727 in a cj?

[DuffTrucks]

Hey everybody, new member here. Great looking site! I'm putting a mopar 360 into my 84 cj. Will a 727s trans pan prevent me from using this trans? Thanks for any help.

 

[DuffTrucks]

I've heard that the reason the 727 can't be used is because the front driveshaft hits the transmission pan. I've also heard that this problem goes away when running a 3" or more lift because of the change in driveshaft angle.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

That's my understanding of it also.

 

[DuffTrucks]

know anybody who's running one?

 

[BESRK]

I've only messed with one CJ (Scrambler) that was running a 727 (behind a 304). The driveshaft only cleared after we installed a 4" lift on the rig (3" would probably have sufficed). I don't remember the specific clearance amount as it's been about 5 years.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

know anybody who's running one?

Yes I do.

 

[DuffTrucks]

I've only messed with one CJ (Scrambler) that was running a 727 (behind a 304). The driveshaft only cleared after we installed a 4" lift on the rig (3" would probably have sufficed). I don't remember the specific clearance amount as it's been about 5 years.

did it do ok off road? any problems with the shaft hitting the pan while wheeling that you can remember?

 

[BESRK]

It was a mall crawler. The owner decked it out and as far as I know, it's never been offroad since. :-|

 

[DuffTrucks]

It was a mall crawler. The owner decked it out and as far as I know, it's never been offroad since. :-|

thanks for the info. leaning towards doing the swap, hope i don't regret it! gotta ask around a little bit more before i make up my mind though.

 

[carnuck]

Many people grind a bit off the pan edge to clear the driveshaft. If you swap to a LH drop front axle, it's not such a problem.

 

[Why Not]

I installed a 727 with a Dana 300 behind a 304 in my 1981 CJ-5 a few years back. The jeep was set up with a full width Dana 44 front out of a FSJ Wagoneer and 14 bolt cab & chasis rear. I was running a 4" Superlift spring under lift and had no issues. By running a wider than stock CJ axle the front drive shaft was moved over a little to the passanger side due to the axle being a little wider than stock. The Jeep was great off-road. The guy I sold it to is still running that set up today.

Why Not (Chris)

 

[DuffTrucks]

well, i think i'm going to commit to doing the swap. the 727 may not be a perfect fit, but it's what i have and with the 4" lift it seems like it will work.

 

[BESRK]

Should clearance be an issue, you can be creative with the driveshaft.

I had a really tight fit in my old CJ5 with a D300 behind a Turbo 350. I ended up grinding some of the case and the edges of the pan. I also used a "long spline" driveshaft with the male spline portion of the shaft passing thru the "tight area". IIRC, the male portion was only 1.635" OD. Even then, I took a grinder and removed some of the spline where it was really tight. First few times I flexed the rig hard (14" coilovers), I saw sparks fly where the shaft made contact Eventually, it self-clearanced.

Some situations even require a 2-piece driveshaft setup with a carrier bearing.

 

[DuffTrucks]

Thanks for the info.