71 Wagoneer Axle Swap Options

[JWestfall]

I have a 71 Wagoneer 360, Dana 30 front with closed knuckle, stock Dana 44 rear, 3.73 gears. I may have access to axles from an 89 with the gearing I want and front disc brakes. Has anyone done this swap and is it a pretty simple or a major undertaking? Just looking for some guidance of how much work and expense it is compared getting what I have re-geared. thanks

[tgreese]

An '89 drops on the wrong side. You are aware of this? I don't think there is an easy replacement for your passenger drop Dana 20 that is driver's drop.

Your existing rear axle is a good, choice, and I think you'd have to go 8-lug to do any better. Nothing wrong with the '89 rear axle, but no improvement over existing and requires new wheels.

You could replace just the front axle with one from a '74-79 Wagoneer, fit Ford hubs, change to 3.73 and get the same disk brakes and open 44 as the '89, and keep your 5-lug wheels. I'd think 3.73s are a good ratio for a Wagoneer.

[JWestfall]

Thanks. That what I needed to know.

[Analog]

I have a 1971. I think the front is a Dana 27 not a 30. I used the Jeepsterman disk break conversion and it seems fine. I think around $700 in parts. With stock wheels I had to use a 1.5 spacer. That pushes the wheel out and tucked the Warm locking hubs a little inside the hub cap which isn't my favorite look but I can still access the Warn OK. I already had power breaks so I feel I have a decent break system. I'm considering disks on the Dana 44 for towing.

The turn radius of a closed knuckle is a bit annoying as I live in a city and I believe the non closed knuckle can have a better radius. I guess that is a conversion consideration.......

The earlier Wagoneers have a number of different items compared to later Wagoneers such as leaf springs. We don't have as much support for aftermarket parts. For example you can get stock height or 4" lift but nothing in between where modern Wagonners have more options. My point is that changes such as axels might lead to other headaches. (not impossible but maybe more complicated) At least for me I have tried to stay with what I have when possible.

Last thing, I have heard that Wagoneers with later gear ratios such as 2.73 (or whatever it is) can be dogs off the line. I think Jeep did it to help with MPG on the highway because they didn't want to spend the cash on putting in an overdrive trans. 3.73 can also suck at highway speeds as rpm can be annoying. The 3.73 is good if you add an overdrive. I'm rambling and not helping here but make sure you have an overall plan before changing things up.

[tgreese]

According to Jeep folklore, a '71 could be either the 350 or 360. The parts book shows a 27 with the 350 and a 30 with the 360. Something should be cast in to the axle housing, or you can look at the part number on the axle if you still have the tag. These will have a six digit part number starting with 9. The 27s will likely be 940xxx though there's a 947813 and a 992064. The 30s are all 999xxx, except for 998774. 1973 goes to 53511xx for all Wagoneer 30s. Look at the parts book on the TOm COllins site, item 9.301-1.

[JWestfall]

It’s a Dana 30 up front. Wagoneer is the 360. I’m just trying to find the least intrusive way to make it more highway driveable. Thanks for the help. Maybe one day I will find an elusive Rancho overdrive for the Dana 20.

[sierrablue]

With a V8 I wouldn't bother with the D20 overdrive. It's too weak to handle the torque; even if the hp is within the range, torque is the real killer on those.

I have a '71 too, and have been daily driving it w/o the overdrive, and yeah it's loud and sucks some gas, but it's really not that bad. I have a '74-76 front axle swapped in on mine for the D44 open knuckle/disc brake swap. If you can, that's probably the way I'd recommend going, and if you want an O/D, your best bet is either a 5-speed or a 700r4, unless you go for an LS or something.

My '71 has the B350 btw.