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What mods to a CJ2A?

8K views 31 replies 3 participants last post by  2001gtboy 
#1 ·
My cj2a is basically stock except for a 289 and overdrive. What should i be looking to throw in off roading wise? I want to be a decent roader, but a really hot off roader.
 
#2 ·
I say you don't put a lift on it. The real nice things about those Jeeps is that they are so nimble becuase they are so light, so they can go a lot of places. I would definetely do something about the dif's, either weld the spiders or buy a locker.
 
#4 ·
well.. there are two paths I would go

1. I would most likely keep it close to a stocker

2. If I wanted to go offroading a lot. I would do a SOA on 2.5" leaf springs. and put huge tires on it with lincoln lockers, but that would make it undrivable on the road. It would be unbeatable off road.

I would keep it a stocker and just add locking diffs just my .02
 
#6 ·
I bet you know that when you get stuck, only one tire spins and you wish that the other would spin to get you of of the mess. That is what a locker does, it makes both the tires spin at the same time. They can be expensive anywhere from $300 to $1000 per axle. The problem with some of them is they don't allow the tires to spin at different speeds when turning on pavement. When you turn the inside wheel spins slower than the outside wheel, and the locker makes the tires spin at the same time. When you turn they ratchet, chirp, and click allowing the tires to turn at different speeds which is okay if you only seldom go on road. There are also lockers out there that you can turn on and off, like Ox locker, or ARB air locker. If the Jeep is planning to be driven on road, and on snow a lot this is the right choice. If the Jeep will never be driven on road I would just weld the spider gears togeter and save yourself some money. I only touched base on lockers, and these are a lot of my opinions and a lot of people might disagree, but do a search there is plenty of info out there. Check out www.jeepsunlimited.com they have a lot of good info on their forum.
 
#8 ·
You could get along without a locker you can turn on and off if you just drive in onroad once in a while. They are much more expensive than a regular locker. It all depends on what you are looking for. Do some reaserch and try to figure out what the best solution is, these jobs are real expensive becuase you need a shop to install them, and lockers are expensive themselfes.
 
#10 ·
winches are nice, but I would always pick a locker over a winch. Think of all the places you could go with lockers. Well... you could go with a winch but it wouldn't be as much fun. :D
 
#12 ·
GTBoy,
Keep it simple! If your stock springs/shackles are good then don't screw with the suspension much. I fit 33" tires in the generous fenderwells of my '45 GPW without a lift. Only adjustment was to decrease the lock to lock travel slightly in order to keep the tires off the springs at full lock. Stock springs are flexy and will keep the tires on the ground in most situations. After the tires, I'd suggest a a differential swap. You are going to be limited in your choices for the Dana 41 rear and Dana 25 front axles if you in fact still have them. I'd swap in a locker (Detroit) or a tight limited slip (Power-lock) in the rear and leave the front open unless you plan on some extremely hard 4-wheeling. My '45 is stock except the tires. Flat head 4, 3-speed, and open axles with original 4.88 gears got me around off road pretty well during highschool and college. Now she sits in the garage most of the time, I play with the '73 more since I don't feel bad cutting it up/modifying it!
 
#14 ·
Won't notice in 2wd unless he doesn't have locking hubs! They didn't come stock with them back then and he may or may not have them installed. I never put a set on my '45. Besides, the strength of the stock Dana 25 front axle is questionable with a locker and V-8 power. Sounds like GTBoy is on a budget anyway and if prioritizing mods the rear diff would come first!
Where did they grow you anyway?
 
#16 ·
:p Hey DarkOne, just trying to get a rise out of the members tonight. A lot less interaction here than I'd expect from a bunch of Jeep fanatics. I pissed FishMan, I mean RiverTrout, off tonight when I challenged the performance potential of his 258! The question is why eat a hotdog with mustard when you can have a chili and cheese dog for the same price?
Just wondering, what do you all have? I run a '73 titled CJ-5. '78 frame, 4" springs, fiberglass tub, full cage tied to the frame, and racing buckets mounted to the cage. Built chevy 350, np-435 trans mated to a tera-low geared Dana 20. Dana 44 with 4.27s and Detroit in rear, open Dana 30 in front. 15/35-15 Swampers keep in moving forward in the mud.
 
#17 ·
im not sure where i was grown, last time i checked i wasn't a test tube baby. but yes im un a slow ariving budget. oh yeah i do have locking hubs that the other modsi have. my late stepfather put in locking hubs. juist our of curiousity. what would happen if i didn't lock my hubs and put the car into 4wd? would it just be 2wheel drive or what?
 
#18 ·
I was planning on swapping a 360 in my CJ, but the parts are way too expensive, expecially FI, and well... the parts are too damn expensive. I thought about a Chevy 350, but I came to the conclusion of a Ford 302. I can do that swap without a problem, I don't even need adapters, it bolts right up to a T-176 I have. Cheapest V8 swap with fuelinjection.

If the hubs aren't locked, they are disconnected from the axles, so the wheels spin independantly on the wheel bearings, when you lock the hub you force the wheel and axle to spin at the same time. If you have the front hubs unlocked and you are in 4WD, You will only have the rear two tires spinning, and the front two will be disconnected.

The thing that pisses me off about this forum, well actually all the Jeep forums, is that everyone thinks they know everything and people for some reason think there is only one way to do something, and there is only 1 logic to fixing something.
 
#19 ·
The front running gear would turn all it's components out to the axle stub shafts but wouldn't put power to the hub because the hub was unlocked. I don't recommend doing this for extended periods because there is no bearing in the locking hub mechanism where the coupling gear rides.
 
#21 ·
DarkO,
I've never been interested in Fords probably because the parts don't interchange as easily across the engine families as AMCs, Chevys, or Dodges. Too many peculararities ie, Clevlands, Windors, Modifieds etc and difference between 302 and 351. Onr know what they say about opinions being likes A-holes, everyones go one! I'm not exception. I do love Jeeps first though and it all started for me with my stock '45 GPW.
 
#22 ·
I haven't seen any 6" lifts for CJs especially a 2A. Try the tires and if they hit too much then order springs. I wouldn't go more than 2 1/2" with that short wheelbase and long engine/trans length. Driveshaft angle should be a concern althought the Dana 18 does make for better driveshaft angles with the offset rear differential and shorter tranfers case length. Be conservative! Boggers are too expensive. TSL Swampers are a little cheaper and there are lots more tires to choice from. Pick up a magazine and shop around.
 
#24 ·
It looks like a stock spring pack with thin leaves, I would say not lifted. I'm happy for you and only wish that you could have worked on it with your stepdad. It's got great potential so take your time doing it right. The T-90/Dana 18 combo will live behind the V-8 if you treat them nicely although I'd expect you to break the T-90 eventually. Again, 2 1/2" lift will do you for 33s.
Good luck with that Jeep, enjoy!
 
#25 ·
thank you, my late stepfather really wanted to start on it, but after turning ill once he could no longer work and eventually went into debt. fortunatly he passed a quick and painless death in the comfort of a hospital bed with my mother and i next to him, i promised him id run it once again. so im very determined with this project, so all of your help has been ever so great! i told myself to get used to my stang's current speed, and throw in money into my jeep, but i need a job which im waiting for responces now :)About the T 90, when it breaks what should i do? get it fixed or find a different tranny? also, how can i check if all of the components on the jeep are working? the axles turn the tranny i guess works, im not sure. i bought a book on overhauling 289s, and am looking for one on trannies.
 
#26 ·
You have a lot of choices if you are willing to use an adapter between the trans and transfer case. Call Advance Adapters to get a catalog. If your components have uncontaminated gear lube in them (no water or brown stuff) and no obvious metal chips laying in the bottoms of the housings then I'd run them as is. Good luck. James Newsome in Statesboro, GA has quite a few old Jeeps for parts. Look his name up in the white pages and give him a call if you need some parts.

Ty
 
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