What should I do for more rock crawling?

My 69 Jeep is stock as far as axles I think. The front I believe is a 27?? The back is a 44 with tapered axles. If I want to make it a more serious crawler I have been told I need to make some changes. What would be various levels I could do to beef things up? I think the gears are 4:88's but don't know. I have 30 tires and a 2.5 lift. Should I try to beef up what I have or put new axles front and rear. This Jeep is not driven on the street only trails and I trailer it to and from.
Gregg

 

What do you think it needs? If it works well for what you have been doing why change anything. On the other hand if it is not able to do what you want then I would address what it is I wanted it to do and go from there. I don't think I would let too many people tell me what I should do to my own Jeep.

 

I'll bite ,a little bit bigger tire maybe 32 's, soft suspention and lockers(if avail) ,,,your gear ratio is fine .and as long as you don't hop or gas it when the wheels are turned .the 27 will live .

 

I'm guessing I need lockers of some kind but I have never done anything like this Jeep thing. I don't know what is available or desirable. I really don't know what is lacking because I just got it sort of done and really haven't gone our with it yet. Why would I need bigger tires? I have lots of clearance at least haven't dragged anything yet.

 

If it's ready to go, I'd wheel it. Nothing is ever really ideal.

Upgrades could entail making it stronger (like heavier axles) or more capable, which usually means changes to the suspension (softer springs, more lift, etc.), more traction (bigger better tires, or lockers), or lower gears (different transmission, regear the transfer case, or axle ratio change).

If you have 4.88s, that's already a low (numerically high) axle ratio, on the margin of being streetable. The top-loader will make your transmission ratios quite close together with little reduction though - not ideal for crawling. The axles will be fine as long as you don't abuse the throttle (ie hop - "if she starts to hop, she's going to pop.") Wheel it and see if you'd like better gearing or if you'd rather have more traction first.

 

Thanks Tim, I didn't mention I have an overdrive so I have lots of gears. Not sure if they are right but there are lots of them! The one thing I've noticed just trying things out around my own property is I tend to spin the front unloaded tire.
Are lockers available for these axles? I really don't know much about this stuff as I'm brand new. My biggest problem right now is the clutch chatters sometimes which I think is strange. I would think it would do it all the time. Maybe it is just the lack of driver skill. I really love this Jeep but haven't driven a stick in a really long time.

 

BTW if you are unsure about the axle ratio, there should be a tag on each axle under the cover bolts that says the ratio. If no tag, take the cover off and read the tooth count off the edge of the ring gear. That will give you the ratio, ie "44 9" is 44 teeth on the ring gear and 9 teeth on the pinion, 44/9 = 4.88 ratio. This would be a good time to inspect the gears and change the oil in the axles, if you have not already.

 

About the only thing I think is basicly required for rock crawling is a set of rocker guards. From your Avater it looks like you have a set already though. After that don't listen to what the mags tell you.

 

The overdrive is cool, and makes a great combination with the 4.88 axles.

You probably have an open front axle - most Jeeps do. This will let one wheel spin. A rear Powerlock limited slip differential was a popular option - if you notice slippage on a single front wheel but not the rear, you might have this. Again, look for a tag, or put the rear up on jackstands and turn one side (other wheel rotates the opposite way, open ... rotates the same way, posi/locker of some type), or remove the cover and look.

 

Thank you Mike. I have consistently read your posts and drawn a great deal of help from them. I followed your example and as I did my rewiring I ran the wires to the rear inside the body like you did.

 

For serious trail riding you'll need to get all tires to bite the ground, lockrights in both axles really help the climbing ability of the old iron. I've ran lockers for the past five years and have not had any problems other than an old bendix ujoint granading. You're just going to have to decide what to do yourself

 

Thank you all, great advice. I'm working the next few days but Monday I'll apply some of this wisdom. The rear hasn't been spinning one wheel so I'm not sure there but the front sure does. While I was rebuilding everything I put fresh oil front and back diffs so they should be OK. I drug this thing home from a farmers field in Utah and never even tried to run it. I just took it all apart and started rebuilding it. Now after reading all the posts I should have tried each component first. Too late, 5 years later everything is rebuilt. It has been a really fun project.

 

IMO, I'd 'wheel it as is and figure out it's/ your limitations. Since you trailer it to/ from the areas, breakage would not be too big of a concern; albeit a bummer... FWIW, I used mine in stock form for MANY years ('80- '91) before the desire for a little harder 'wheeling in the Cali desert drove me to make some mods; nothing too crazy as I still enjoy driving it daily. Even in stock form, you'll be amazed at a JEEP's capability... just have fun with it!!

 

I'm hearing you guys, just go have fun.....I'll be at the Hammer Trails in a week working a check for a motorcycle enduro and figure I'll give it a little challenge and see what I get.
Does anyone know where I might explore to find lockers for this old thing?

 

Rusty's Offroad or Jeeperz Creeperz have been the cheapest I've found so far for a Lock-Right for a 10 or 19 spline 44. Hopefully someone has a cheaper source.

 

the run it till it breaks will get old and strand you and it will burn you out.but you'll still have fun . I went that way for a few years but I cured most everything along the way. have fun ,but you won't know what fun your missing out on till it's locked up. just start stacking those dominos up..... the Hammers??!!! , dude go as slow as that thing will go ,don't bounce that frontend ,watch those steering joints,bring gas and air down. for that clutch chatter try to spray some white grease on the clutch fork / piviot ball inside the bellhousing.

 

Lockers. That's about all I'd do. But for now, I'd run it as it is and devlope driver skill. I'd take pride in follwoing those monster jeeps in a stocker.

If you really want, swap the front 27 to a Dana 30. Plenty of lockers, gears, upgrades, etc. You can swap in a widetrack and get front disc brakes. But that would get a but spendy because you would have to regear.

But for a real rock crawler, I'd keep the early cj as a daily driver and get a YJ, stretch the wheel base, Dana 44/60 axles, lockers front and rear, and 39 Iroc tires. Mod the heck out of the YJ, leave the early 5 stock.

 

Lockers.

Drive it.

 

I've got one question here. When you say toploader 4 speed are you referring to the T10 4 speed that ford used in the cars or are you referring to a toploader truck 4 speed with a granny gear? Does this transmission have a side mounted shifter or is the shifter mounted in the top of the transmission? Almost all jeep transmissions were top loaders including the factory 4 speed.