BMW Blog

hello to all. i,ve been on the forum off and on for about a year and now at a critical point in the rebuild. i'll try to get some pics when i can figure out how to make my camera talk to the computer! i started on my 80 cj5 about 1 year and then some *******(i think it was me) burned down my garage. all is well and now working out of a new pole barn. i have the tub off and right side cut off and replacing but also working on frame with new 4"lift. ipulled the 4 cyl with repaired cracked block and now looking for options for new engine and tranny(has sr4). all options and opinions would be appreciated.:cheers2:
If it were mine, I'd find a early 90's chev s10/gmc s15 with the tbi four cylinder (same motor you have but new config) and swap it in. my s10 will sit for weeks at a time and start right up when I need her. strong reliable engine no major modifications (wiring, but if you get the whole truck you have all you need) and decent fuel mileage. back it up with a t18 and you have one heck of a workhorse
Thanks for that suggestion,but i should have mentioned that iam really looking to put in a sbc 350and new tranny
Why not find a AMC 360 or 304 if you want a V8? They are out there and depending on the Trans case and Tranny you have may bolt up. I am not sure what came in a '80 CJ 5 with the 4 cyl.

My '79 has a 304 with a T-150 and a Dana 20 Trans case.

While a SB 350 is a popular conversion there is a ton of work to make it work.

Where is Evansville?
I have thought about the 360 option but from what i hear the sr4 tranny i have won't hold up. I definitely want a v8 and looking for a good v8 and tranny swap. Evansville is in southwestern IN.
That 80 four popper should be the GM Iron Duke. It's bellhousing already has a Small Block Chevy Pattern. If I were looking for a V8, I'd probably go Chevy. I'd also look into picking up at least a T176 tranny at the same time.
The problem with the SR4 is it is weak and you are going to have to ditch the tranny anyways unless you want to pay for a new input shaft with the correct spline count, it will only work with 4 cyls and I doubt it will hold up to a V-8 for very long.

Do you want a manual or automatic tranny behind the 350?

As for a 350, you can make it work, run a GM manual tranny and tcase or adaptors and the Dana. It all comes down to budget and availability of parts.

Advanced and Novak make good adaptors but are pricey to interchange the AMC and GM tranny / tcases.
Small Block Ford. 302/5.0L or 351W/5.8L

Manual transmissions:
T176
T19
T18
NP435

Automatic transmissions:
C4
C6
AOD

IMO, I think a really good dual purpose CJ would be an EFI 5.0L HO/AOD/Dana300 (with LoMax 4:1) or Atlas/STaK Tcase. But I'm a bit bias:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/JeepCJ5.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/Hooded001.jpg
I love those tires man. :thumbsup:
TSL/SX 32X11.50X15 mounted on 15x8 rims. In the pic, they have '0' psi air in them.
what did that set you back per tire/wheel? ballpark figure?
$935.00 March, 1999 (I've been working on this since December 1996).

4 Wheel Parts Warehouse. That for 4 tires/wheels, centers, lug nuts, mounted, balance, shipped to Michigan. And a whole bunch of anxiety dealing with their customer service people because they sent me the wrong lug nuts.
I am kind of a chevy man but would there be any advantages to going ford as far as a 302 or 351 and ford tranny bolting to the dana 300. the sr4 is already a ford so would i still need an adapter.
The SBF is lighter, the distributor is in the front, the aftermarket has loads of support for the 5.0L (and 5.8L). The EEC-IV EFI is one of the simplist systems out there for SEFI. And super easy to swap. The old adage about Chevy's being 'cheaper' to build than Ford's, went out the window with the 5.0 Mustang GT's. In my 'hood, I can buy SBF's all day long for a fraction of the cost of a SBC. And in most cases the SBF is complete and in running condition. Just about all of the 350 Chevy's I've seen are in need of major overhauls, have parts missing, have been built into race engines, or are just unreasonably priced. The day of the complete/running $150 SBC (350) is long gone. At least where I live. You're better off buying the whole vehicle, pulling the motor, and parting/scrapping out the rest.

The SR4 (or T4), transmission is light duty. I wouldn't waste any money trying to use it behind a V8. Get a T176/Dana 300 combo which was OEM in CJ's 80+. The only issue you will have is the need to use a conversion pilot bearing and a different clutch disc, as Ford uses a 1 1/16" 10 spline input, while Jeep used a 1 1/8" 10 spline input. No big deal.

If I could've fit an AOD in my CJ5, I'd of went that route.
I just found an early70's ford truck with a 351 and c4 tranny. Just wandering if the c4 is too long to fit in a cj5 without too many mods. The truck is my father in law's so it would come at a good price(FREE). But is it worth the hassle.
if thats the 351M=''modified'' I would stay away..There not of the same family as the 5.0-351 windsor..You can tell by the valve covers..If the heads have the exhaust side sicking out further than the valve covers its a modified..While there a decent engine,parts support is zilch,different bellhousing bolt patern ''matches ford Big blocks'' and durability is less than great to me..Every one I seen ends up with rod knocks like the pontiac 301
The reason Jeep never offered an automatic trans in the CJ5 was that the existing rear driveshaft if very short. An automatic will make it even worse. The shortest automatic I've ever seen lying around in a junkyard was a TF727. Then you've got to add on the Tcase adapter. Jeep put the T5 (5spd manual) in the CJ5's, but it's overall length is 15.25" long with the adapter. The C4 with V8 bellhousing is about (slightly longer) 17". Then you add a 6.250" adapter. Let's just call it 23.250" overall. You've just lost 8" of driveshaft. And made the angle a whole lot steeper.

You 'could' make some of this up by moving the engine forward (gonna have to use an electric fan-probably a pusher), and moving the rear axle back. But, unless you are really good at fabricating, I wouldn't go down this road.

How early 70's? Is it a 351W or a 351M? IMO (put the flame throwers down), I'd pass on it if it's a 351M. It's a big hunk of iron to toss into a CJ of any size. Free is always good, but not if it means spending a lot more money than what it would cost to find a decent 5.0L/351W, that you can easily bolt to a Jeep T176/D300 combo.
if really early 70's (73 or earlier) it could be a 351c and there is alot of support for the cleveland engine but being "obsolete" parts are necessarily expensive like Hack said best bet (for a ford engine) is a 5.0 (302) or a 351w (later being labled 5.8) they were run in trucks until mid 90's. in your case you already have the bell housing to put the SBC into your rig. make sure you do your reasearch and do what pleases you.