304 v8 Auto refresh / replace

[oldyeller]

I revived a 1980 CJ7 Renegade with 57,000 miles. It runs great, it is just something I really don't want to build because of the originality of it. Also my daughter says it smells like a go-cart. Carb a little rich. Do I put the cam and injection upgrade on it and ruin the "never touched" condition? Or pull engine and Transmission and follow the masses with an LS swap? You can't deny the reliability, instant power improvement. I'm on the fence on this. How much "heating up" can AMC 304s take?

 

[007]

I would do as little as possible. When does it smell? Idling or running down the road?

Good tune up solves most of it. Slight exhaust changes can fix road smell.