grille question

[jeep guy]

hey all, i am new here and have a 80 j20, just bought it, it has a rhino grille i think it is called, it is a small one right in the centre of the truck with headlights on either side, uh so my question is what year was the last year for this grille? adn is there any way to tell if it was just a grille change or did i actually buy an older truck with a swapped vin, the cab still has the visor over the glass if that helps, and dana 44s i think and a 4 speed standard.... i have no idea, please help?!?! :confused:

[mrtazwrench]

80 was the last year for the brow, the next thing I'd be looking for is 80 was the first year for the driver drop front diff.

[chuckchili]

You could decode the VIN (Under "Tech Library") or post it on here and somebody would prolly do it for ya.

[jpcoutts]

Welcome. You need to look up the VIN. A J20 should have a D60 rear end and a D44 in the front. Both should have 8 lugs.

[vintagetrks]

hey all, i am new here and have a 80 j20, just bought it, it has a rhino grille i think it is called, it is a small one right in the centre of the truck with headlights on either side, uh so my question is what year was the last year for this grille? adn is there any way to tell if it was just a grille change or did i actually buy an older truck with a swapped vin, the cab still has the visor over the glass if that helps, and dana 44s i think and a 4 speed standard.... i have no idea, please help?!?! :confused:

As for the grill there really is no way to tell exactly what year an FSJ is by looking at the grill. Grills on these rigs get swapped out all the time. Just ask some of the guys here. Your lucky yours has a rhino grill that is a very popular swap in the FSJ world.:thumbsup: To find out what your jeep is use the vin decoder here it is most helpful and will tell you what your jeep started out as. Welcome to the madness :D

[jeep guy]

thanks for all the help guys, i used the vin decoder, it is nice to have it all broken down like that, it was great to use, although does anyone know if the j20 was ever offered with a d44 in the rear as well as the front, or was it just the front? i figure the tranny is a t-18 i think? uh anyone know if it is any good? it apparently formed the habit of popping out of 4th gear once in a while, on my comanche this was a bad sign, is it on this truck too?

[Headhoncho]

does anyone know if the j20 was ever offered with a d44 in the rear as well as the front, or was it just the front? i figure the tranny is a t-18 i think? uh anyone know if it is any good? it apparently formed the habit of popping out of 4th gear once in a while, on my comanche this was a bad sign, is it on this truck too?

J20 never had a dana 44 in the rear, just the front. J20 will always be an 8 ft bed.
T18 is a great trans. Popping out of gear is a bad sign on any standard trans. Usually means the synchro's are worn out. They can be replaced but the trans has to be disassembled to do so.


JR

[HD_JEEP]

Welcome and we need pics of your ride.

That's what we need. :thumbsup::worthless:

[jeep guy]

sorry for lack of pics, i will get them up as soon as possible, dont have any right now, it only pops out of 4th once in a while, so the syncros might be still ok to replace, the earlier the better right, how muchis the repair going to cost roughly?:banghead: