Front End Upgrades

I have a 1957 CJ5 with the F - Head I am planning to overhaul for my kid, presently 13 Years old.

We are a dedicated four wheeling family with a long history of Jeep, Landcruiser and Ford Bronco Ownership among various members.

One thing about the CJ5 that makes me nervous is the stock steering assembly fiasco and the older Dana 25? front end. There has to be a better way.

I would like to upgrade both areas at a reasonable cost. I'm not planning on going really wild on this particular project as it needs to be teenager friendly - not awfully fast or powerful, but capable of keeping up on the trail during family outings.


I am just beginning on this project and would like to talk with anybody that has any suggestions on how to proceed with making this CJ5 a little tougher than original. We especially would like to employ larger wheels (31" to 33") to gain clearance and improve curb appeal.

Any thoughts or hard lessons learned would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sounds like a good candidate for a narrow trac dana 30 frontend. Should fit right in and can be had with disk brakes also. As for steering why not just go for power steering with the standard draglink and tie rod?

Kevo

 

first off why do you feel that you need to get rid of the 25? It is a very good axle with compairable strength to a Dana 30, there is writeups I believe here on putting disk brakes onto one. Also do you plan of keeping the F-head? if so power steering can be done but you are on your own when it comes to power steering pump brackets. Some common upgrades that are done to the front end of these Jeeps is 11" drum brakes and saganaw steering box upgrades. These two should be enough for what you are discribing as the plan for the Jeep.

 

Welcome to the group! Go to the "User CP" to fill in your details. One of us may be around the block from you.

The Saginaw conversion is very common, as is the knuckle stud conversion. Using the search function, you'll find plenty of info pertinent to your questions.

What is it exactly that makes you nervous about the front end set up?

The reason I ask is that there are a few of us here that run the stock set up. My "Old Bill" and Billy's "Animal" are a couple examples. While not universally accepted, it could be argued that the stock set up (with some moderate improvements...) is sufficient for a careful driver.

 

I have the same set up in a 55cj, my son is 12 and he has no problems abusing it, he has skinny arms and is running 31's under it and will drive hard all day, I like the idea of running it close to original maybe later he will appreciate power steering and performance upgrades in his own rig, not to mention the fact that he is learning to drive in basically the same thing I learned in, I would not trade my memories of that old 47 willys for anything, maybe its just me..........Vic

 

don't buy the hype from the 4wd mags, the 25/27 is just as good (if not better) than the 30. they only down side to the 25/27 is the limited selction of gearing (ie 3.31, 3.54, 3.73, 4.10 (very rare), 4.27, 4.88 and 5.38). I think the reason the mags give'm a bad rap is the lack of 4.33and 4.56 ratios.

 

keep the D25
you can blow all the front ends(25,27,30,44) by using this formula:
air borne + heavy throttle = blown front axle

 

Uh, counter point. I'm not sure where all these folks are getting the data that a 27 is as strong as a 30. I've had a 27 and a 30 side by side and the 30 is definitely physically beefier. The 30 with open knuckles will also have a tighter turning radius - the narrow trac is a bit wider than the 27/25. That said, in 20 odd years my Dad and I never managed to hurt the 27 - but I don't agree they are physically comparable. In addition to Jim's formula, I was told to take it easy in reverse with the 27 in 4wd.

I guess it depends on the kind of wheelin' you and you're family do and what drivetrain you're planning on - if you're keeping the f-head you're probably alright with the 25. I've seen 25's and 27's hold up well on the trail - but I went with the 30 for piece of mind.

 

My CJ-5 had a 30 up front when I bought it. Isn't the only difference between the 30 and 25/27 is that the 30 has open knuckles?

I am currently in the process of installing a shackle reverse kit on my Jeep. I am hoping this will improve the handling greatly. I will make a report when I complete the project.

Another good upgrade as suggested earlier is the Saginaw steering.

 

For me, well I went with Bob's old 27. Of course its modified now with 11" brakes, a Powerlock and a Waggy two hole knuckle.

 

And in what way would the 27 be better than the 30? It must be the 9" drums or maybe the smaller diameter axles (lighter?) or could it be that the closed knuckle retains water (lol) or that the knuckle pudding is always trying to dribble on some other part. I guess it could be the thinner wall axle tubes that really save you some weight. I'm just kidding. I've run a D27 for 5 years in a Willys Utility Wagon ('54) and for the last 13 years in my CJ. I never broke anything on it running 33's but decided to go with the 30 when I went to 35" tires. They are a great axle, but better than a 30????

 

already have it on the jeep. I prefer the 'old school' closed knuckles over the open ones. not goining to open the can of worms on the knuckle pudding thou........

 

No need to go through the pains of the swap? No need to setup gears since I bet he has 5.38 gears in it.

 

bad thing about the 25/27 is the closed knuckle assembly. it has less of a turning radius than if you were to drop a d30 under the frame. i have a 27, its been rebuilt and runs fine, but slings oil. we can get it to stop. so i bought a d30 and am going to put new ujoints in it and am going to stick it under my 68. the 30 is already setup for the saginaw style steering, so i wont have to do many mods. plus, it turns tighter than a 27, so my short jeep will turn on a dime. its also lighter and no mods are needed for the disks, they bolt right on. just have to put in a regulator and go. a d30 narrow track will bolt right up or you can put a wide track under it for stability and put spacers on the 44 in the rear. this will give you the stance of the cj7 but will still be the narrow cj5 body.
just ideas... i will have a rebuilt 27 here shortly in arizona...once i stick the 30 under mine..=)