CJ7 junk yard parts bin on 42's

The seat base support thing-a-ma-jig took forever. Lots of measuring and putting seats in and out, but its finally in there. And @StretchASU seats are in with new PRP 4.2's. Kept the factory seat slider on the driver's seat, passenger is fixed. Harness bar probably omits the likely hood of a back seat again... I'm keeping the factory seat risers Incase I ever want to go back. These seats hold ya in, but are a pain to get into.
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First road run on the new falken mts prove them to be nice and smooth on the hwy. Last winter it was a little wobbly with the hardtop and doors on, but it's more with the cage now. Any evasive maneuver at 65 mph would have me testing out the roll cage. I either need to fab up new mounts for the stock sway bar and my redneck quick disconnects or fab up someway to put in an antirock. Since I'm cheap I'll probably put the stocker back in.
 
Made a trip to Kairos over the weekend. Nice 5.5 hour ride from the east coast. Loaded up the CJ and my buddies 4runner and got there Saturday afternoon. Lost another trailer tire on the way.

Hit the trails Saturday afternoon, the runner blew two swampers off the beads, but we made it back to the yurt before the sun went down. Wheeled all day on Sunday, hit every hard trail in the map and then crawled white whale late in the day. Did pull cable at the last ledge but otherwise crawled it fine. First time my son drove nearly all day and he did great.

Back to the yurt for fajitas and a campfire. Loaded the trailer and headed home Monday morning. Both rigs are covered in mud, but other than a few tire issues no breakage. Got home and pulled the 42's off and put the 35 falkens back on. Pressure washer the winders and all the chassis welds to check for cracks and my son drove into town the next day to take his girl out for ice cream.

Oddly content with this thing and it's capabilities as a trail rig and daily for my son. This might be the first time I've had a rig that I wasn't always tense about using for fear of one of the many weak links letting go.

Pics are blurry sense I smashed my camera lense on a rock, didn't take but a few pics for that reason.
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T5 started leaking again. Was / am hunting for an AX15 to swap in. Or considering the 440 again. The 440 runs great and has a 727 mated to it now with an np203, but I have four options for the tcase situation.

1. I have a jeep 727 that has the shortest tailshaft of all 727's. I can swap it's shaft and tailshaft adapter into my big block housing and slam my stock CJ Dana 300 on the back and go for it. This is the cheapest solution, but I don't know if the front drive shaft will clear the trans pan. And I don't know that the Dana 300 will survive behind a 440.

2. I have a long 32 spline np205 that could be adapted to the back of the jeep 727. It needs a SYE, a dodge 29 spline input and a 23 to 29 spline coupler. Also can't seem to find a fig 8 to standard 6 adapter from nwf or anywhere else this year. Add all that cost up and I have a strong reasonably short $1,400 205 with a 1.96:1 low.

3. I could just order a 203/205 doubler and toss the 205 on the back of the current 440 trans and 203. Not sure I have the length for this combo. I could take a few inches out by adapting the 203 onto the shorter jeep 727 tail housing but there would be some ghetto fab to make this happen. This is about an $1,800 parts list if I can get the parts within a reasonable time frame.

4. I've got the np 241 parts for the nwf ecobox that presumably would bolt up to my big bore fig 8 np 205 and the 6 hole round jeep 727 tailshaft housing. This is the most ideal combination for gearing, strength, and I think the length works, but it's 12 weeks leadtime and over $2k in parts by time I swap internals between the two transmissions, buy the box, and the sye on the 205.

Or I just find an AX15 and keep going... Thoughts anyone, or anyone have any parts for sale to fit in better with the above options or a better option I haven't listed???
 
Dang...I just had a 1st Gen Dodge 205 adapter that I sold!

The Dodge 205s were firgure 8, but used this adapter to make them 6 bolt round to bolt up to Getrags or A518s...or whatever else they used.

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I'd spend the extra and go with option 3 or 4. If I went option 4 I'd look at unloading the 32 spline GM 205 and finding a Dodge one. It will already be SYE with 32 spline outputs and the eco box can be ordered to work with the small bore 23 spline 205s that are much more common than the big bore ones.

Duane
 
Well, Ive acquired an AX15... But I'm not too motivated to put it in. Just can't get excited about all that work plus a Dana 300 clocking ring, new clutch, and new skid plate. And all I get is a better trans.

Lots more work to put the 440 in, but I think it would actually be cheaper and much more rewarding to put the 440 in front of the Dana 300, and plan for the blackbox later
 
IMO I’d strongly recommend you upgrade both outputs on the D300. I’ve broken both outputs and 2 sets of 4:1 gears with 39” tires over the years. (4.0 first then 4.6l with ax15) all depends on how hard you are on equipment but doesn’t take much to break in the rocks.
 
SPOA87YJ said:
IMO I’d strongly recommend you upgrade both outputs on the D300. I’ve broken both outputs and 2 sets of 4:1 gears with 39” tires over the years. (4.0 first then 4.6l with ax15) all depends on how hard you are on equipment but doesn’t take much to break in the rocks.
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I'll definitely look into this. Ultimately I'd like to end up with the black box and a 205, so plan on not spending the cash on the 4:1 in the 300. I saw something about a reinforced case bracket that I might do as well.

The current 4.2 is fuel injected with the hesco kit, but otherwise stockish so my current style of driving is likely to find more issues with the 440.
 
Looked into upgraded outputs and that's a nope. I'd be better off putting that grand towards a black box... Going to run it for awhile
 
So where do the rest of you v8 swapping jeepers source your radiators?
 
willness33 said:
This I would like to know as well with my v8 swap getting closer.
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What??? I was supposed to sell you this Mopar MPFI kit for your jeep to fund my v8 swap... Oh well have to find another sucker.

I'm thinking Amazon aluminum 4 core rad with electric fans right now. Need to pull some more dimensions and get it ordered.
I ordered the Barnes skid plate today, but other than the rad I have everything else for mockup. Hoping to get the 258 and 440 out of their current residences this weekend. Got to swap tailshafts and tcase adapters between the stubby jeep 727 I have with the big block 727 housing.
 
willness33 said:
You took too long lol. Besides, my 258 is TIRED.
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My little 258 gave up the fight two days ago when my son was driving it to work. Haven't opened it up to see what or how much came apart yet. He heard it change tone and coasted to the shoulder. I came with the trailer and checked it out. No water in the oil, no leaks so I fired it up. Started but was beating around something fierce. 30+ pounds of oil pressure though. I drove it on the trailer in 4 low with it banging around. It ran about another minute then whatever was winging around in there wedged and it stalled. It was puking coolant out the exhaust the whole way up the trailer though. Now the crankcase has some coolant in it too. It's done.

Started disassembly of the ramcharger tonight. Got the exhaust off and the np203 dropped. Not sure I can get the engine and trans out as an assembly. Would be nice though. Hoping to get it out tomorrow night so I can take the trans in for a rebuild and tailshaft swap Friday.
 
440 is out
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258 is out

440 is hanging for fitment confirmation. It fits I think. Got the trans and Dana 300 floating in a sort of position, engine would be able to bolt up once I switch the bell housings and tail shafts. Front driveshaft is close to the trans pan. Not going to be able to use my deep pan unfortunately. Also can't clock the Dana 300 so I can't use my just ordered Barnes skid plate until I build the black box. Headers will have to be installed while setting the motor, did the driver's side to verify tonight. Passenger side should have more room without the steering shaft in the way.

This is exhausting...
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Got trans back from rebuild and bolted it all together. See world's shortest 727 package that I know of anyway
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4 row rad with fans arrived today
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Did another dry run with the trans and tcase bolted up. Slid in the factory skid plate that hugs the Dana 300. Drivers side header front tube hits the steering shaft but I think I can dent it to clear. Passenger side collector hits frame hard and it won't sit flat on the head. Going to pull it out again tomorrow and try to pull them together with a rachet strap... Any of you Mopar guys have any header suggestions that fit the block tighter than these hedmans?

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I looked and don't see many options for 440 fender well headers. As cool as they would be I dont know how long they'd last before I crushed them on a rock... Come to think of it I don't think I've ever really looked at a CJ with fenderwell pipes to know how well they're protected, maybe it would work if I could find a set for a 440
 
Not sure about with a 440, but these were with a SBC in a CJ.

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Later on, he cut the collectors shorter and sorta ran them under the tub. I think you could make it work, pending finding some, and tuck the pipes near-ish to the frame. Bad angle, but you can sorta see how he did it.

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