69 using 77 parts dilemma

Ok found a 77 yesterday while looking for brake parts, steering parts ect. Jeep is all there pretty good shape although motor and steering colum are gone.

I started just considering swapping out the whole drive train since mine has to all be completly rebuilt. My parts alone will run around $700 for the D27, D44, D18 and T14. I know the D30 swap is positive after reading, I think this 77 has a Dana 20/T-15 but with the AMC 20(which I dont know much about only that its a centered diff). This guy wants 750.00.

My body is at the Soda Blaster and is almost finished. 225 Engine is sitting on stand ready. My frame is sitting on saw horses, so I could mock up the drive train on my 69 frame pretty easy or just continue and rebuild the 69 parts and find a cheaper brake and steering donor.

What do you guys think?

 

The centered rear axle is an AMC 20, which is a cigar butt of an axle. They are supposedly ok if you keep the axle nuts tight, but they are a weak design, with 2-piece axles and thin axle tubes. You'd have to weld new axle pads onto the axle to make it fit your frame, since the '77 frame is wider at the rear than the '69 frame. JMO - avoid. The transmission is a Tremac T-150 which can only be used with a Dana 20 transfer case. Not a bad transmisson, but your options are limited with this. Also, it has a Ford bellhousing pattern, so you'd have to figure out how to connect your V6 to it. Nothing wrong with the Dana 20 transfer case, except that they are very commonly available and cheap.

The Dana 30 front axle is a good choice, but it will likely have 3.54 gears, and you'll have to change them or find a matching axle.

To me, it's not very appealing at that price. It'd be good if you wanted to build up a '77, though the price seems a little high since it's not complete. Realize that you will have to spend some money to make these parts fit... not a lot of good stuff for a '69 IMO. I'd keep looking.

 

Yes I realized the spring pads would need to be re-worked, and I needed to check the gears.

Your probably right Sanginaw steering was not power anyway and I can find brakes on a chebby worse case. Just need to search a little more.

 

If you want, you can go with 11" drum brakes instead of the Chevy disks (I presume that's what you're thinking). There are several good donors out there: intermediate Jeeps, 5-lug Wagoneers, and early Broncos (I think) work without machining. Brakes from a '60s F-100 will fit if you can enlarge the center hole and drill the backing plates to fit. In the old days, '60s Mercury passenger cars were prime donors; I presume they had the 11"x2" Bendix brakes and the Fords didn't. Lots of options if you are resourceful.