1983 CJ-7 engine swap

[stuntdiver]

I have a 1983 CJ7 and would like to put a eight cylinder engine in it.
What is the best engine to use?
What else would I need beside new mounts?
What would be the best Transmission ?
I know these is a little vague, I have never done an engine swap so I am trying to find out everything I would need to do it.

Thanks for any suggestions and help you can give

 

[Torxhead]

Welcome to the forum, for starters I would suggest and engine for the type of driving you do. A simple drop in fit would be ideal, doing a lot of research is a good thing. A common swap is the GM 350 for which adapters are available. Advance Adapters in Paso Robles, Ca. makes adapters for such a swap. If you plan on using the Transfer Case off road you will also have to consider the additional torque that the engine puts out and might have to compensate for it. For the longer drive, maybe a larger gas tank also. The forum contains a build forum so that you can report on your work that can benefit the other users.

 

[tarry99]

I have a 1983 CJ7 and would like to put a eight cylinder engine in it.
What is the best engine to use?
What else would I need beside new mounts?
What would be the best Transmission ?
I know these is a little vague, I have never done an engine swap so I am trying to find out everything I would need to do it.

Thanks for any suggestions and help you can give

Everything Torx said including........... The Chevy platform is will supported and popular be it a 4.3 (V6) a 5.7 (V8) of the later 6.2 LS motor...........plenty of room in the CJ7 up front so that should not be an issue.
Yes on new motor mounts and probably Transmission or Transfer Case mounts.......Exhaust will be different depending on what you choose.
Transmissions are all over the spectrum .........depending on how your going to use your CJ. Plenty of manual truck type 4-speed transmissions out there with Low 1st gears that will help your Crawl Ratio off road......there is also plenty of automatics that have come into play recently that also do a great job on and off road.

Plan your Resto depending on how you plan on using your Jeep.

I personally am a big fan of the later fuel injected computerized motors. And also a big fan of the GM 4L70E 4-speed auto Transmission with 30% Overdrive .

Go to Novak.com they have a great info site there , that explains the difference's of most motor & tranny swaps.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

If you can find a AMC engine. It's a bolt in deal.
What tranny are you run'n now? The T-4 /T-5 will NOT hold up to an '8'.
LG

 

[CJim7]

If you can find a AMC engine. It's a bolt in deal.
What tranny are you run'n now? The T-4 /T-5 will NOT hold up to an '8'.
LG

X2. I love my 401
But a AMC 304 or a 360 will go in just the same. A popular tranny swap with this setup is a Ford T-18 . The good news is you can use your existing bell housing. The bad news is you will need an expensive adapter for the Dana 300 ...but still cheaper than putting all the Chevy doodads in to get a 350 to work.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Here we go again. There is a group of jeepers who think that the only motor in life, hot rod or jeep, is a SBC and again I give all the accolades to Chevy BUT keep your Jeep, Jeep; don’t castrate a shrinking number of unmolested CJs. Drop the AMC 304 , 360 (very plentiful in the bone yards) or 401. More power and low end grunt that you most likely will ever need and the best part, no aftermarket adaptors required.

 

[mfistler]

What about a 4.7 stroker? You could build one or buy a new ATK HP24 from autozone, etc for $2800 also you could add fuel injection harness and sensors from Hesco, you could pull parts intake/harness/computer from a junk yard. If going the SBC route I would total out the SBC option carefully as it can add up quickly. Check out Novak and Advanced adapters for details and prices. My current CJ has a 4.7 stroker, my previous CJ had a 350, which ultimately led to adding Dana 60's in the front and rear. To the point earlier it boils down to driving style and what you are planning on doing with the Jeep.

 

[mfistler]

Also jeepstrokers.com has great info if going to stroker route.

 

[DHugg]

I have a 1983 CJ7 and would like to put a eight cylinder engine in it.
What is the best engine to use?
What else would I need beside new mounts?
What would be the best Transmission ?

Thanks for any suggestions and help you can give

Stuntdiver, I am delighted with the AMC304 and Chrysler TF999 auto-tranny in my 1980 CJ7 . The smaller V-8 and automatic keeps me from spinning an axle tube in a moment of over-exuberance. The TF999 turning 35's pulls me through muddy spots without spinning the tires, digging me deeper and greatly increasing my wash time once I'm home.

I deliberately didn't use the word "best". Jeeps are simply who you are, what you do, and what you like.

 

[007]

I have a bone stock AMC 304 in my CJ and I wouldn't change a thing and I wouldn't ever consider a SBC - and I love SBC's. It's just not a necessary change for me. If I lose this AMC 304 , I'll find another or a 360 or a 401.

That said, if I had a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l I wouldn't change it either, and if I lost it somehow I'd find another or rebuild it. From a HP and torque perspective they aren't much different.

Like was said above, these Jeeps are whatever you want to make them for whatever reason you want to make it. Personally I like keeping mine as Jeep as possible and I'd never look down my nose at one with a SBC, or a TB4 or whatever if they're done nicely. For me and my use, a stock 6 or 8 is fine.

My 2cts.

 

[Old Dog]

I love my TBI 350/350 chevy. Every boneyard and parts house has parts for it.

 

[duke94]

I just installed a AMC 360 and T-176 in my 83' CJ7 . Pretty much a bolt in. As others have said, you will need new motor mounts (the part that bolts to the frame also) a bell housing rad hoses. I used a stock electric ignition from a 77 CJ5 because I had it. Fuel line will need to be routed to the other side. Also needed new front and rear drive shafts because the T-176 is shorter and moved the Transfer Case forward. Makes a big difference in the performance.

 

[mriplaybass]

I have a 1983 CJ7 and would like to put a eight cylinder engine in it.
What is the best engine to use?
What else would I need beside new mounts?
What would be the best Transmission ?
I know these is a little vague, I have never done an engine swap so I am trying to find out everything I would need to do it.

Thanks for any suggestions and help you can give

With all due respect to all the other posts, because I agree with every single one, the one thing I did not see is why do you want to do an engine swap? Is there something wrong with your I6? Are you looking for more power? Or, is this just something you would like to try?

I'm a big fan of both worlds, ie, keep em stock, and modify them. So you need to ask your self, what are my goals? As stated above, there is a wealth of parts and adapters to install a SBC, but an AMC V8 was meant to live under the hood of a CJ7 , and will require considerably less modification and $ to get it to fit. Since this is your first engine swap, you might want to wade into the shallow end of the pool first and keep it all Jeep. Maybe even do a few upgrades to your current engine if all your looking for is a little more power. Nothing worse than jumping into the deep end, then finding out you are in over your head.

If you are determined to do an involved engine swap, pop a cold one sit back, and spend a lot of time looking over other members builds. Not only will you gain considerable knowledge, but it may help you to decide just how involved you want your first engine swap to be.
Good luck!

 

[Neuner]

We'll all need to take note that we are getting a lot of these newbies with 1 post because of site issues. Only a very small amount are coming back using tapatalk. We go off on our own with suggestions, debates, and asking for further details for a while without any of the OPs returning.

Its been over a month so I would consider this thread dead.

 

[Peanut Butter]

We'll all need to take note that we are getting a lot of these newbies with 1 post because of site issues. Only a very small amount are coming back using tapatalk. We go off on our own with suggestions, debates, and asking for further details for a while without any of the OPs returning.

Its been over a month so I would consider this thread dead.

THIS IS A REALLY BIG PROBLEM! I ran into it myself, had a terrible time for several months. Sent a PM to CJ, no response. Any moderators out there reading this? Is there anything you can do? Far as I know no one has even attempted a solution. Really hurts the forum for new comers.

 

[Hedgehog]

Having been a moderator on a similar board, mine was a predator hunting board I would be willing to bet that this is a cost benefit situation along with a little pride mixed in. Boards like this one are expensive to run, I know it's hard to believe, but they are. Dedicated servers and band width are not hugely expensive, but tend to be a constant drain on resources. Then licenses and upgrades are expensive so upgrades are usually left unattended to until it is unavoidable. Unfortunately leaving this sort of data base alone also makes it an obsolete data base, one that is far more difficult, expensive and time consuming to convert than most would guess. Unfortunately computers are moving steadily forward make older programs and data bases problematic to keep going. It is my guess that this is what we are seeing here, a variety of MSN programs, Mac, Android, tablets, mobile data and many other systems I have no understanding of are moving forward and we are losing our ability to keep up.

Pride can get in the mix in a different way. A fellow maintains a board like this one for a long time and does well at it. But time brings difficulties he doesn't understand. A specialist should be hired on for help, but help is expensive and the money is short, we muddle on shortly it finds itself a little further behind. This is a great board with a few problems, I sincerely hope we can keep going. Also, be aware, the moderators know there are problems, they more than we and I bet they are doing the best they can. Lets not beat the administration up they have enough to deal with.