CJ 3a Build Ideas

Alright, so here's some background on my 1951 CJ-3a. Previous owner did some nice mods to it: Iron Duke 4 banger, T-18, Model 18 with I believe 1 1/4" intermediate shaft, 12v, saginaw steering, 11" drums up front, stiff 1-2" lift, 31's, stock open 5.38's, and a cage with front hoop, but not tied into the frame.

Right now as far as parts and equipment go, I have a 110v Lincoln mig, some minor fab tools, a set of D44's from a 70's Wag (flat top, off-set rear), a set of stock YJ springs, and a Warn XD9000i.

I'm still a bit unsure what I'll be doing right now as far as build up plans go. Originally I thought I was going to do a full bore build, SOA, Wag 44's front and rear, etc. Yet the more I'm thinking about it, and seeing as how $$$ is very tight right now, I'm thinking of something a bit more mild. The Jeep will be mixed use for both street and trail. Mainly it's for wheeling, not a commuter by any means, but would like to drive around town quite a bit, and also some serious highway miles to get to wheeling locations. The wheeling is mainly NW forest roads, and since I already have a winch, I'm okay with just running a rear locker for now.

The current thought is to just do enough to comfortably wheel the thing relatively soon. The stock suspension is so stiff right now that I can't imagine wheeling it. The bushings are cinched down, seized up and worn out. It's a possibility to remove all springs, replace with new bushings, and try to soften it up a bit, but I don't think it'll make much difference in the end.

Axles:

So I have a lot of options, some concerns, and would like some opinions as to the best way to go. Even though I have those nice Wag 44's, I don't have the money to properly build them. I'm not thrilled about the D25/44 two-piece combo, but if they can survive 33's, a rear locker, and a light motor, I'll run with those since they're already geared low. I'd just hate to throw money at two-piece D44 shafts and a D25, but if that's what it needs, possibly a full floater kit would be money well spent. Maybe a widetrack 30 up front with my Wag 44 rear? If I could find someone getting rid of their 30 with 4.88's or something, I'd be very happy. The 5.38's are great if I had an overdrive.

EDIT: Right now I'm thinking that if I throw ANY money into the axles, I will do the Wag 44's that I have, and narrow the front down to 58" to match the rear. Since I won't have that kind of money for a few months, I'm thinking that I should just try to replace the bushings in the springs/shackles, throw the winch on it, see if I can score a couple of cheap extra shafts (anyone?), and just wheel it until my money situation becomes a bit better.


Suspension:

Since I'm thinking 33's, cheap and easy, I'm thinking running my stock YJ pack sua, or possibly 2" YJ springs sua. I don't mind cutting some of the rear body. I'm planning on boxing the frame, and extending the wheelbase by a few inches while I'm relocating the spring perches. Building a new frame from scratch is not in my plans for now, maybe a few years down the road, when I have better access to a shop, better skills, etc.

Thank you for making it this far, and if you have any opinions of what you'd do in my situation, I'd be most appreciative. I would also like some real world experiences with guys running a D25/two piece 44 as far as strength and reliability goes with larger tires. Also pics of stock YJ springs sua.

 

I'm running the same axles as you with NO locker and 35" tires... Althought they have held up pretty good so far, i basically consider it to be a timebomb. NOT recommended.

I'd say get those waggy axles under there as soon as you can. You'll be happy with them and strength shouldnt be much of an issue after that, especially if you keep the power relatively mild.

welcome to the Forum btw.

 

i have been running the stock 44 rear and 25 front for 10 years with a 350 sbc. a few years ago i upgraded to a 4 speed saganaw trans and put a lockright in the rear and a powerlock in the front, also running 33 tires, ive never had a problem and have done a lot of hill climbing and extreme rock crawling. best thing i did was to install power steering, the old bell crank with the little steering wheel and 33,s was killing me. i waited untill i installed the 4 speed trans to install the lockright because advanced adapters said the tranny wouldnt hold up to the locker but the rearend would be fine. i also put new spindles on the tappered rear axles, one was cracked and loose, still it never failed. i agree with Andy4802 on the 35,s. i could fit 35,s under with no problem but figured it would be a time bomb.

 

Hind site being what it is now with my project.
I would highly recommend if $$$ is tight run what ya got there with maybe a 2 1/2 stock suspension lift to clear the 33's. If ya need a little more lift you can fab some lift shackles very easily. You will be very surprised at how capable that combo will be for general trail riding, and the new springs ride better.
As far as the axles go I would run the D25/D44 combo unless you plan to get more HP or go with bigger tires in the future. My 3b had 31's and a 283 SBC and stock axles for 20 or so years with no serious problems so I think you will be OK.
If the plan is to stretch the wheelbase, add HP, or bigger tires go ahead and start rebuilding the waggy axles and keep the waggy width if they are narrow waggy. You can play around with tire backspacing to get the right width because you will need 6 lug wheels. At that time do the Wrangler spring conversion and outboard the springs on the front.
Check out these sites for suspension mods
http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/66078_jeep_wrangler_springs_install/

Superlift springs for the flatty are suppose to ride better
http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/Tech/Springs.html

Just my $.02