Drivetrain Advice???

I've been deployed for a while and waiting for the warmer weather to finally start the 59' CJ-5 project.
The advice I'm looking for is what drive train to go with????
I have access to 4, 6, and 8 cyl motors, Dana 18 and 20 transfer cases and a few transmissions....
So if you had several different options what drive train would you go with???
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

 

I putting in a 225 odd fire V6, with a T18 four speed with a dana 20 tc with dana 18 gears. I have a centered dana 44 out back and I like the dana 20 TC becuase it is some much quieter in two wheel drive and the gears last longer because the power goes straight out the back in two wheel drive. So, since we drive these things mostly in two wheel drive the dana 20 in very nice. And you can get a terra low gears if you want to go lower. I don't like putting in v8 in these CJs, it is overkill and they don't fit that well. There are some really good four and V6 engines out there that fit so much better than a V8. Have fun which ever way you go. Also, the SM465 is a better solution than a SM420, and the SM465 bolts up to a Dana 18 or DAna 20 real nice for a clean package.

 

First thing I'd ask is what do you intend to do with the Jeep? What kind of terrain are you planning on running? What size tires do you want to run? Will this be a daily street driver, occasional street driver, or never see the street? These all will have an effect on which drivetrain you use as they all have pro's and cons for different purposes. A little more info will help much and you will get some great advice here. The type of 4 cylinder, V-6, or V-8 you have available may determine what answers are given here also. What do you have available? In the immortal words of Lloyd Novak, "Just because you have an engine does not mean it will make a good swap". Nickmil.

 

V6

Since you have access to the 20 and the 18 go with the 20 0r you will have the added expence of the overdrive and like previously mensioned
go with a low gear coversion.

The SM420 has a 7 to 1 granny gear but if you have a 20 with the conversion not much difference so go with the SM465 (6.5 to 1) with the 20. If you go automatic the drive line gets real short. automatic are better suited for longer wheel bases.

You will need a center set rear end with the 20. Up grade to 11 inch brakes from a wagoneer or better yet go disc brake.

Depending on what you use it for the model 25 front axle is a good unit but the model 30 with disc is better.

By the way when drum brakes get wet they tend to loose their effectivety and on the trail it is hard to dry them out.

Limited slip / Locker are up to you and your budget, some are harsh on the road, limited slip require clutch changes and slip at the wrong time even when set up properly.

Keep a stock height or raise it is up to the way use it and personnel perferrance.

 

I agree with Nick, more info is needed to make a decent decision.

 

Wow...thanks for all the replies...
If I do lift the Jeep it will be 2" or so...
I plan on taking it up to the NC mountains and drive it to work sometimes, but mostly off road...


I'm leaning towards this set-up...

commando axles dana 30 front/dana 44 rear
commando v6, with a 3-speed (not sure which one yet)
commando dana 20 transfer case

ok...so now bring on the suggestions and the needed upgrades!!!

Thanks!!

 

Yep sounds like a good plan. You could always put in an SM420/465, but thats not really required.

 

The only problem with the Jeepster Commando axles in a CJ is the spring spacing on tth rear. The JC rear axles use wider, outboarded springs, which means the spring pads won't line up with the spring hangers on the chassis. If you try to use the outboard location, the rear shackle will extend beyond the curved rear corner of the CJ body (the JC rear corner is square). You can move the pads inward and use narrower spring pads, but you might instead look for CJ axles from '72-75 - they will be the flanged 44 that you want, and have the proper spring pads for a CJ.

hth!

 

My only real comment is with a 3 speed and the stock dana 20 gears, your low range crawl ratio is gonna suck unless you have 4.88 gears in the axles especially with any tire over 32" tall. 4 speeds are nice but costly as is the tera low kits, the dana 18 gears stuffed in the dana 20 case are ok but only if you can get them for nearly nothing.

 

The reason that I am using a T18 four speed is that it is the most compact of the truck four speeds. I am using an Advanced Adapters V6 bellhousing that has the ford pattern, so when I mounted my V6 and lined things up the T18 fit the hole in the floor boards perfect in my CJ3B. Again, I like the Dana 20 because it is quiet, does not wear out the intermediate gear fast. I also did not want the expense or the extra worry of an overdrive to shift. So, I picked the rearend gear ratio for the tire size I will run,and be able to do 65 mph on the road. And one more thing, running a Jeepster centered dana 44 is not that big of a deal to move the spring pads, and they are easier to find than an offset flanged dana 44. I also ran a Dana 18 transfer case with a centered dana 44 and it did fine. The compond angles for the drive shaft is not that great unless you lift it over 2 inches. These are things (for CJ's) I am doing and have done in the past and are here just for your information. Have fun what ever you do.

 

makes sense to me

 

Here's some drive train stuff I've got if your interested in any of it send me an email:
det131let@navo.navy.mil
narrow track dana 30 front w/new disc brakes
ford 9" narrow track rear, moser built w/31 spline axles and new drum brakes (no third member)
T176 tranny w/bellhousing
Dana 300 transfer case
Brand new 33x12.5 Boggers on rockcrawler series 97 wheels
new pro com 3.5" lift w/shocks
I could arrange delivery as far as Atlanta
Robert
70 CJ5 RI
71 CJ5 RII
77 CJ7

 

whatever you do, if you are mostly going to be offroad, the granny tranny is EXTREMELY useful.
i would reccomed the v6 (buick with the 420, or chevy with the 465), the NT dana 30, 18 in a 20 case, and your boggers. if you are running the 33", you should swap in atleast 4.27-4.88 gears. that will bring the ratio back to a usable number. then, if you are feeling froggy, you can add the tera low, or the over driver (or both). if you add the OD, you can drop to 5.38's or a tad lower and really have a nice crawl ratio but still be streetable. the 6 is great power for these smaller jeeps. the 4.2 ford (i think thats fords v6 power house) is almost exactly like the buick even fire except it has the stroke of the 400 SBC which means GREAT torque at lower rpm. so you can give up some gear in exchange for torque...but too much will get you in trouble.
its a give and take situation. give some for street, and loose it for the trail. but the 420/465 give you ALOT of flexibility. you can keep everything else pretty much stock and still have a crawl ratio.
oh btw...
<--ex navy guy..=)

 

The V6s are cool in the early CJ becasue they fit into the engine compartment so easily. Several 4 cylinders will too, but the V6s are more popular, and you need to be the right kind of driver to be happy with the I4s. Buicks fit a little better than the Chevy because of the front-mounted distributor, but both the Chevy 90 degree V6 (4.3L) and the Jeep/Buick V6 are popular, and widely available in junkyards and donor vehicles. Both the Dodge and Ford V6s would make sense in a CJ if you used their respective transmissions and adapted the transmission to the transfer case. The adapter to the transfer case (instead of the transmission) is more expensive if you buy it new from Novak, R&P, Advanced, etc. The adapter for GM bells to the stock T90 3-speed can be found cheaply on the used market - but rather than buy a new one, I'd go ahead and spend the extra $200 or so for the adapter to a better transmission.

Novak has a lot of info on engine, transmission and transfer case combinations. www.novak-adapt.com - the whole site has lots of good info, but the place to start is the Knowledge Gateway. I think everybody here would agree with most of what's on Novak's site, although opinions will vary. Good info, regardless.

<edit> An additonal comment - everyone wants low gears. If you have 5.38 axles in the '59 already, keep 'em and build around that (unless you have money to burn). People pay big money to add more gear reduction (thus the popularity of the truck transmissions with a granny gear), and the 5.38s are a good start in that direction. The Dana 18 is superior to the Dana 20 in this respect also.