D300 SWAP-84 GW-WITH BAD AXLE

[WINGO]

The axle on my '84 is ready to bite the dust. I drove it too many miles with a bad vacume motor.

Anyway, I purchased a rebuilt D300 a few months ago for a good price knowing that I would use it some day on a rig. Since the front axle is going bad, me thinks that I should install the D300 the the GW.

I read the tech posts and you can use a '74(?) to '79 front axle (pass. drop)to accomplish the swap.

Is this an OK swap or should I consider something else?

What about steering, brakes etc. ?

[Snakeyes_Tx]

All the same.. different drop. Go for it!
Scotty did this on his 85GW without a hitch. That and you can always add in the manual hubs to that axle too. ;)

[blt2krl]

Go for it should be a simple axle swap. A dana 300, I love that case, has alot of aftermarket part avaliable.

[scotty]

you have a 727 tranny,yes? do you have any plans for more lift? the biggest thing to consider is that in useing a 727 is that you will need to have a minimum of 4" of suspension lift,and you will be limited in driveshaft diameter and uptravel on that side will need to be contolled with bumpstops. the prollem is that the big fat tranny pan will cause front driveshaft clearance. i tried to use one in my gw with a 727,and the front shaft rubbed the pan at stock ride height.

another option is reclocking the transfer case slightly to lower the front output away from the pan.ive heard of people redrillig the adapter,but then you can only get 5 of the 6 bolts,due to the webbing on the adapter.the preferred method,IMO,would be to relocate the studs on the xfer.

when i ran a d300,i used a 904.its plenty strong for my 6 cyl,has a better first gear,and also is skinnier. i was able to use a 2" diameter front shaft with the 904 at stock ride height.

other than that,youll need to reroute your exhaust,as the d300 wants to occupy the same space as the cataytic convertor.youll need new driveshafts(the rear will be much longer,front will be shorter) and youll need to cut a hole in your floor for the shifter(s).

further questions? smile.gif

[ December 31, 2001: Message edited by: scotty ]

[WINGO]

Scotty:

Thank you for all the valuable and informative information concerning the D300 swap.

My goal is to keep the altitude of my GW as low as possible, have the maximum amount of wheel travel and ultimately run a 12.5" ride tire, preferably with a 33" OD. (low center of gravity). I plan on cutting the fenders up as open as possible and installing home made military styled flares like those found on the M175(?).

I have a few more questions/comments:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>From my memory, the drive shaft on the '79 has a more narrow OD. Using this front drive shaft could provide additional clearance.<LI>Does the D300 bolt up to the 727 without an adaptor?<LI>Will I have to install locking hubs on the front axle?<LI>Your comment concerning rotating the case seems to be the way to go and relocating the studs is a better idea. I will probably install a few locating pins also.<LI>Whats the maximum amount of rotation that I can have on the D300?[/list]

Happy New Year!

[scotty]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by WINGO:
Scotty:

Thank you for all the valuable and informative information concerning the D300 swap.

My goal is to keep the altitude of my GW as low as possible, have the maximum amount of wheel travel and ultimately run a 12.5" ride tire, preferably with a 33" OD. (low center of gravity). I plan on cutting the fenders up as open as possible and installing home made military styled flares like those found on the M175(?).

I have a few more questions/comments:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>From my memory, the drive shaft on the '79 has a more narrow OD. Using this front drive shaft could provide additional clearance.

when i had a d300 behind my 727 i was using a very skinny(1-1.5" OD maybe?) stock cj front driveshaft and it rubbed. with minimal lift itmay fit,but youll need to limit uptravel to the almost to the point that there isnt any.

<LI>Does the D300 bolt up to the 727 without an adaptor?

yes.

<LI>Will I have to install locking hubs on the front axle?

no

<LI>Your comment concerning rotating the case seems to be the way to go and relocating the studs is a better idea. I will probably install a few locating pins also.<LI>Whats the maximum amount of rotation that I can have on the D300?

not real sure on that.the more you rotate it,the less oil it will take to fill it,so youll prolly just want to make sure that you put in the proper mount of oil. if you look at a factory d20/727 in a scout you can see kind of how low the front output will have to hang. we jsut completed a springover on my frineds scout,and his front driveshaft now has plenty of room.its a tight fit even from the factory.

what i would do is remove all the studs,put it on where the holes on the xfer and adapter line up,put a mark,and then rotate it till youre happy with the amout of room. youll need to cyle the suspension and check clearances before you relocate the studs,to make sure you only have to do it once. i think youll still be limited to a skinny front driveshaft(so make sure you aquire some spares ;) ) and prolly youll still have to adjust the bumpstop to keep it from articulating the shaft into the pan. you could see were the shaft had been rubbing the pan on my friends scout,prolly during extreme articulation. and its factory tha way!(727/d20)[/list]

Happy New Year!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

anyway,hope this helps! its well worth doing,IMO.

further questions? smile.gif

[WillyPete]

how about flipping the 300 so it's driver's side output? that's what i've been thinking of doing... i can't see how that'd rectify the problem of rubbing against the tranny pan, unless you clocked it 120* clockwise from normal (looking from rear to front). that'd make the front shaft hang way low tho... it'll bear some looking into

i wish i had pics so i could see what the botl pattern on the d300 and tf727 looked like... i'll have acquired a d300 by next week tho... so i'll see where it goes from there smile.gif

[Iron Horse]

Scotty, would you still have a fr. ds. clearance issue if you have 6" of lift?

I know where I can get a couple D300's for cheap $ if I would not have to mess aound with reconfiguring a bunch of stuff.

[WINGO]

Scotty:

Thanks!

[mark]

hey wingo
ive got an 85 gw,79 chero,82 wt laredo for parts if ya need something.im also in jersey.