bonepuzzle Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 i know there are a few of you out there 4x4ing with your datsun. ive recently purchased my first datsun and my first 4x4 - '73 620. (had a prerunner RIP). looks like the 4x4 was a dealer installation... but as it is now, it isnt in working condition. basically the front and rear end dont match up -______- front end: dana 27 rear end: stock what should i do? should i stick with the 27's and find another one/something with the same gearing for the rear end? or should i get something completely different? what do you all have? Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 You are going about the matching thing oddly.If the gear ratios in the axles are the same, what you have should work fine. Do you know the ratios? Edit: Have you put it in 4 wheel drive? Why do you state that it is not working? Front driveshaft not spinning? Quote Link to comment
bonepuzzle Posted June 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 the gearing isnt matched up. front end is off a cj5 maybe it was done for looks, probably an unfinished project. i have not taken anything apart yet to find out what the gear ratios are. that will be for the weekend. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Just curious how you know the gearing doesn't match? You should be able to get gears for the Dana axle. Is it an open knuckle or closed knuckle axle? Quote Link to comment
Janksun Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 And above all else X2!!! Quote Link to comment
q-tip Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 If its a Dana 27 like h says is a closed knuckle, all of the ones I've seen are. 1 Quote Link to comment
DaBlist Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 It's rare for factory 4X4 front and rear axles to be the same model. The rear will usually have a larger ring & pinion. As long as the gear ratios are the same or close you are good to go. You shouldn't be putting it in 4WD on pavement anyway. Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Generally they used a Dana 30 for the front, using the stock Jeep ratio of 4.10. The stock Datsun rear was 4.375. There are no Dana 4.375 ratios, and no Datsun 4.10 ratios. However, there ARE Datsun 4.11 ratios, which is really close. For a better match, there are Datsun 4.88 and Dana 30 4.88s. If it's a Dana 27, I don't know what ratios are available. But, mine has the original 4.10 front / 4.375 rear, and offroad or on snow it's fine. 1 Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 4:11 & 4:375 are close to the 2% tolerance. Dang it q-tip, that question was a ringer :P You should be able to get any standard ratio for the Dana 27 brand new through Randys Ring and Pinion if they are still supported. Otherwise you will have to find a used set of gears. A lot of guys use a Toyota axle or a Jeep Wagoneer axle in the front. I just finished putting a Wagoneer Dana 44 in mine. Quote Link to comment
q-tip Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Most Dana 27's are 4.10 or 3.73, but being a 27 its probably from an early scout, those were 4.27 or 3.73 ratios. I'm pretty sure I have an extra 4.27 gear set, currently an entire front end though. Quote Link to comment
bonepuzzle Posted June 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 took some photos underneath the truck. ill have better pictures once its on stands. right now front breaks are drum. will be converted to disc breaks. got the truck from a member. he got the truck from who knows. but he was the one who informed me the gears didnt match up. ill find out what the gear ratios are and report back. starting from the front. photos to the rescue. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 That's a Dana 30 front. Look like someone put an earlier rear diff in there so it likely has 4:88's. The front is probably 4:10. Will work ok offroad, but don't drive it in 4x4 on the street. Mine was like that and I blew the front diff, it did take a long time street driving in 4x4 (winter time and someone locked my hubs while it was parked in the street) You can upgrade to disc brakes and put 4:88 in the front to match the rear fairly easily. Find a CJ with disc brakes or use a CJ disc brake kit. This guy has a kit for $500 http://www.the-jeep-guy.com/brakes.htm The transfer case is a divorced Dana 20, same unit used in a CJ5. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 You will also want to do something with those heims in your steering so that when they fail they won't pop apart. There are a few companies that offer heavy washer style captures for them. Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 What makes you say that's an earlier rear diff? '73 620s used the aluminum carrier (only year the 620 did). Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I didn't realize his truck was a 73. Mine had a 4:88 diff swapped in so I was going by that. :lol: Quote Link to comment
620Turbo4X4 Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 i know there are a few of you out there 4x4ing with your datsun. ive recently purchased my first datsun and my first 4x4 - '73 620. (had a prerunner RIP). looks like the 4x4 was a dealer installation... but as it is now, it isnt in working condition. basically the front and rear end dont match up -______- front end: dana 27 rear end: stock what should i do? should i stick with the 27's and find another one/something with the same gearing for the rear end? or should i get something completely different? what do you all have? My '78 620 4X4 I recently picked up has a Dana 30 front W/ 4.27's and stock Datsun rear with a strange 4.65? ratio. It binds up badly in 4 wheel drive. My plans for the axles are to swap the Datsun axle for 79-85 Toyota 4X4 and use 4.88 gears and Eaton TruTrac diffs front and rear. I was planning on re-gearing the Datsun axle with 4.88 gears, but with no lockers available, I went the Toyota route to keep everything 6 lug, and I can get matching 4.88 gears for the Dana 30 so the front and rear ratios will match, plus toyota diffs are fairly early easy to come by and there are tons of parts available for toyotas. 1 Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 How wide is the toyota axle you are using? The dana 30 I removed from my truck was pretty narrow. Quote Link to comment
620Turbo4X4 Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 How wide is the toyota axle you are using? The dana 30 I removed from my truck was pretty narrow. 55" or about 55 1/2" when the Isuzu trooper disk brake rotors are on it. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Early axle, nice, so that should match up fairly well with the Dana 30 then. I'm on the lookout for a later one for the rear of mine to match up with the Dana 44 I used. Your truck looks great, dig the new tires. I just got a set of those myself. 1 Quote Link to comment
620Turbo4X4 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Thanks. It's a bit of a diamond on the rough right now. Yours looks great too. :thumbup: The Goodyears were actually my second choice of tires. The ones I really wanted were the Interco SSR radials in a 29X11.5R15. But, at the time I was looking for tires, intreco was in a merger with someone else and was no longer producing them :( I like the short, wide and aggressive look in off road tires and... I must say, it looks friggin' awesome when you get out in the mud, and get it slinging 10' in the air off the front tires!!! At least until a bug chunk comes down on your windshield that has a rock in it :unsure: The unplanned added height of tire required cutting and pushing the footwells 3" back onto the cab for clearance. I didn't really want to raise the truck anymore than needed. I'm kinda building it more for ripping down logging roads and such, rather than rock crawling. Some day I plan to section the front fenders horizontally (like from the marker light across and down) then cut that bit in the center above the tire and add a 6" or more to the center to over the tire to widen just the fender well portion of the fender, trimming the ends at the door and the front section. My wife altered the fenders on a 620 4X4 in photoshop and it looked bitchen' Keeps the original lines of the fender and hardly even noticeable, unlike the big notch cut in mine. Had any encounters with the po-po about that much tire sticking out? I'm really surprised I haven't been stopped yet with no rear bumper or mud flaps. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Thanks. It's a bit of a diamond on the rough right now. Yours looks great too. :thumbup: The Goodyears were actually my second choice of tires. The ones I really wanted were the Interco SSR radials in a 29X11.5R15. But, at the time I was looking for tires, intreco was in a merger with someone else and was no longer producing them :( I like the short, wide and aggressive look in off road tires and... I must say, it looks friggin' awesome when you get out in the mud, and get it slinging 10' in the air off the front tires!!! At least until a bug chunk comes down on your windshield that has a rock in it :unsure: The unplanned added height of tire required cutting and pushing the footwells 3" back onto the cab for clearance. I didn't really want to raise the truck anymore than needed. I'm kinda building it more for ripping down logging roads and such, rather than rock crawling. Some day I plan to section the front fenders horizontally (like from the marker light across and down) then cut that bit in the center above the tire and add a 6" or more to the center to over the tire to widen just the fender well portion of the fender, trimming the ends at the door and the front section. My wife altered the fenders on a 620 4X4 in photoshop and it looked bitchen' Keeps the original lines of the fender and hardly even noticeable, unlike the big notch cut in mine. Had any encounters with the po-po about that much tire sticking out? I'm really surprised I haven't been stopped yet with no rear bumper or mud flaps. I was planning to pull the arches out and section them like you mentioned. Still not sure how that will work out yet. One of the reasons I went with the shackles in the front was to keep the tires out of the cab on compression. it will probably get a little lower as I need to pull a couple leaves from the front pack and adjust a few things here and there. No hall monitor problems yet, but I sorta have mudflaps and that will keep them off your back for the most part. Need to finish up my front bumper though. Quote Link to comment
620Turbo4X4 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I was planning to pull the arches out and section them like you mentioned. Still not sure how that will work out yet. One of the reasons I went with the shackles in the front was to keep the tires out of the cab on compression. it will probably get a little lower as I need to pull a couple leaves from the front pack and adjust a few things here and there. No hall monitor problems yet, but I sorta have mudflaps and that will keep them off your back for the most part. Need to finish up my front bumper though. It would be an awful lot of welding... My shackles are in front too. It was while turning that I was getting the rubbing. My front suspension doesn't really move much either and is quite the bone jarring ride. That will all change when I get the 4 links finished… I did finally get my exhaust relocated and rebuilt engine installed so now I can weld in the upper rear 4 link bar mount. The lower brackets are all welded in and can be seen in previous photo..(if anyone wondering what those are for?) My old wrecking yard motor was getting ready to go and I'm kinda glad about it. Getting blown away by a Prius was not acceptable… lol Happy about the extra power it has now. [/url] L20b W/.30 over L18 pistons, Ported peanut head, Isky 270 Cam, 32/36, Custom tri-Y Header. 1 Quote Link to comment
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