86 jeep cj Engine Swap

jeepster86

New Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Location
raleigh
New to NC 4x4, so not sure if I am doing this post for help correctly or not. But here goes.
I bought a 86 jeep cj 7 and have done a lot of work to it on my own, so far looking great. It has a 2.5 4 banger(amc), dana 300, t-4 tammy, 33 in. tires...ect (not a lot to be proud of except the dana). The 4 banger is just not enough power for the road. The jeep is used for road and beach trips only, no off road ect.
I need your advice on a engine swap. I have done some research but the more i read the less I know what to do. I have bought another engine 1990 4.2 complete from oil pan to carb and a t-176 tammy as the t-4 is a light duty tammy. I had planned to have the 4.2 rebuilt with a mild cam, 30 over, weber carb, updated dist...ect THEN started thinking abour a stroker taking a 4.0 block and the crank ect from the 4.2 to build the stroker this would push about 270 to 280hp...THEN started reading more about the chev 350 small block...ect
Funds are somewhat limited.......plan to spend about $4K. Please give me your thoughts? If you know someone that would be willing to do the swap, please let me know as I can assist but do not have the knoeledge nor the place to do this type of work.
 
Your post is probably not in the right section, so a moderator might move this. My opinion is for what you are doing with the jeep a 4.0 swap sounds like your best bet. I have a 84 cj-8 and I am planning a 4.0 swap for several reasons. First the 4.0 is a very reliable motor and easily available. You should look for a 91-95 model complete motor and you will have the advantages of fuel injection without all the obdII hassles. The 4.0 is also a pretty much bolt in with obviously some wiring and fuel system modifications for the fuel injection. While the 4.0 is not super powerful if all you are doing is on road and beach trips it should be sufficient. With your budget you should be able to buy a complete used 4.0 then use the long block as a core for a re-manufactured one and have a great set up. Do a search for the 4.0 swap and you will find tons of info.
 
Maybe the mods can move this to the tech sections so you will get some more exposure.

Here is another option for you. Have you considered an AMC V8? The AMC V8 (304/360/401) is a bolt in swap for your CJ. Just get the V8 frame and block mounts from a 72-80 V8 CJ, pick up a 360 from a full size jeep (check craigslist), bolt it to the T-176 and Dana 300 that you already have. Throw in an HEI conversion to simplify the wiring, get your driveshaft length adjusted (if needed), and run a new exhaust. Since your CJ is a 4cyl, you may have 4.10 gears which would work nice with the 33s. Your 86 may have the Dana 44 rear which is another bonus.

I would bet you could do this conversion for less than half your budget and it would be a bolt in (no adapters or fabrication). Find yourself some local Jeepers that like to wrench and have them help you out. Throw a wrenching party where you provide the food and drink and the guests provide the tools, skills, and location. You would be surprised how many people like to turn wrenches for fun and you will learn a lot.

I am building a 74 CJ-6 for exactly the same purpose. It will see the beach and the road only. It isn't a daily driver and it won't be built up so much that you hate driving it somewhere.

Good Luck

Bob
 
IIRC, the bellhousing on your T-4 is a Chevy 90* pattern and NOT compatible with any of the AMC engines listed above.

OTOH, it's unlikely the T-4 would last with V8 power anyway... though I personally know 2 folks that dropped in SBC's (in place of the I4) & had no issues what so ever out of the T-4 ...
 
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