What parts of a 1980 J10 are usable on a CJ-7

CJKevin1984

Active Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Location
Pilot Mountain
I have been wanting to replace my 258 with a V8 for a while now and have found a J10 which is mechanically complete. I am trying to decide whether to buy the whole thing or just the engine. It has the same trans as my CJ and I am guessing the same transfer case. Having a spare trans could be handy but not worth the difference in price.

$600 for the engine (current owner takes it out), $1000 delivered for the whole thing.

It has a 360 and a 727 auto trans. The bed was removed for another truck and I think he said that the roof was cut off. I have lost access to the pics that he texted to me.
 
Sounds like you got it figured out, engine, tranny, & transfer case. The axles would be some work, & then you'd be full size width, it you wanted to go that route.
You might could use the steering box, but not sure. Parting it out, would probably recoup the difference, but doubt you'd make any extra on it. Guess it comes down to if you want to tie up $1000, then deal with parting it out.
 
you can always send the rest to a good full size jeep grave yard lol we will even come get it if the price is right.
 
nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dont scrap it we will take it off your hands. its better to part it out the to let it get crushed. would you scrap a cj if there was still good parts to use
 
If you plan on wheeling your Cj and DD'ing it too, yes, take whole thing.
The extra trans and t case would be very useful at some point. Trans same, T case(maybe a 300) is a no brainer, For someone looking, it's gold.
The front axle I think is a drivers drop Dana 44, extra wheels would come in handy too, one set for trail one set for
the road
Steering box is almost the same, but a little beefier with the mounts
Drive shafts could also be handy, have to shorten them, for the CJ
If top has been cut off, door panels and seats most likely useless
Front end would fit a wagoner,
Doors would fit a full size Cherokee
If radiator is good, or easy fix, another good item, esp if it's a 4 core
If bumpers are straight, another good sale item


In other words, a lot of good parts, if you have the place to store them until they sold.
 
I decided that the J10 was going to be too much time and effort so decided to wait. But I just picked up a different 360 already out of a J10 that is supposed to need a water pump and a distributor (I have both) from a 304 and I hope they are interchangeable.

I have learned that I will need a 360 flexplate as this engine was connected to a manual trans (still have the clutch on it). Would it be wise to pull the 258 engine with the trans still attached, do the swap outside the frame then reinstall the same way or leave the trans in the frame for the swap?

Exhaust: The engine has the stock manifolds still on it and they are likely to stay. This is a street Jeep that may do some mild off-roading. My only motivation toward headers is the sound but that sound only needs to be deep, not really loud. My brother has a CJ with outside the frame headers and outlets in front of the rear tires and its just too loud. Right now I am leaning toward basic single exhaust with a flowmaster-type muffler. My Nissan Titan has this setup and I would be satisfied with that sound. Big power is not that important. Pretty sure the increase from the 258 will keep me happy for a while. Dual exhaust is possible to get the stereo effect.

Ignition: Are the DUI HEI units worth the price vs the one from the 304 (if it will work).

The only other question is cooling but I need to identify my current radiator before even considering what to do there. But does the fact that my Jeep is technically a Laredo mean anything regarding the radiator capability?
 
The 304 and the 360 are the same all accessories Should work just fine. They have the same trans bolt pattern as the 258 so you will just need to get the V8 mounts for the motor
 
After a lot of delays, this engine is finally installed. Due to me not having any space to do the job, I let a local mechanic do it and it took forever. It still have a few issues that I need to deal with.
-Most important is the kick-down cable/linkage and I have a cable on the way.
-The carb runs very rich, based on the smell. The installer said that he had a few instances of trash getting in the needle/seat causing it to flood. It it currently running a rebuild kitted MC2100
-An inspection became due while the swap was happening and it now has dual exhaust. Its my current understanding is that catalytic converter will have to be visible on both exhaust tracks. Can anyone confirm. This is a 1984 jeep, so, no sniff test. I am currently looking for an inspection station that may be less thorough than others. If you know of one in the north western part of NC, please PM me.
-I have what I think is a really squeaky belt. The power steering pump belt barely contacts the water pump and I think this is the source of my squeak. The alt pulley does not wrap around the water pump. I have a 3-row water pump pulley to fix this.
-It has made a scary noise a few times but I can't repeat the noise consistently. It sounds like something is hitting the fan but I can't see how that is possible and I see no signs of contact. I kind of hope the trans is making the noise and the kick-down will solve it. The noise always happens under load but I cant feel any change in the acceleration when it happens.
 
Technically you are supposed to have all emissions equipment that would be on if from the factory. So yes, you should have cats on both sides. It is quite possible you could find someone to inspect it though. I can't help with that one.
 
Best to ask your local friends about inspections. Maybe a friend would go with you to whoever they use, so the inspector would be more trusting of you. Many of the small garages don't look too hard at anything below a 95 model. Safety equipment only. My Jeep no longer requires inspection [79] but being that I've used the same shop for over 10 years, the most they ever checked was the lights.
 
The inspection is behind me and was easier than I expected. I have a few more inspections to go before mine ages out.
Squeaky belt is fixed with the three-row pulley and correct belt routing.
I think the kick-down cable may have solved the strange noise but time will tell.

I yanked the MC2100 and installed a Holley 2300 from from a 3.0 boat engine. Runs great now but there is no fast idle cam on boat carbs so warm-up is a PITA. Can anyone explain how a 5.7L engine that maxes out at less than 5K RPM can operate with a carb from a 3.0L engine that also tops out at less then 5K? Seems like one of these engines is either over or under carb'ed.
 
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