ALOT of CJ-5 questions

alright, this post is going to be long, so please bear with me.....

OK.....my '73 was an original 304 but now has a swapped in 360, 3-speed manual trans, stock t-case and stock f&r axles. Anybody know what the trans, t-case and axles are in a stock '73?

The spare '76 rolling chassis is the same setup, except it has the inline 6-cylinder engine that's seized from being out in the weather for gawd knows how long. Everything in that chassis looks identical to the '73. Would they be the same?

I'm worried about the HP/TQ from the 360.....the previous owner pulled it out of a Javelin and mentioned that the CJ is WAY squirrily on the road over 40mph.....this isn't particuliarly what i am looking for. I figured a decent daily driver with some good off-road/trail capabilities.

In your guys' opinions, should i leave the 360 in this and just deal with the power, or would possibly rebuilding the 6-cylinder and dropping that in be a better option?

Like i said above, i basically would like this to be a trust-worthy DD, and a capable trail rig. Won't see much if any mud (i have a fullsize for that) and my tire of choice would only be a 33x12.50 mud terrain MAX.

Never done much rock climbing, mostly mud runnin, body bashing trail rides, but rock/hill climbing/trail riding is something i would like to try with this thing if possible.

I would think the 6-cyl would be better for this, but i could be wrong.

I'll dig into my "5" more once i get it home....sposed to be picking it up tomorrow if the nasty weather breaks long enough.

Any help, advice & input would be greatly appreciated

 

I have seen many CJ's with 360's in them. I think the trans is a T15??
I'm thinking that it is more steering issues over 40 than just the power factor. In fact there are probably a number of Jeepers on here that wouldn't mind having a 360, me being one of them. The cost to find a runner and change exhaust and motor mounts is out of range for me.

I would figure out why it gets squirrley at speeds before pulling a good 360 out in favor for a 6. I mean, I like my 6, but this just hurts to read

High5

 

Hi - the drivetrain info can be found at www.jeeptech.com
In brief, Borg-Warner T-15A transmission, Dana 20 transfer case, Dana 30 front axle, Dana 44 rear axle.

I used to own a '73 with a 304, and the dealership I worked at had a '73 demonstrator with a 401 that I drove. If everything is in good shape, you should have no trouble driving at highway speeds. I'm fairly certain that, if you feel insecure, it's becasue of worn steering or some other mechanical problem. Look for worn spring end bushings, worn power steering box, worn tie rod ends, frame cracks, worn steering coupler, and probably other things I can't think of now. You should be able to drive this Jeep with confidence at well above highway speeds - I have.

I like the 258, but there's nothing wrong with the 360 other than lousy gas mileage. The 258 is arguabley a better engine in terms of longevity and reliability, but it certainly doesn't have the V8's power. High-mileage AMC V8s often suffer from low hot-idle oil pressure due to a worn timing cover which houses the oil pump, so check your oil pressure.

If you really have a '76 to compare to the '73, there are a lot of differences. 1976 was a year of big changes for the CJs. The frame, rear axle, transmissions, springs, seats, dashboard, floor pan, steering, and windshield are all different. None of this stuff will easily interchange.

hth!

 

you guys are probly right about the steering problems.....i'll check into that once i get her home. I know he said there was a worn tie rod on it that should be replaced, probly wouldn't hurt to just go through everything really well and go from there.

As for the '76 components, they do look alot like the '73 stuff........hmmmmmmm

I'll post back once i get her home.

I'm sure the 360 will be ok, but my main concern really was way too much torque/hp for the rest of the drivetrain. Don't get me wrong here, the drivetrain was behind a 304 so they would have to be fairly stout i would think, i just figured the 360 may push their limits though. But, after seeing some even have 401's in em, i stand corrected

 

You can tell a '76 and later frame because the rails aren't parallel - they widen toward the rear.

 

thanx guys for all the input on this.....is much appreciated!

And please keep the info/input comming!! Being a CJ "virgin" i need all the help i can get here!

What i ment when i said the '76 looks identical to the '73 was the components: trans, t-case, axles, etc. I know the frames are different, that i saw, but otherwise they looked similiar in drivetrain components. The rolling drivetrain doesn't have any body on her at all, just the drivetrain.

Another question i have, after reading alot of the posts, would be what would be a good way to lift this just a tad? Nothing major, just enough to get some room between 33" tires and the fenders?
Currently, she does have 33's on her, but there might be MAYBE 1" or so between the tires and flares.....would like to get a little more room there without compomising any handling if that's possible?

 

would go for a 2.5" spring lift. nothing fancy.

 

Dont worry about the 360, worry about the foot that engages the hp and tq from the 360.

Karl

 

Right! that's going to take some getting used to.....always been a "foot to the floor" mud runner type of guy, this is going to take some getting used to

 

x2. You will be happy with a 2.5" lift

 

X3
I have a 360 in mine and haven't had any problems. Keep your foot out of it and you should be fine. You might want to check your steering box at the same time you look at other steering issues. That is where a huge amount of my slop came from. I am comfortable running up to 75 on the highway (unless the wind is blowing hard).

 

actually, i wiggled the steering wheel today once i got it home and watched the frontend sheetmetal move just before the tires.......something to track down i think.

Also, the PO swapped in a GM steering coloumn off of something.....ALOT of play in it as well

 

'72 jeep gal: in your sig, you have an HEI distributor listed......did you convert that yourself or huh? What all was involved?

 

Ok, after looking good at the shackles on this thing, they are all homemade and different lengths F&R.

The 2.5" springs sound good.....should i just get replacement shackles (stock) or do you guys think that some aftermarket ones would be better?

 

thanx for the info Lynn

i kind of suspected that aftermarket would be stronger, but wasn't sure about which to go with height wise. I'd hate to go too long, but didn't want to go too short either. 1/2" to 1" max sounds good.....i'll see if i can track some down via the web this afternoon.

Thanx also for the info on the lift kits. Didn't even think that some would ride harsher than others.....always just bolted them on the mud trucks and beat them into submission LOL. I saw a 2.5" "kit" yesterday somewhere that was around $425 or so......don't remember who/where, but i'll do some checking again today as well.

At least with the '76 i'll have a few spare parts!

 

BTW the transmission looks the same, but it's not. The '73 uses a Borg-Warner T-15A, while the 76-79 is a Tremac T-150, a Ford passenger car transmission made under license. The T-150 is ok, but not as strong as the T-15.

 

thanx for the info Tim! I'll hold onto the '76 trans though just in case.....never hurts to have some spares and/or trading material on hand

hey, got to looking around 4WDH's site, and found the shackles they have listed. Only thing that concerns me, is they state they can't be used for their 2.5" lift kits......anybody know why?

 

Be sure to save the bellhousing and associated bits - it's a ready-made AMC engine to Ford transmission (ie T-18) adapter.

Re the shackles, maybe the military wrap (both 1st and 2nd leaves wrapping around the spring end) interferes with the shackle cross bar?