After doing some research I finally decided to look for a Borg-Warner T-18A manual transmission. Manual because that is what I prefer. The T-18A because of it’s 6.32:1 first gear and it’s heavy duty, cast iron construction. Also T-18 is probably the most common transmission to swap into a Jeep because it is heavy duty, relatively inexpensive, and it can be swapped in easier than almost any other transmission. Several companies make adapters for use with the T-18 and T-18A. The earlier T-18 has the same heavy duty strength but with a higher 1st, 2nd, 3rd and reverse gears, but the later T-18A had a better set of gears so that’s what I was looking for. The T-18A version was used from 1977-1979 in CJs but are rare finds, and if I had found one I’m sure it would have broke the budget if the seller knew what they had. T-18A’s are common in other 4×4’s including J-20 pickups and Ford trucks and both can be converted to CJ-7 use. Both T-18 and T-18A versions have a PTO port on the drivers side. Identification of a T-18A can be found with the casting number on the drivers side of the T-18 which is T-18 or 13-01. The T-18 has a 1 1/8″ 10 spline input shaft and a 1 3/8″ 6 spline output. Transmission 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th T-18 4.02 2.41 1.41 1.00 4.73 T-18A 6.32 3.09 1.69 1.00 7.44
Through a contact of Bob’s I bought a T-18A mated to a Dana 20 Transfer case that came out of a J-20 pickup and was in good shape. Because of the length of the J-20 pickup, Jeep used a 5 inch adapter between the bell housing and the transmission giving it a long input shaft. Mike from Jeepfan.com had done the same swap and he gave me the info I needed to find a short input shaft kit through Hick’s 4X4 in California which is currently on order. Also on order is a T-18 rebuild kit to replace the gaskets and bearings.
One of the first things I did was clean off the build up of road grime. I borrowed a friends high pressure power washer and through a combination of carb cleaner and Castrol Super Clean I blasted off the thick stuff. As soon as it dried, later that day, I then primered the whole thing. I painted it gloss black the next day to prevent it from rusting without the protective layers of oily dirt. I did this before the rebuild because I figured it would be easier to work on it without all the dirt on it and the painted surfaces would clean up easier than trying to remove the gear oil after a rebuild. Also blasting the transmission and transfer case probably forced water into the old seals and the breather and I’d rather do that before a rebuild rather than after.
Soon after I removed the adapter and bell housing, exposing the long input shaft which will soon be replaced with a shorter input shaft. Also the transfer case didn’t shift correctly due to either the stick shift of the transfer case or something inside the shifters base. Mike had a couple of extra Dana 20’s lying around so he graciously donated one with an identical shifter for parts. Thanks Mike. Notice the dust that covers the T-18A and Dana 20. That’s because of the tub work going on in the garage.
The budget Rebuild by Ralph HasselThe complete build is documentedhere on www.Offroaders.comThis 1978 Jeep CJ-7 never started life as a complete Jeep; rather it was built completely from parts. The goal was to build a […]
A Budgeted Jeep CJ-7 Rebuild from Concept to Conception by Ralph Hassel My evolution of thought… It all started with a humbling realization a number of years ago. My current vehicle, a 92 Toyota pickup 4×4, […]
This relatively simply oil pan modification, though it’s being done on Project CJ-7, can be installed on almost ANY 4×4 with an exposed oil pan. Though it may be a rare event to poke a […]
This Project CJ-7 article is about converting and armoring a Dana 300 skid plate to work with a Dana 20 transfer case. An ounce of prevention is worth a few pounds of steel. After hearing stories […]
In swapping the T-18A onto this Jeep project, a good tip was passed onto me from Mike of www.Jeepfan.com. This tip has to do with the stock clutch fork being used in the stock bell […]
Fabricating Custom U-Bolt Plates with Skid Protection for Project Jeep CJ-7 With the job of a Dana 44 axle swap to the project CJ-7 came the need for new u-bolt plates. Two things made stock u-bolt […]
A Simple yet very effective method of protecting your tie rod from impact with rocks and things, is to raise the tie rod up. Raising the Drag link also reduces bump-steer, a side effect of […]
Using 6 bucks worth of material to protect a 300 dollar 3-core radiator and to cool the V8 Engine. When looking at the grill of my 78 CJ-7, the one thing that just stuck out like […]
After doing some research I finally decided to look for a Borg-Warner T-18A manual transmission. Manual because that is what I prefer. The T-18A because of it’s 6.32:1 first gear and it’s heavy duty, cast […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 Daystar Swaybar Bushings Tip. When swapping out your stock CJ swaybar bushings with the Daystar Swaybar Bushings, here’s a Tip – Use the CJ bracket! Here’s why…First off, upgrading your sway bar bushings […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 – Disassembling the Scout II Dana 44 Front Axle. After acquiring the Dana 44 axles I also picked up a Dana 30 narrow track front axle that was in great shape. The […]
Continuing on from the front axle prep, the rear axle’s spring pad angle recorded and spring pads were removed. That was followed up by an inspection of differential and rear drum brakes to make sure […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 Scout II Dana 44 Axles Swap onto a CJ-7 FrameNew Custom Fabricated HangersFront Springs – Front HangersThe front hangers were a little easier to design than the rear hangers. Mainly because they […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 Scout II Dana 44 Axles Swap onto a CJ-7 FrameFabricated Leaf Spring HangersInstalling the Front Leaf Springs HangersBelow is the whole set of hangers. Gussets have been welded in and all the holes […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 U-Bolt Skid PlatesFabricating Custom U-Bolt Plates with Skid ProtectionWith the job of a Dana 44 axle swap to the project CJ-7, came the need for new u-bolt plates. Two things made stock […]
