CJ10a Flightline Tug --> 4wd Pickup Truck

I have a little different green iron project going on. I bought a chopped up CJ10a and a M101a1 trailer body and it is time to see what I can do with them.

The -10a runs well, and I have an IH turbo setup to get a little more power out of it.

I have a set of HMMWV rims and tires for it.

The axles are from K20, 10b front and a classic 14bff rear.

When I bought it, It already had a D300 swapped in for the locked in low range NP198.

I think I am going to chop down the length of the M101, just to shorten the wheelbase. If I do not chop it down, the wheelbase of the -10a will be more than my Excursion!

Here is a couple of pics, how I bought it, current progress, and a couple of very bag photo chops.

Hmmm, trying the attachments again

I like that idea! not much you can do with those tugs the way the are.

I have seen a couple incarnations of the CJ-10 used off road. The gearing is very low, so it's perfect for rock crawling. However, it does need some cosmetic and suspension-related mods to make it work in the backwoods.

Good luck with your project!

I have a tug also that I plan to do some mods. on. Keep me updated on the turbo install. And I to plan to put HMMWV tires on mine also.

maddawg308 said:

I have seen a couple incarnations of the CJ-10 used off road. The gearing is very low, so it's perfect for rock crawling. However, it does need some cosmetic and suspension-related mods to make it work in the backwoods.

Good luck with your project!

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I have built 4wd vehicles ranging from stock to extreme to over the top ridiculous - I helped build a full on competition rock crawler with 4wd, lockers, 4 wheel steering, etc., etc.

This is more of a general mess around town vehicle. I have a CJ that is 100% offroad, but titled to drive on the street, and the thing kinda stinks to drive around. Lockers, manual brakes, overboosted steering, low gearing. It is a work out.

The 4.88's that came stock are "barely adequate" with the H1 wheels, and I am considering putting in 5.13 or 5.38s in it to get some performance back.

My CJ is around 80:1 in reduction, and I am looking to add some more. To make the -10a a true off roader, I would need to add a doubler or a 4spd Atlas transfer case.

SO, this thing is going to be much more of a fun drive around town/drive very mild off road trails than a rockcrawler.

Here is a pic of my hand built off road CJ

I've got a CJ 8 ,so I like your concept for the 10 ! Although, as a CJ guy, I have trouble with those rectangle lights

hole said:

I've got a CJ 8 ,so I like your concept for the 10 ! Although, as a CJ guy, I have trouble with those rectangle lights

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You aint kidding... I wasn't really thinking about it until my friend said it looked an awful lot like his YJ...

Almost sold it on the spot

I thought about a CJ grill and fenders for about 2.3 seconds, but the stock -10 stuff is too cool to mess with.

Besides, it will leave alot of Jeep guys scratching their heads

I lengthened the frame on mine and dropped a Ranger bed on it (avatar). It looks OK, but I need to massage the bed a little. Need a set of those HMMWV tires on as well.

Did your -10a come with the alt/vac. pump intact? I would like to see how it hooks up, mine wasnt there.

Rebelpride said:

Did your -10a come with the alt/vac. pump intact? I would like to see how it hooks up, mine wasnt there.

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I wasn't sure what you wanted, and it was a little hard to get a good picture in there with the overcast day today, but this might get you started?

The top fitting (big banjo bolt) goes to the brake booster for vacuum brakes

Middle fitting (high pressure hose) comes from the block, it is high pressure oil from the block

Lower fitting (low pressure oil, with a hose clamp) is the oil return.

I can try and get some better ones if you need em.

It looks like the M101 is essentially the same construction front and rear. I think I am going to use the rear part of both trailers to make my bed, I think they will give me the least amount of rusted sheet metal as well.

I got the rear axle under it, it is now sitting on all 4 HMMWV wheels.

Gavan,

Don't know how I missed this but I am also in the early stages of a tug project. I picked up a mint, running CJ10A with 24,000 miles on it awhile back and have been trying to decide which way to go with it. I gave up on making it both a street and trail rig using the stock engine so it is headed for the trails (engine runs like a top so I could not see dumping it). We are narrowing the rear 70 from its 75" to around 64" and puttin a Dodge Dana 60 with 4.88's up front. Do not plan on lengthening the frame (looks like you did) just using offset springs and pushing the axles toward the back. Swapping out the 208 for an upgraded Dana 300 with Lomax 4:1. As for the body we are keeping the tug front clip but going a different way for the rest of the body. Still measuring so not ready to show/reveal the body style until we know it will work.

Keep is updated!

I know its wrong, but i am jealous.

Thanks for the interest!

I dont know how much you can lengthen it without making the frame longer, there is not much room to play around with it. It is very easy to lengthen it, just weld in a (I think) 2x4 steel beam to the back of the frame.

Mine is lengthened to ~125 inches.

As long as you gear the snot out of it, the little diesel should be a good trail motor. I have a Scout II Turbo in the shed for it :evilgrin:

Latest pics with the shortened hybrid M101 body. I think it is really starting to look like a baby bobbed deuce

how much do tugs usually run for? i love this project because of the extremely low gearing

gavan said:

Thanks for the interest!

I dont know how much you can lengthen it without making the frame longer, there is not much room to play around with it. It is very easy to lengthen it, just weld in a (I think) 2x4 steel beam to the back of the frame.

Mine is lengthened to ~125 inches.

As long as you gear the snot out of it, the little diesel should be a good trail motor. I have a Scout II Turbo in the shed for it :evilgrin:

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Stock wheelbase is like 88". Rear springs are a HD and flat version of the 57" J10/J20 springs. As such they are offset toward the front, 25" to pin in front and 32" to back (approx). Just reversing the springs will stretch the wheelbase about 6" and come very close to a CJ7 wheelbase.

As for gearing these engines came in the Nissan Patrol with 4.80 gears and 31" tires., I figure the stock 4.88 gears with 37"-39" tires will work great off-road with a Dana 300 that has 4:1 gearing. I am about to find out...

Keep us posted as you go. Tugs are looking better the more I look at yours gaven.
Harold.

I like the length you have on this one. I did not stretch mine out so far.

Grantshire said:

Stock wheelbase is like 88". Rear springs are a HD and flat version of the 57" J10/J20 springs. As such they are offset toward the front, 25" to pin in front and 32" to back (approx). Just reversing the springs will stretch the wheelbase about 6" and come very close to a CJ7 wheelbase.

As for gearing these engines came in the Nissan Patrol with 4.80 gears and 31" tires., I figure the stock 4.88 gears with 37"-39" tires will work great off-road with a Dana 300 that has 4:1 gearing. I am about to find out...

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FYI,
I just finished regearing my converted CJ10A back to 4.88's. (long story, but the short version is, the conversion process from a tug to a truck involved FSJ WT axles with 3.31's in them)

Anyway, 37"-39" tires with the SD33NA and 4.88's might not be a very good combination on the road. I've got 34" tires on mine with the 4.88's and it drives pretty good, but EGT's require me to drop the speed back to 45-50mph for some of the larger hills. I believe I can get a few more MPH on the hills when I enlarge the exhaust, but your still looking at about 50mph max on hills with 34" tires. FYI, 34" tires and 4.88 gears get me to 60mph on the flat at about 3050rpm's. Unlike the manual's that the patrol came with, the tugs TF727 chews up some of the engines HP before it gets to the TCase. It cruises nicely at 55mph though with the rpm's in the 2850 range.

Off road w/ a 4:1 Tcase, it should work good though.

I'm in the process of rebuilding some 1 ton axles to put under mine and am now seriously thinking of going with 5.38's to compensate for the additional weight of the axles and tires. Also planning to add a turbo to squeeze a bit more out of the old SD33.

It's a lot of work for an old underpowered engine but these are odd ducks and keeping the engine is part of the cool factor in my opinion.

Grantshire, did you flip the D300 or is your front axle passenger side drop? Asking because a "flipped" D300 is on the long list of future projects for my CJ10A as well.

Hope you don't mind the thread jack Gavan, seems we all have similar CJ10a's though and may be able to help each other out since there really isn't a lot of information out there.

Here's a picture of mine. I can't take credit for the original build (that goes to Scumby) but in addition to the regearing, I've been driving it and maintaining it for the last year and plan to continue it's transformation into a cool on road truck that does OK on trails.