drivetrain Question??

[Poley]

Ok here goes, I have a 360,tf727,np208 setup right now with amc20 rear and 44 front. I also have a 78 Cherokee in the yard that has a 360,turbo400, to quadra-tac t/c, with wide track 44's front and rear. thinking of swapping drivetrains, but WHY?? which would you go with and why? My buddy keeps trying to talk me in to swapping them.

[billyrb]

I like the 727 setup, as you can run the D300 as a bolt-in swap. And, building a tf727 is easy and can handle tons of power, just like the th400.

[Poley]

I didn't know the D300 was a direct swap for the 727?? hum that I like.

[FleXXedOUT88]

i have heard nothing but bad things about quadra trac system

[orangebike]

amc 20 is a little bit istronger then the 44

[TheJeeper]

amc 20 is a little bit istronger then the 44
That, is a falsehood. The D44 is in fact, slightly stronger than the AMC 20. Plus it has more aftermarket support.

Now, to your question. What vehicle are you going to potentially swap this into? If it's a Wagoneer or N/T Cherokee, you'll have to swap the front fenders to W/T fenders if you want to clear the tires. Not to mention adding fender extensions to the rear.

As far as which to go for, keep the NP208 and TF727 simply because of it being part-time 4-wheel drive. The Qudra-Trac unit is full-time, and troublesome at best.

[Poley]

Clearing fenders is not a problem, I dont have any. but as far as the Qudra-trac being troublesome that is the kind off input I'm looking for. I think I will stick with the set up I have now untill I can afford some major changes, I.E. 60 front 14bolt rear and an Atlas or Stak. If I ever get the money every time I save up it has to go some where else story of my life..

[billyrb]

The AMC 20 in the FSJ is stronger than the D44 in some areas. It has a larger ring gear and pinion gear than a D60. The FSJ version also has 1pc axle shafts and doesn't use the c-clips like the CJ's did. But, the two downsides to the AMC 20 are the tubs can spin (fixed with welds & trusses) and the shafts aren't terribly strong (fixed with trusses and replacement chromoly shafts). Both are great axles depending on what you are running / type of wheeling you do.

For the QT, it is troublesome only if not maintained (same goes with most any tcase or drivetrain component for that matter). But, given the choice, I prefer part time cases....and cast iron at that, which is why the 727/300 is the preferred choice. The D300 is a gear-driven case (no chain), so less parts to stretch & wear out. Also, it has a cast-iron case, which will take tons of abuse compared to the NP208/229/219/228 & QT cases, which are all aluminum and thin.

[jeepjerry]

amc 20 is a little bit istronger then the 44

X2.....I went from amc 20 to d44, broke it doing the same stuff as before and am now back to an amc 20.

If your intending to lift it, the w/t axles would be a good swap. The only problem is that the rear axle is offset a lot for the quadratrac, so youd kind of have to keep the quadratrac transfer case or your rear driveshaft would be at a crazy angle from the d300.

[mdill]

The only problem is that the rear axle is offset a lot for the quadratrac, so youd kind of have to keep the quadratrac transfer case or your rear driveshaft would be at a crazy angle from the d300.

Jeep ran all the late 70's FSJ's with Dana 20's with that same "crazy angle" , all the rears during that time were offset the same (FSJ wise) no mater which case it came with.

Mike D.

[Cecil14]

Jeep ran all the late 70's FSJ's with Dana 20's with that same "crazy angle" , all the rears during that time were offset the same (FSJ wise) no mater which case it came with.

Mike D.
No, they weren't. The D20 axles were offset, yes, but not nearly so much as the QT axles. At least from everything I've ever seen.

With that said, I doubt you'll have axle issues from the QT axle alone. The rear shaft is usually long enough to make up for a little extra offset on the rear end.


aa

[jeeping1974]

Keep what you have in there. If you ever decide to go to a D60 front, you'll be able to bolt in a D300 like Ryan said and be good.

[Poley]

great stuff guys keep it up, thank you.

[sappy76]

Making the swap takes a lot of work. Not only axles, transfer case, and transmission, but you need a different torque converter and flex plate. The bigger issue is getting the linkages set up correctly.

I just swapped a T18/Dana 20 out of my Chief for a TH400/Quadratrac. I wanted better winter on-road performance than the part time case offered. I also wanted an automatic since I use it as a daily driver. I swapped in an HD44 and Dana 60 from a J20 with 3.73 gears to replace the dana 44's with 3.54s.

All I can say is that I'm glad I had the donor truck so I could keep going back and forth measuring the location of the shift linkages.


I then swapped out a Dana 44 in the rear on a j10 pickup and put in a Dana 20 so I would have a better angle on my T18/Dana20 that came from the Chief. Both are near equal in strength.


It was a lot of work but worth it for what I was looking for. If I were you, after going through what I did, I'd keep the 727/208. I don't think the gains are worth the effort unless you have very specific reasons for making the swap.

[jeepjerry]

No, they weren't. The D20 axles were offset, yes, but not nearly so much as the QT axles. At least from everything I've ever seen.

With that said, I doubt you'll have axle issues from the QT axle alone. The rear shaft is usually long enough to make up for a little extra offset on the rear end.


aa

yes, ive been through it while looking for a rear axle.

[TheJeeper]

I just swapped a T18/Dana 20 out of my Chief for a TH400/Quadratrac.

Wow.

[sappy76]

Wow.

Yah, I know, but I use the Chief primarily for winter driving and daily commute. Probably 90% on road, 10% off road. I have the T18/Dana 20 with twin sticks on a SOA J10 frame with a front spool and rear locker. I sold the J10 body and picked up a 53 Willys P/U body to put on top. It'll be quite the project but will make a cool looking off road rig.

I've owned the Chief for over 15 years and I hate to confess that I like the TH400/Quadratrac a lot better. The T18 with a 6.32 1st unsynchronized to 2nd made it non optimal for city driving, especially on hills with 35" tires. The part time transfer case is no match for the Quadratrac in the winter.

Like I said in my previous post, each person has unique needs for their rig and I believe they should build it to match those needs.

[mdill]

If you look in the parts books, there is no differance for a Q-trac vs. a D-20 rig for axle shafts on FSJ's from 75->79
CJ7's yes but not on FSJ's

Mike D.

No, they weren't. The D20 axles were offset, yes, but not nearly so much as the QT axles. At least from everything I've ever seen.

With that said, I doubt you'll have axle issues from the QT axle alone. The rear shaft is usually long enough to make up for a little extra offset on the rear end.


aa