After hastily spending $250. On a wide track front dana 30 so we could obtain the 56" track we still were not sure what to do with the rear. As I stated before an offset differential amc 20 was never produced in wide track, only a centered differential version was made after quadra trac was discontinued in 1979. So after some very precise measuring it was determined dana 44's from a quadra trac equipped Wagoneer could be used by shortening only one side of each housing. This could only have worked out better if we would not have bought the dana 30 front. Needless to say we lost are asses on that purchase. So here is how it all went together. Front axle from 1979 quadra trac Wagoneer, shorten driverside by 4" and move spring perch in to give 27 1/4" spring center to center, (which is stock CJ). This will give you a track of 56", equal to stock CJ wide track. The original long driverside axle shaft can also be cut down and resplined, no need to have a custom axle made. The passengerside spring perch is cast into the housing and cannot be moved, but just happens to be in the right spot, and since we switched to Wrangler front springs they are the same width as Wagoneer. Otherwise the spring perches on a dana 30 wide track are too narrow. This will also align the pinion angle up correctly. And remember that the shackle reversal kit moved the axle ahead 1 1/2", so if you stuck with a dana 30 you would have to lengthen the front driveshaft 1 1/2", BUT and this is the neat part, a dana 44 differential housing is 1 1/2" longer, OH YEH, a stock front driveshaft bolts right up, no lengthening. Use the Wagoneer spring u bolt plates and relocate the driverside shock mount to match the passengerside. Upper wide track bolt on shock mounts will have to replace the welded on narrow track shock mounts.
Okay, rear dana 44 from 1979 quadra trac Wagoneer. Shorten the driverside by 2 3/4" and relocate the spring perches to the bottom. Again the stock axle can be shortened and resplined. The differential center line will still be off center by 1 1/2" from the transfercase but if you use a double carden driveshaft it will eliminate any vibration. The alternative to this was to shorten the passengerside by 1 1/2" and the driverside by 1 1/4" but then you would have to get custom axle shafts made for both sides. It worked out cheaper to have a double carden driveshaft made. The rear spring u bolt plates are stock CJ with the shock mounts with the u bolt holes elongated with a milling machine tc accommodate the bigger diameter axle.
So there you go strong dana 44's front and rear to handle all the torque from that 401. We stayed with the 6 bolt lug pattern because we had factory chrome wagon wheels and is a stronger set-up. This also gives you G.M. type front disc brake calipers which I prefer over the CJ type, a little easier to change pads. Keen eyes will see no rear brakes, you can stick with the drums or go with rear disc brakes like we are.

Took a little down time from the building process and found this at are local Turkey Hill for a couple of bucks and had to buy it. Stripped the bazaar shade of green and repainted it in black and got some pinstriping and dry transfer letters from the hobby store. Put some "bare metal foil" also from the hobby store on the grille and fabricated the roll bar from brass tubing. The Laredo look is what we are shooting for on the real thing.

Well the springs finely got here. We wanted only a 2" lift for several reasons, safety, looks and the fact that a dropped pitman arm is not needed until after 2". We certainly didn't want to be bothered with bump steer, since this will be a daily driver and should be a pleasure to drive. We also wanted to go with 31" tires and with a shackle reversal kit it moves the front axle ahead by 1 1/2" which if you look at a side view of a stock CJ the front wheel is too far back in the wheel opening. So when you go to a larger tire you end up with clearance problems. The springs I got from my local Chysler dealer Outten in Hamburg, Pa. http://www.outtencars.com/location/hamburg-pa/index.jsp The service manager there is Brian Moyer who also runs Blue Mountain Jeep Alliance Club http://www.bmja.org/ He is a real Jeep guy and he advised me on the springs. We used Wrangler front springs part # OK-BDS-00420 and CJ rear springs part # OK-BDS-00425. These cost a total of $317.89 and was cheaper than a lift kit in which we would not have used many of the parts and also this way I could mix and match Wrangler/CJ springs. The Wrangler springs ride softer than the CJ and are also wider than CJ so we are hoping the rear springs are not too stiff. The reason we didn't go with Wrangler rear is because they are longer and I didn't want to have to mess with relocating spring mounts. I guess we will find out after it is on the road if we made a mistake or not. The rear part of the shackle reversal kit comes with a bushing tube that must be drilled and welded into the frame. The instructions for locating them are based on an assembled vehicle with all the weight. We didn't have that luxury. The shackle must be a little past centerline with all the weight on, it will bump and actually lift the Jeep when it tries to move back as the suspension travels. We actually had them too far front and when I got the bright idea to compress the springs with a bar clamp, the shackle moved too far back and ran out of travel. So I had to redrill the frame and weld in filler pieces in the original holes. Oh well, lessons will be learned. The bushing kit is from J.C Whitney http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/StoreCatalogDisplay/c-10101/s-10101 catalog part #38166 or mfg. part # 1-1005 or 1-100 and cost $29.95. They are of the urethane type and I am sure will squeak. Gonna try and install some grease fittings to compansate.

Two views here of the shackle reversal kit ordered from M.O.R.E. http://mountainoffroad.com/more.htm I ordered the unwelded kit version because it was cheaper and I wanted my son to learn some valuable welding.
The kit number is 7686-20 for $165.00 plus $24.29 shipping. To line everything up I stuck a threaded rod through both assemblies and again took lots of measurements. At the time I hadn't yet ordered the Wrangler springs for up front and since the CJ springs are narrower I used the back springs which are the same width as Wrangler springs to mock everything up. Make sure everything is square to the frame rails because if not this will only shorten the life of the bushings. Had to do a lot of shimming and tweaking (sledge hammer) to obtain this. For more info on the pros and cons on shackle reversals check out JP Magazine http://www.jpmagazine.com/ they did a great article.