My girlfriend is looking into getting in offroading and was looking to purchase a 1979 CJ7, I know there are better jeeps out there for a beginner but she owned one when she was in High School so I guess it's a matter of nostalgia for her <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. I went out today to take a look at the jeep and it seems to be a pretty good value for the the $5200 the guy wants for it. The specs on the jeep are full width Dana 44's front with ARB and locking hubs and rear with detroit on 4.56's, 33" BFG M/T's with about 90% thread left, recently rebuilt AMC TH400 tranny with receipts, swapped in 360 V8, full roll bar, skids & rocker guard, high steer kit, warn XD9000i winch, no rust with fresh paint and a clear title. The bad are minor oil leak at the main seal, the brakes seem like they need to be bleed or a master cylinder needs to be replaced (either way both are an easy job) and it seems like a few of the accessory switches inside don't work (horn, wipers, heat). The major thing that concerns me is that it has the vacuum actuated all wheel drive Borg-Warner QuadraTrac t-case with the optional lowrange lever. I don't know too much about this t-case outside of the fact that it's chain driven and is all wheel drive. Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's on this t-case? Will this t-case handle 33's, 4.56's and 360 V8? My girlfriend is very new to offroading so she won't be doing any "rockcrawlin" or anything like that, just mild to mid-level trail rides. What other t-cases would bolt up to the TH400 if I choose to swap it out? Thanks in advance for the help <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Fred R.

I think that you have a pretty good deal there, as long as the frame and body are eaten by rust. There's enough mods to the vehicle to make is really trail worthy.

As you said, fixing the brakes will be a piece of cake. The lockers are probably the best combination you could get, and the 4.56 gears with 33's are a good set up for off-roading. Double check on the rear main seal leak -- it may not be there. A lot of times, the rear of the valve covers leak, and the oil runs down and makes it seem like a rear main leak.

The quadratrack should be able to handle the 360 fine. If you aren't enamored of the full-time t-case, you can get a part-time kit to install in the Quadratrac. Once you do that, get rid of the vacuum actuator, which you won't need if you have hubs that you can unlock just like any other part-time set up.

IOW, I'd grab it!!

Figure that you'd have to spend $2500 to $3000 to get a stock CJ7 in decent shape. Then add the money you'd spend for the axles, gears, lockers, the lift ot clear the 33s, and the 360, and you've more than made up the difference to the asking price.

Thanks BobRowe, I figured it was a good deal and that the parts alone were probably worth around the $5K range. One quick question though as I've been getting conflicting information in my research online, will the Dana 20 T-case bolt up to the AMC TH400 tranny? I've read yes it will and I've also read that it requires an adapter... Do you happen to know? I ask because from what I've read about the BW all wheel drive t-case is that it has a "limited slip" of sorts inside, and I'm figuring that since he didn't mentioned that the t-case was rebuilt with the tranny then the clutches in this thing might be on their way out.... Thanks again for all the help.

Fred R.

I don't know the answer to your question, since I've never owned either a TH400 opr a D20 t-case.

I'd suggest that you google a company called Advanced Adeapters and give them a call. They know all abouat what fits what.

Yes, the BW Qtrac tcase has a L/S unit in it. You can probably adapt a D20 case to the TH400 but you would have to change to a rearend with a centered diff (I am assuming that whoever installed the full width axles paid attention to driveshaft angles in both horzontal and veritcal planes).