1982 CJ7

[gearhead1985B]

good luck finding parts for your axles i don't know what year they are but you should have front disc fyi and 5 bolt hubs not 6 bolt

i found a guy with an axle from a cj thats a narrow track also with the disc brakes for $100 but it has no gears in it. was going to take off the outer parts of it and put them on mine to make it discs. and yeah im told that this isnt supposed to be under there 

if you are going to keep the lp 30 and want disc brakes grab a chevy 10 bolt or d44 knuckels and brakes but you will have to use some ford parts to keep the 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern it is an up grade all around bigger brakes and better locking hubs

[reptile610]

this is from a guy on greatlakes 4x4. he claims to have 25 years in rebuilding CJ's.

My .02¢ on stock Jeep CJ axles. They are the worst part of the vehicle once you get serious about low gearing and wheeling with aggressive rubber. Spending money twice is the biggest problem/mistake when trying to make stock CJ axles live longer. 'Get by' with cheap used part gear or locker upgrades and invest the bigger money into axles that will survive spirited use.

Personally I wouldn't stick a ton of $$ into a model 30 that would even occasionally be run hard with 35's & 4:88's. That's lots of fragile little teeth in an itty bitty diff. With a 6 I broke enough 30 axles and ring gears running 35's that I could have paid for a narrowed Scout 44. Maybe lunch box locker it, match the rear gear and call it good. Then start saving for an upgrade. Until then respect the 30's limitations & know when to pull cable.

That's brings us to the rear model AMC 20. It has a nice sized ring & pinion, that's about it. I'm not a fan of it's crush sleeve pre-load, but that's a personal preference.

    The axle tubes are weak and bend easy.
    The axle tubes like to spin in the housing or in the visa-versa depending on how you look at it.
    The 2 piece axles suck and will break keyways.


Sure you can buy a truss. Sure you can buy one piece axles. Sure you can weld the tubes to the center. But why waste all that time and $$ putting lipstick on a pig when you can get a low geared 60 or 14 bolt narrowed for about the same investment and never worry about it again? Even the smaller ring geared Dana 44 has a better history of survivnig as a rear diff than the AMC 20.

My suggestion to get going cheap and save $ for later improvements based on staying with the 4cyl for now;

    Getting discs on the front will be good enough to stop the 35's, but I'd find a used CJ power brake setup to help.
    Don't waste time and $$ putting rear disc on an AMC 20, save the cash and get rid of the 20 all together at a later date.
    Find some used 4:10 / 4:56 gears and carriers.
    Keep the two piece axle nuts tight.
    Keep the two piece axle nuts tight.
    Keep the two piece axle nuts tight.

[reptile610]

so im thinking of a front dana 44 and a gm 14 bolt rear. thoughts?

[Bill3753]

I don't think a 14 bolt would be the best axle for you in the rear.  Sure, its strong as crap but its also huge.  It hangs a lot lower then most other axles and unless your planning on running 37's or larger I wouldn't bother with one.  If you want to see exactly what I'm talking about, look at my build thread in the wrenching section on here.  I have pictures in there of how I cut the bottom of my 14 bolt off and welded a 1/2" plate to the bottom of it to save ground clearance.

Just to put numbers to what I am talking about here, I pulled this information from my build thread:

Dana 30 = 4 5/8"
Dana 44 = 5 1/2"
Ford 8.8 = 5 5/8"
Dana 60 = 5 7/8"
14 Bolt   = 7 1/4" to 8" Depending on what write up I found (Stock Numbers)

Those numbers are from centerline of the axle tube to the bottom of the differential.  If you think about it, the difference of a Dana 44 to a 14 bolt is 2" of clearance at the differential.  That is the equivalent of going from a 33" tire to a 37" tire, so it is a huge difference.

Your best bet is to find a set of Waggy axles, front and rear.  They will be the right width for your CJ.  Also, it will be easier to find a set with matched gearing.  If you are trying to stay on a budget here, they that will be a big plus.

[reptile610]

I don't think a 14 bolt would be the best axle for you in the rear.  Sure, its strong as crap but its also huge.  It hangs a lot lower then most other axles and unless your planning on running 37's or larger I wouldn't bother with one.  If you want to see exactly what I'm talking about, look at my build thread in the wrenching section on here.  I have pictures in there of how I cut the bottom of my 14 bolt off and welded a 1/2" plate to the bottom of it to save ground clearance.

Just to put numbers to what I am talking about here, I pulled this information from my build thread:

Dana 30 = 4 5/8"
Dana 44 = 5 1/2"
Ford 8.8 = 5 5/8"
Dana 60 = 5 7/8"
14 Bolt   = 7 1/4" to 8" Depending on what write up I found (Stock Numbers)

Those numbers are from centerline of the axle tube to the bottom of the differential.  If you think about it, the difference of a Dana 44 to a 14 bolt is 2" of clearance at the differential.  That is the equivalent of going from a 33" tire to a 37" tire, so it is a huge difference.

Your best bet is to find a set of Waggy axles, front and rear.  They will be the right width for your CJ.  Also, it will be easier to find a set with matched gearing.  If you are trying to stay on a budget here, they that will be a big plus.

wow i didn't know they were THAT much bigger. thanks for the info. yeah i only plan on running 35's so you think 44's front and rear should be plenty to hold up to that? i also plan on swapping out to an amc 304/360

[Bill3753]

A set of Waggy 44's would live just fine with that combo. The other option would be to cut a HP44 down from a 73-76 F-150 (yes, other years had one but those ones have welded wedges vice cast and are easier to work with).  You cut the passenger side down to EB Bronco length. Cost and installation ease considered, just run some Waggy 44's.

Is your CJ passenger or driver side drop?  If its passenger you'll have to flip the 300 for those axles.

[Flex]

Due to the droop problem alot of ppl also run scout 44's so the drop is on the correct side.

[reptile610]

it's a passenger drop

Due to the droop problem alot of ppl also run scout 44's so the drop is on the correct side.

i've heard this before. i seen a set for sale but he wanted 1500 for them. they were exactly what i wanted with 4.56 gears and i think they were locked but i didn't have that kinda money sitting around. they had already been shortened for a cj7 also.

[reptile610]

going to get a brake booster and master cylinder off of a cj7 this weekend for $50. also found a dana 30 with disc brakes for $75.

also here is my thread on GL4x4 it's pretty funny listening to these guys argue back and forth on whats better.

http://www.greatlakes4x4.com/showthread.php?t=215981

[reptile610]

this weeks progress.

removed the rear drums. had to drill out the screws and beat the hell out of them to get them off

im assuming i need new shoes

also sanded down the underbody and put a layer of rustoleum rust reformer on it


see guys, this is why you wear safety glasses

[Mr Rock]

see guys, this is why you wear safety glasses

Safety is key on any build, thanks for the (funny) reminded!

[skibum]

A dust mask would also not be a bad idea. Just saying

[reptile610]

A dust mask would also not be a bad idea. Just saying

i have them. honestly just forgot to put one one though. don't worry. i suffered through brown boogers for the remainder of the day.

[reptile610]

so tonight i beat the hell out of my bell housing to get it to finally come off



i think i need a new clutch 



and here is my fly wheel

[reptile610]

everything is all put back together, went to start it up and go figure, wont turn over