can be replaced with a cable to upgrade its strength, permanently locked together like non-disco axles, or have aftermarket shafts that replace the disco. A mid-'90's 4.0L I6/AX15 5-spd or AW4 auto/and 231 Transfer Case swap into a CJ has been done many times and offers many upgrades over the stock stuff. Well, except the transfer cases. I hate the aluminum cased/chain driven t-cases. To stay passenger drop find a set of Scout II axles or '79-older Wagoneer axles to get an upgrade to Dana 44 's front/rear. They and many other better than stock axles can be modded for a CJ fairly easily,

 

[raser13]

thanks for the info. i was looking for more of a direct drop in, not moding it to accept the spirit/eagle parts. it was a 103 degree heat index day and the cars were in some really tall and gnarly grass so i didn't feel like crawling under them to look around. but i figured it was amc, 4X4, and about the same size. that's why i asked the question. i was just hoping to open a new parts pool. oh well the search continues.

what about drive shafts? would they be the same?

 

[Incommando]

Not sure but I don't think. IIRC the front was a cv type and with their longer wheelbase I doubt the length would be the same

 

[poppatello]

AMC 4x4 cars had the AMC20 rears. Everything else was different. There were geared differently too. I had one and it drove like a tank. I even installed a motorcarft carb and it didn't nothing to improve power. The front axle is what was stated above. Worthless in a jeep...

 

[Incommando]

AMC 4x4 cars had the AMC20 rears. Everything else was different. There were geared differently too. I had one and it drove like a tank. I even installed a motorcarft carb and it didn't nothing to improve power. The front axle is what was stated above. Worthless in a jeep...

I had read/seen that although it looks like an AMC20 the diff internals are different and the diff housing itself will not accept an AMC20 case that would allow you to run 3.XX series or numerically higher gears. In other words even though it uses the same diff cover & appears identical to an AMC20 externally you cannot take a 3.73 gear set & case from a CJ AMC20 and physically install it in the rear axle used in these cars. I have seen it called the AMC Model 15. Everything gets lumped as an AMC20 . The version used under FSJ's was actually the AMC Model 23 but I don't know anyone who actually calls it that. At least the diff internals are the same from the 20 to the 23.