I have an 83 CJ7 that I plan on going SOA in the near future. Since a tow rig & trailer are not going to be in the budget anytime soon, I really need to keep this street legal. I already have the axles (44/60) & I need to know what my best option is.

1 - Narrow both axles.
2 - Ditch the 44 I have & get a waggy 44, & only narrow the 60.
3 - Keep them full width, run wheels with lots of backspacing(Humvee??)
4 - Don't be a jackass, it ain't gonna happen:flipoff2:

I've never done this before, & yes, I am quite the noob. I will be having help with this build, but I'm just trying to figure out what the best option will be. I'm in Oregon if it matters.
Thanks

I have an 83 CJ7 that I plan on going SOA in the near future. Since a tow rig & trailer are not going to be in the budget anytime soon, I really need to keep this street legal. I already have the axles (44/60) & I need to know what my best option is.

1 - Narrow both axles.
2 - Ditch the 44 I have & get a waggy 44, & only narrow the 60.
3 - Keep them full width, run wheels with lots of backspacing(Humvee??)
4 - Don't be a jackass, it ain't gonna happen:flipoff2:

I've never done this before, & yes, I am quite the noob. I will be having help with this build, but I'm just trying to figure out what the best option will be. I'm in Oregon if it matters.
Thanks

how much tire coverage do they require? Iam guessing that you dont want massive fender flares. Do you DD this rig?

From the ODOT website:

(a) The width of any fender or mudguard
required under this section must be of sufficient
size so that the fender or mudguard
extends at least to each side of the width of
the tire or combined width of the multiple
tires when measured against the cross section
of the tread of the wheel or the combined
cross sections of the treads of the
multiple wheels.
(b) Any fender or mudguard required under
this section must be of sufficient size and
must be so constructed as to be capable at
all times of arresting and deflecting any dirt,
mud, water or other substance that may be
picked up and carried by the wheels.

It sounds like they require full coverage for the tires. I would rather not run ginormous flares, & it won't be a DD. I might drive it to work every once in a while, but that would be about it.

Maybe I should sell/trade the axles I have for something narrower? Waggy 44s? I'd like to run 36-37" tires.

Do you have inspection? Are Oregon cops strict? Since it isn't a DD, I say go with the fullwidths and deal with the fix-it ticket if it ever comes up.

Go full width and put some removable mud flaps on. They look stupid but if you get a ticket put them on and run down to the station and get it signed off.

In the Eugene area of Oregon it is required that all tread of a tire have a fender above it. Meaning if you were to drop a plumb-bob off the side of your fender you cannot have any tire tread below it. As far as how strict the police are, you never know. It seems that if you have a nice new exspensive rig and the tires stick out, your fine. If you have an older rig your fucked and your getting that FIX IT TICKET.

In the Eugene area of Oregon it is required that all tread of a tire have a fender above it. Meaning if you were to drop a plumb-bob off the side of your fender you cannot have any tire tread below it. As far as how strict the police are, you never know. It seems that if you have a nice new exspensive rig and the tires stick out, your fine. If you have an older rig your fucked and your getting that FIX IT TICKET.

I'm right up the road from you in Albany. I see rigs driving around all the time with tires sticking waaaay out. I know a guy who's a Linn County deputy, I'll have to talk to him & see what he says. I might have to go the removable mud flap route.

Full widths work nice but scream "Pull me over" on daily driven jeeps in areas where fender laws are enforced. I would say here in CT the popo are pretty relaxed for the most part. I've gotten away with my IROKs sticking about halfway out past my fenders and no issues. I know there were a few guys running around with full width axles and they got tagged on a regular basis. It was just too obvious. Of coarse I always drove like a saint when I was in my rig as well so I didn't attract any unneccessary attention from the wrong people.

I would say ditch the D44 rear, its no different then a Waggy D44. Or better yet, buy a C&C 14 bolt (63" WMS). Cut down the long side of the Dana 60 to 64", and run some 8" rims that have minimal backspacing, similar to a TJ rim for example.

You will have to find out what is cheaper, new rims and a custom long side inner shaft or recentered h1 rims and drive flanges for your 60.

got an 83 cj7 with full width 14 bolt (68 + -) 10" wide wheels with 3.75 backspacinig and 40" iroks. I have 6 inch TJ flares on the wells and the tires still stick out about 1.5 inches on each side. The flares look great, they are functional, tough, and give you SOME wiggle room with the po-po. Even in Cal i havnt had a problem...yet

got an 83 cj7 with full width 14 bolt (68 + -) 10" wide wheels with 3.75 backspacinig and 40" iroks. I have 6 inch TJ flares on the wells and the tires still stick out about 1.5 inches on each side. The flares look great, they are functional, tough, and give you SOME wiggle room with the po-po. Even in Cal i havnt had a problem...yet


you have any pics of that????

I would say ditch the D44 rear, its no different then a Waggy D44. Or better yet, buy a C&C 14 bolt (63" WMS). Cut down the long side of the Dana 60 to 64", and run some 8" rims that have minimal backspacing, similar to a TJ rim for example.

You will have to find out what is cheaper, new rims and a custom long side inner shaft or recentered h1 rims and drive flanges for your 60.

The 44 is for the front, the 60 for the rear.

Thanks for the help so far. This project won't be getting started until the rainy season hits, so I still have a couple months to figure out what I wanna do.

you have any pics of that????

Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing pics of your setup either. Again, this won't be a DD, maybe once or twice a week to work during the summer. I only drive 4 miles to work. I'm more worried about if I want to drive up to Tillamook or somewhere else to wheel.

Here's what I suggest.

1. Sell the D44 you have and get a Waggy D44. That's what I have with 8 lug
hubs and 8" wheels with 4" backspacing. No custom axle shafts required.

2. As for the D60, you have a number of options, but IMO the best option is to
sell it and get a 14 bolt rear. You get get a 67" wms-wms one from a SRW
Chevy 1 ton pickup in almost any junkyard for less than $150. All you have to
do then is pull the SRW hubs and install DRW hubs and it's 63" wms-wms.
The 14 bolt has a cheap detroit and is a breeze to set up. You can also
shave the housing for clearance.


I've attached a pic of the front of my 86 CJ7 with a Waggy D44.

I went the route you did. I did my SOA at the same time gary did.

my width was 82" outside of tire to outside of tire. my tires basicly sat outside the body totally.

I only had 1 fixit ticket when it was like that... while i was headed to the trail in the mountains :rolleyes: I drove it around So. cal for year or two and i lived 1 block from the police station and never had an issue.

anyways, find out if a mudflap on the rear would work if you want to go with fullwidths. make them removable its pretty stinking easy to make them.

here's about the best pic i have of the width. my axles came from a 79 f250

http://b3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00513/35/11/513031153_l.jpg

Here's what I suggest.

1. Sell the D44 you have and get a Waggy D44. That's what I have with 8 lug
hubs and 8" wheels with 4" backspacing. No custom axle shafts required.

2. As for the D60, you have a number of options, but IMO the best option is to
sell it and get a 14 bolt rear. You get get a 67" wms-wms one from a SRW
Chevy 1 ton pickup in almost any junkyard for less than $150. All you have to
do then is pull the SRW hubs and install DRW hubs and it's 63" wms-wms.
The 14 bolt has a cheap detroit and is a breeze to set up. You can also
shave the housing for clearance.


I've attached a pic of the front of my 86 CJ7 with a Waggy D44.

This may be a completely ignorant question, but if I buy a SRW 14 bolt, & then install DRW hubs, wouldn't I be better off just getting a dually 14 bolt from the start:confused: Or am I missing something?

Thanks for the help so far, I do appreciate it.

Dually 14 bolts have a wider housing than a single wheel housing. A cab and chassis dually axle is basically a single wheel housing with dually hubs to narrow it. Do the swap yourself, or get a cab and chassis axle.

I have a J20 8 lug 44 up front and a Dodge 60 in the rear. The front is just about 67" and the rear is 65". I used late model Dodge 16x8 wheels to keep it narrow, they have 6" of backspace. My tires stick out from the flares the same as when I had my 33s on 15x8 4" bs wheels. Granted, I am only running 34x10.50s. I could run a taller wider tire, but would loose some turning radius because the tires would hit the springs.
Travis..

This may be a completely ignorant question, but if I buy a SRW 14 bolt, & then install DRW hubs, wouldn't I be better off just getting a dually 14 bolt from the start:confused: Or am I missing something?

Thanks for the help so far, I do appreciate it.

Dually 14 bolts have a wider housing than a single wheel housing. A cab and chassis dually axle is basically a single wheel housing with dually hubs to narrow it. Do the swap yourself, or get a cab and chassis axle.

I have a J20 8 lug 44 up front and a Dodge 60 in the rear. The front is just about 67" and the rear is 65". I used late model Dodge 16x8 wheels to keep it narrow, they have 6" of backspace. My tires stick out from the flares the same as when I had my 33s on 15x8 4" bs wheels. Granted, I am only running 34x10.50s. I could run a taller wider tire, but would loose some turning radius because the tires would hit the springs.
Travis..


Yup, the cab & chassis 14b is a SRW housing with DRW hubs. The reason
I suggested getting the SRW 14b and then swapping on the DRW hubs is
that it's much easier to find the SRW axles in a junkyard.

I have a CJ with full width 44 and 60 rear. I'm running H1 rims that have like 7+ inches of backspacing. If I had bushwhacker type pocket flares they would cover the tires and be legal in states with coverage laws. Since I'm in Ohio and you can license a dune buggy with no coverage, I don't worry about it.

I'm willing to bet that even H2 rims would pull the tires in far enough for coverage if you have 6" flares.

Yup, the cab & chassis 14b is a SRW housing with DRW hubs. The reason
I suggested getting the SRW 14b and then swapping on the DRW hubs is
that it's much easier to find the SRW axles in a junkyard.

yep and at least in the southeast drw hubs are cheap from the yard (like $25 to $35 each).

heres the pics you asked for, sorry for the links instead of pics im a bo-tard....and for the driveway shots but it just got done...
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7720/jeepwidth1x.jpg
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2261/jeepwidth2.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/8171/jeepwidth3.jpg
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8262/jeepwidth4.jpg

Dually 14 bolts have a wider housing than a single wheel housing. A cab and chassis dually axle is basically a single wheel housing with dually hubs to narrow it. Do the swap yourself, or get a cab and chassis axle.

I have a J20 8 lug 44 up front and a Dodge 60 in the rear. The front is just about 67" and the rear is 65". I used late model Dodge 16x8 wheels to keep it narrow, they have 6" of backspace. My tires stick out from the flares the same as when I had my 33s on 15x8 4" bs wheels. Granted, I am only running 34x10.50s. I could run a taller wider tire, but would loose some turning radius because the tires would hit the springs.
Travis..

Yup, the cab & chassis 14b is a SRW housing with DRW hubs. The reason
I suggested getting the SRW 14b and then swapping on the DRW hubs is
that it's much easier to find the SRW axles in a junkyard.

Gotcha, thanks for the info. I learn something new everyday.

heres the pics you asked for, sorry for the links instead of pics im a bo-tard....and for the driveway shots but it just got done...
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7720/jeepwidth1x.jpg
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2261/jeepwidth2.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/8171/jeepwidth3.jpg
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8262/jeepwidth4.jpg

Thanks for the pics, nice Jeep!

Well, after a lot of thought, research, & talking with my buddy, I've come up with the axle plan. I'm picking up a Waggy 44 tomorrow for $100. I'll use the 44 I have to swap it over to 8 lug. For the rear, a friend of a friend has a C&C 14 bolt for $250.

I'm also waiting to hear back about a Ford T-18/NP205 for $150.

Thanks for the help in this thread:smokin: I can't wait to get started on this project.

good idea.....you will have NO regrets about the 14 bolt. cheap, cheap parts, beefy, easily replacable componants

I have a TJ with full widths and with the wheels I was running, I had 3/4 of the tread stuck out from my fenders. I was pulled over about once a month when I was living in Corvallis, but got out of all of them by taking pictures with borrowed Bushwacker flares and my wheels flipped around. After that I took some gutter covers from Home Depot and zip tied them to my fenders. Showing the effort to cover them kept from getting pulled over after that.

I think you'll be fine if you put mud flaps on it that cover most of your tire. Just stay away from Lake Oswego police, Corvallis police and a few OSP here and there (especially motorcycle cops)

I got away with just bushwhacker flairs. In this picture they are 89" width with 35"x 15" baja claws, about 6" of tire(including side wall) stick out.I've been in front of cops ,in back of cops, beside cops...no problem.On a highway in the rain,... priceless...They don't like that at all. I made a fender for the "fix it" ticket picture and they sent my check back in the mail.Now I have 39" rockers so I'm going to build removable "hot rod" type fenders.
http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/Bossbuilt/yjrocksgreg2.jpg?t=1250045793

This is what I'll be trying to conceal now.

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/Bossbuilt/CIMG2836.jpg?t=1250046419

Wish me luck.:flipoff2:

Nice Jeep Boss:smokin:
I think I'll be ok with the axles I'll be running. Some skinny 37s should be just about right.

Thanks,it's been a fun rig,
Yeah, I don't think they will bother you for any stick out.Just keep in mind,it gives them a reason to pull you over at any time. They are really annoyed when your throwing roosters 30' in the air on the highway.

The East side of the state is pretty much zero tollerance on this, local and state police will pull you over. I've known a lot of guys in the past getting ticketed for just over-sized wider tires on their full-size pickups that stick out past their fenders, usually when they're like 2" or more past the fenders. Inside of an inch or two they won't normally get you.

For what its worth, I have a cj7, d60 rear from a dodge van(I think) about 65wms to wms and in the front I used a 8 lug chevy d44. I narrowed the long side 4" and used the long side axle shaft from a 80 something wagoneer, with the drivers side drop, ends up 4" shorter than the chevy axle. Cut and turn inner c's for caster. I got some billet steel 2" wheel spacers and used stock H1 rims. I also did spring over at the same time. The front works good, springs are still under the frame ( jc whitney cj rear hd) so the turning radius is still really good. Anyway, with stock flares it does not stick out like a true full width but is very stable.

I am running a waggy D44 up front and a narrowed 9" in the rear. Using 7" TJ Flares to cover the wheels. (In Alberta I need to cover the whole wheel)
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2491/821/31225410031_large.jpg
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2491/821/31225410014_large.jpg

heres the pics you asked for, sorry for the links instead of pics im a bo-tard....and for the driveway shots but it just got done...
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7720/jeepwidth1x.jpg
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2261/jeepwidth2.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/8171/jeepwidth3.jpg
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8262/jeepwidth4.jpg

Nice rig, what width are those iroks???

I'm in basically the same boat, I have 1 ton chevy axles and want to keep my cj7 streetable. as of right now i have 16x8 rims and am looking at buying some skinny 40's (iroks or maybe maddogs) and covering them with tj buswhacker flares.