new to the club

03-02-2009, 09:16 PM

i have a 97 & 80 model jeep. both have 4in lift. 97 has a 4 cyl. and 33 no power. what gears would u prefor or would u change motor? only has 70,000 mileson it. the 80 so far i have redone the frame. it has 2 piece rear axles junk they keep breaking does anybody have a fix 4 it? it has a 304,33tires thanks 4 any feed back.

Trigger · 03-02-2009, 09:26 PM

If you've got the money and time, go with a motor swap in the 97. The 4.0L is a great motor, with plenty of power for 33s. If you can't afford a motor swap, 4.10 or 4.88 gears will help get it moving, but you're going to lose a lot of top end.

As for the 80, there are 1 piece axles available for it. The kits run less than $300. Should be a simple swap, although I have never done it. Ultimately, you should look for a stronger axle then the AMC 20 you've got in it. You can't polish a turd too much.

03-02-2009, 09:34 PM

thanks the 97 does have 4 10 gears already. a buddy told me no matter what motor if u dont have the right gear it will not help. dont no 4 sure.what rear end would u use 4 the cj

maddhatter · 03-02-2009, 10:16 PM

Welcome.

I still say a Dana 20 with 1 peace axles is every bit as strong as a stock Dana 44. I have been running a set for years with a locker and my Jeep was a rental Jeep in Moab, UT for years before I got it. Spend the $250 and get the one peace axles.

03-02-2009, 10:21 PM

thanks bud

JeffK5 · 03-02-2009, 10:28 PM

The Model 20 should handle a 304/33" tires just fine with a little work, How wild do you get when you wheel<

The factory 2 piece axles are absolute ****.... after that the housing is the next weal link. If you have a good straight housing with intact plug welds then I wouldn't be afraid to but a 1 piece kit in it and go.

The R&P of a 20 is stronger than a D44 , seen lots of busted pinion gears on rear Dana 44's.

I broke both M20 and D44 rears and ended up with a 9" that lasted...

maddhatter · 03-02-2009, 10:30 PM

Sorry not "Dana 20" its a "AMC 20" I always do that!:(

JET455 · 03-02-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pipedope

i have a 97 & 80 model jeep. both have 4in lift. 97 has a 4 cyl. and 33 no power. what gears would u prefor or would u change motor? only has 70,000 mileson it. the 80 so far i have redone the frame. it has 2 piece rear axles junk they keep breaking does anybody have a fix 4 it? it has a 304,33tires thanks 4 any feed back.

on the TJ put at least 4.88's or 5.13's if you are go up to 35" tires. keep the motor with that many miles engine swaps can be expensive cause you will need to change the trans and t-case or t-case in put. harness and computer.

I have a whole 4.0 motor/trans swap/t-case/harness/computer available low miles If you have the $$$ to play with

I also have some good M20 one piece axle sets for your axle if intersted? Moser and Superior

Trigger · 03-03-2009, 08:45 AM

Oh, I almost forgot. If you're going to continue to run the AMC 20 in the rear, have someone truss it for you. Those have been known to "Smiley Face" when wheeled hard.

03-03-2009, 09:24 PM

i do my own fab work. family welding shop--fab shop. if u goto woodsbuggy.com type in pipedope you will see my own design of my rail buggy.its also on drews off road web site home page.i have a 1 year old boy so i bought the cj to cruise in some mud with him.i climb in my buggy.i have around 20,000 in my buggy. also how much do u want for the 1 piece axles?

JET455 · 03-03-2009, 10:05 PM

sent you a pm

blazerbrad · 03-04-2009, 02:02 PM

The four cylinders with stock gears and 33's are a complete dog. Granted the 4.0L six is much stronger but I've seen a lot of people pretty happy with the four banger with the proper gears. I *think* 4.88 is as low as you can go with the D35 rear/D30 front axles but not 100% sure. I know at least a couple people in our club that went to 4.88's with 33-34" tires and they said it was a huge improvement on the road. You shouldn't lose any top end at all going to 4.88's with the 4 banger with the larger tires, mainly because you will actually be able to use 5th gear again (the guy with 34" LTB's couldn't even pull 5th gear with stock axle gears unless going downhill). Though before spending the $$ on gears for the rear axle I would at least consider the options of upgrading, pending on what you do with the Jeep.

I agree that adding 1 piece axles to a AMC 20 makes them decent strength-wise, IF you do something about the housing bending. Another guy in our club got maybe a couple of years of easy to moderate trails out of the rear axle in his CJ-7 (stock 258 and 33" tires) before it got the smiley face look.

03-02-2009, 09:16 PM	#1
pipedope Guest Posts: n/a	new to the club i have a 97 & 80 model jeep. both have 4in lift. 97 has a 4 cyl. and 33 no power. what gears would u prefor or would u change motor? only has 70,000 mileson it. the 80 so far i have redone the frame. it has 2 piece rear axles junk they keep breaking does anybody have a fix 4 it? it has a 304,33tires thanks 4 any feed back.

03-03-2009, 10:05 PM	#11
JET455 Your wifes pimp! Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Everywhere!!!!!! Posts: 548	sent you a pm __________________ if i am not currently offending you, i will be shortly.

03-02-2009, 09:26 PM	#2
Trigger Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Xenia, OH Posts: 281	If you've got the money and time, go with a motor swap in the 97. The 4.0L is a great motor, with plenty of power for 33s. If you can't afford a motor swap, 4.10 or 4.88 gears will help get it moving, but you're going to lose a lot of top end. As for the 80, there are 1 piece axles available for it. The kits run less than $300. Should be a simple swap, although I have never done it. Ultimately, you should look for a stronger axle then the AMC 20 you've got in it. You can't polish a turd too much.

03-02-2009, 09:34 PM	#3
pipedope Guest Posts: n/a	thanks the 97 does have 4 10 gears already. a buddy told me no matter what motor if u dont have the right gear it will not help. dont no 4 sure.what rear end would u use 4 the cj

03-02-2009, 10:16 PM	#4
maddhatter Join Date: May 2007 Location: loveland OH Posts: 324	Welcome. I still say a Dana 20 with 1 peace axles is every bit as strong as a stock Dana 44. I have been running a set for years with a locker and my Jeep was a rental Jeep in Moab, UT for years before I got it. Spend the $250 and get the one peace axles.

03-02-2009, 10:28 PM	#6
JeffK5 Tiny Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Colerain Posts: 798	The Model 20 should handle a 304/33" tires just fine with a little work, How wild do you get when you wheel< The factory 2 piece axles are absolute ****.... after that the housing is the next weal link. If you have a good straight housing with intact plug welds then I wouldn't be afraid to but a 1 piece kit in it and go. The R&P of a 20 is stronger than a D44 , seen lots of busted pinion gears on rear Dana 44's. I broke both M20 and D44 rears and ended up with a 9" that lasted...

03-02-2009, 10:30 PM	#7
maddhatter Join Date: May 2007 Location: loveland OH Posts: 324	Sorry not "Dana 20" its a "AMC 20" I always do that!:(

03-03-2009, 08:45 AM	#9
Trigger Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Xenia, OH Posts: 281	Oh, I almost forgot. If you're going to continue to run the AMC 20 in the rear, have someone truss it for you. Those have been known to "Smiley Face" when wheeled hard.

03-03-2009, 09:24 PM	#10
pipedope Guest Posts: n/a	i do my own fab work. family welding shop--fab shop. if u goto woodsbuggy.com type in pipedope you will see my own design of my rail buggy.its also on drews off road web site home page.i have a 1 year old boy so i bought the cj to cruise in some mud with him.i climb in my buggy.i have around 20,000 in my buggy. also how much do u want for the 1 piece axles?

03-04-2009, 02:02 PM	#12
blazerbrad - CORE Member - Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 831 Images: 6	The four cylinders with stock gears and 33's are a complete dog. Granted the 4.0L six is much stronger but I've seen a lot of people pretty happy with the four banger with the proper gears. I think 4.88 is as low as you can go with the D35 rear/D30 front axles but not 100% sure. I know at least a couple people in our club that went to 4.88's with 33-34" tires and they said it was a huge improvement on the road. You shouldn't lose any top end at all going to 4.88's with the 4 banger with the larger tires, mainly because you will actually be able to use 5th gear again (the guy with 34" LTB's couldn't even pull 5th gear with stock axle gears unless going downhill). Though before spending the $$ on gears for the rear axle I would at least consider the options of upgrading, pending on what you do with the Jeep. I agree that adding 1 piece axles to a AMC 20 makes them decent strength-wise, IF you do something about the housing bending. Another guy in our club got maybe a couple of years of easy to moderate trails out of the rear axle in his CJ-7 (stock 258 and 33" tires) before it got the smiley face look.