1977 AMC Wagoneer Donor

[Bocalis]

I'm considering grabbing a neighbors '77 AMC Wagoneer for donor parts on my CJ. It has a 360 V-8, and a TH400 Auto tranny married to a quadratrac TC.

Don't know what axles it has....? Could they be an upgrade to my stock CJ axles?

Can the 360 with the th400 drop into my CJ? Will the tranny and marry up to my dana 300?

 

[Petescj]

The 360 will bolt up with a little lengthening of some wires here and there. The TH400 will only use the Quadra Trac t-case it came with. There may be an adapter out there but it'll cost a good amount. I think this is it:

(P/N 50-6400) | Advance Adapters


Im not sure what axles are under it for sure but my guess is dana 44s that are quite a bit wider than your Cj axles. The rear axle could also be a Full size AMC20.

 

[mtnwhlr]

I would use the engine with the trans and transfer you have now. The t-176 ans Dana 300 are very good and strong enough to handle the V8. Lets see some pics of the axels.

 

[BC CJ]

Regarding axles, I'm going to second Pete and say dana 44s. The oldest years of these vehicles had narrower axles that would work very well in a CJ... but I'm not sure which years. They started back in the early 60's so I think by 77 the axles would be the wider variety.

 

[Petescj]

I agree with this. Just depends on what you get the Waggy for and if your willing to part the rest of it.

I would use the engine with the trans and transfer you have now. The t-176 ans Dana 300 are very good and strong enough to handle the V8. Lets see some pics of the axels.

 

[Old Dog]

the 77 would have a 44 in front and IIRC a 20 in the rear.
The front should be about 61" wide that's about 5" wider than your 30 wide trak. You could use it by outboarding your springs.
The rear would be an offset pumpkin with the Q trk transfer case so it would not work with a d300.
Look under the rear and see if the pumpkin is centered or offset to be sure. If it is centered it could be made to work by moving the spring perches.

 

[csuengr]

A 77' will have a Dana 44 rear, and it will be offset to the passenger side. All rears at this time were offset due to the gas tank.

You can mate the TH400 to any transfer case you want with a new adapter. The TH400 with Quadra Trac has a ten spline output that sticks out ten inches beyond the adapter flange.

Annoying things about the FSJ TH400. The neutral safety/reverse light switch is on the steering column. The TH400 uses a kick-down switch located on the gas pedal.

The front Dana 44 will fit, but it takes welding new spring mounts as the springs are about 3/4 outboard of the frame. You will also have to shorten the drag link and re-thread. You will need a new pitman arm or ream out the one you have as the ball joints are bigger.

For the rear to match, you need a centered Dana 44 from a late model Grand Waggy or, if you want disc brakes, rear axle from a Isuzu Rodeo/Honda Passport.

Using the offset axle will more than likely cause vibrations as the drive shaft will have a compound angle.

 

[BrockGrimes]

I would use the engine with the trans and transfer you have now. The t-176 ans Dana 300 are very good and strong enough to handle the V8. Lets see some pics of the axels.

I agree with mtnwhlr. However, if your heavy footed on the throttle consider a Ford T18 and Ford NP435 swap in place of the t-176.
The t-176 is a medium duty trans and the Ford T18 and Ford NP435 are heavy duty and come with a low first gear, great for crawling.
If your wanting an automatic consider a th-350, it's shorter and novak adapters has a setup for it, http://www.novak-adapt.com/catalog/kit_437amc.htm

As for the axles, its up to you and how much work you want to perform. Another option is to cut the axles down.
Me I'd take the whole vehicle, snag the motor and other odds and ends and then sell/partout the rest to fund other things.