bulletproof trans for Jeep

[STOMPR]

What is the most bulletproof manual trans that I can bolt between a 258 and a D300?

[erikb]

How much working room do you have? 5 6 7 or 8? In the 5 you aren't going to get much better than the T-18 or T-19.
Any one ton tranny in a Cj series is overkill at a minimum and all of the typical truck 4 speeds are virtually industructable, you're just limited by length.

[holeski]

NV 4500 5 speed.
You can use the stock bellhousing or get a GM bellhousing and you will gain one inch.
I have a few friends in the PNW running them in there Comp Jeeps and have neer seen one bust. Even after having water sit in one for more then a year. Can be pricey though,.

[STOMPR]

Well this is going into a 80 CJ7 with a D300 so beings it is a 80 model I should have the short tail D300 which gives me a little more room to play. The NV4500 would be the awesome but yea finding one or having the money for one is another thing (FWIW there is a beat but running 92 truck in the paper that has one in it for $2000) but how easy well it be to find a T 18 in runable shape

[erikb]

70's-80's 2wd ford is what you're looking for, I found my runner in the 1st junkyard I looked at (200$ IIRC), for the d20 swap(not what you are doing) you have to replace the main shaft anyway so I wasn't real concerned. If you're satisfied with the 4-speed pretty much any truck 4speed can be swapped in.The 7 gives you plenty of room to work with. I recomend NOVAK for the adapter parts, great customer service, more compete kit and slightly cheaper when I did mine, but thats just me.

[mousee]

hey John,
check out the sm420. very common and easy to find. it came in anything from half ton to two and a half tons. plenty strong. cheap to rebuild and easy to adapt. advance adapters hooked me up through parts mike. shortest of all trannies and the lowest first gear too. being the shortest, you could later on hook it up with a planetary gearbox for even a lower crawl ratio. just my thoughts, and experience :)

[4x4_MMMH_4x4]

i might have an sm420 lying around somwhere ::)

[mousee]

oh yeah and I currently have it behind a 4.2L and in front of a d300 :)