1980 CJ7 cracked block/258. Where to from here?

[Wreaster27]

Hi all, This is my first post.

Pulled the head off my CJ tonight and discovered a crack between the plugs on the intake/exhaust/drivers side of the engine. The engine still runs great, just leaks anti freeze like a siv... I'm not too sure on what to do from here... and this motor only has 14,000 on it after a complete rebuild.... It has a T-176 tranny behind it.

Put yourself in my shoes. Where would you go from here? I would like to stay with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l or a 4.0. FI is a possibility. What year cherokee/wrangler engine should I look for? Can I still use my T-176 tranny and clutch or should I look for a T-5 ? I know the HO 4.0s have an advantage until a certain year, I just don't know what would be the best year and setup for my girl.

Thanks guys! and Merry Christmas!

 

[johnnyreb]

find a good used block and swap parts?

 

[mtnwhlr]

If it's just the head put a new one on it. If you want to go with a 4.0 head get one from a 91-96.

 

[johnnyreb]

so is the 4.0 a drop pn and what is the benefits of it? So highjack

 

[mtnwhlr]

There are a lot of threads on both the 4.0 head swap on the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and the 4.0 engine swap into the CJ.