[Guest]

Hey guys, as you can tell from my user name, im a Land Cruiser guy. But, I also truely love Jeeps. My friend is interested in purchasing a 1977 CJ-7. It has the straight 6 w/an automatic. Is there anything we should know about this year? How are the automatic tannys? What are the axles? Model 20? Was there a Dana 44 option that year? Gear ratio? Trans. ratio? This Jeep looks all stock, and is fairly clean, so Im guessing nothing relevent to these questions has been changed out of the Jeep. Please break down the barrier between Jeep/Land Cruiser owners, and help us out!! Thanks in Advance!

 

[Guest]

About all I can tell you about them is that the auto trans has a good reputation for being strong and my experience with them has been positive. I had 79 and 82 CJs with autos and had no trouble at all with them and I spent a lot of time off road. You'll have to let some of the other guys fill you in on your other questions.
JP

 

[Scott_CJ8]

No "barriers" to break down here . . . we'll just drive over them together.
The '77 CJ is a good year and the 258 is tried and true. Just check to see that it's not been "rode hard and put away wet". A jeep that old
could need a lot of attention, unless the former owner was really into the "Jeep thing"!
See ya on the trail...

Keep on Jeepin'
Scott

 

[fratt77CJ7]

I have a '77 but w/the 304. It has a TH400 auto which is a stout trans but inefficient (10mpg). It is also full time 4wd (Quadratrac xfer case). I don't know if the 6's came with these or not. I is most likely an AMC 20 in the rear. You can tell by the diff cover, if it is round than it's a 20, if it is kind of oval than a 44. HTH.

fratt

 

[Guest]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your quick responses, and not chasing me out with a big stick! Im so sick of the LC/Jeep rivalry. Keep the posts coming Like what were the gear ratio options for 77 w/the i-6? Will this Jeep be underpowered with 33s and the automatic?

 

[Guest]

My tires were 31X11.50X15 with stock gears and 258 six and auto trans and I had no power problems. It wasn't a speed demon on the highway but was pleanty strong.
By the way, one of my favorite old girlfriends drove a Land Cruiser

 

[040]

No barriers...heck, around here there's so few LC's that we give each other the Jeep wave. The auto should be a Turbo 400 in AMC trim (same guts as the GM, different case) and the t-case should be a Quadratrac unit (I forget the numerical designation, it's a chain driven full-time unit made by Borg Warner I believe). Engine would be a 258, good strong torquey unit, but the Carter carbs are a PITA. Rear would be an AMC 20, the only 7's that ever came with 44 rears were a few in 1986. Gear ratio was most commonly 3.54 during the late '70's...there should be a letter stamped on the end of the rear diff which indicates gear ratio and whether or not it has a Trac-Loc, the front will have a tag on it like most Dana axles.

 

[Guest]

I've had a 77, but mine was quite a bit different (304, 3-speed manual). What I remember most about it is that I got it with only about 19K on the clock, and the body was already full of rust in the rear fender-well area (and in so ca, to boot). Another thing I remember about it was that it had about the worst crawl-ratio I have ever experienced. It was something like 21:1 with the stock gearing. It had 3.54 axles, and a model 20 transfer case. This info does not exactly apply to what you are looking at, but you might want to keep this in the back of your mind. If your friend wants to go rock-crawling with you, this might not be the best combination, although the automatic will make-up wonders for the crawl ratio. The automatic, I believe, has a very good reputation. You can ask Parts Mike (partsmike.com) about this. And, yes, it came originally with a AMC model 20 rear axle, and no, the model 44 was not an option in 77. The front should be a model 30, and it should have disc brakes. I've got no hang-ups with LC's... The ones I see on the trail are great. I am a little apprehensive that a stock 77 CJ might be disappointing, if you-all start comparing it with a well-built LC. If it (the 77) were for me, I would be thinking of significant changes to the drive-train. Personally, I would like the automatic, but I would be thinking of a TC change, as well as a rear axle change. And, I would also be thinking of making it 'wide-trac', which would also mean changing the front axle. Just my .02. Best wixhes.

bob