smoking bad for health

[wsa]

if you read my introduction, you know i have a new jeep and that it has 3 problems. wiring, motor, suspension. the wiring is something that i will address after i pull the motor. the suspension is just tired, springs sag, etc. overall not real bad.
the motor sounds good, the driver's side engine bank smokes and the 3rd plug back gets fouled as soon as you replace it. all the rest of the plugs are firing fine and look fine upon inspection. can't really tell anything is wrong unless you really put a load on it. runs fine down highway.
i just bought the jeep last summer, 2012. the previous owner says it is a 360. the vin number said the jeep came with a v8. probably the AMC 304 ,right?
the previous owner also said that this 360 has new crank/cam in it but the piston and rings/heads were not touched. i just shook my head. but the price i got for this jeep was worth it and i like the jeep.
now i did not want to take the engine apart until the winter is over, have already used the jeep a couple times on ice/snow. but what i would like to hear from you long time jeepers is what i should do about the motor. i have always been a chevy person. i did have a CJ2a 46 willys, but that was a few years back. that thing would climb a tree if you could get traction.
so, does this 1 cylinder sound like a major problem just beginning, or does it sound like an easy fix, or do i need to pull the motor apart and see if it actually has a new crank/cam. or is this not a good reliable (360) engine, would another engine be a better choice.
i have read threads here that mention the oil pressure, mine starts out cold and drops alot when warm, sounds like what i read. i also read that the 360 has a oiling problem??
i am planning on fixing my jeep. i just don't want to puit money into the wrong engine. do alot of jeepers just go with the chevy engines. i don't know. any help would be appreaciated. don't want to spend the whole summer fixing it, need to go jeeping

 

[JR74CJ5]

AMC v-8's "do" have oiling problems, but only (usually if i understand correctly) when you are doing HIGH power / HP output applications should it need to be addressed.

Do a site search (top right of site) for "AMC Oiling" and you'll see a bunch of info on this... one good thread is here: http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f2/amc-v8-build-oiling-questions-14918/

As far as what your actual problem is, I couldn't tell ya. Maybe the piston rings are fried in that particular cylinder?? Could be one of a "few" different problems i suppose?

I, if it was me, would be thinking of my whole plans for the jeep at the same time... For me I'm thinking of a "chevy 4 speed" with a granny low gear. So if my engine was "gone" and I needed to buy a replacement or rebuild, I "might" go with chevy... But a 360 is a good motor for a jeep, and will cost you less to keep than adapting anything into the jeep...

I'm not sure the tranny you currently have in a 76. But if original, like you say in vehicle info, then it will attach to the AMC engine the easiest.

And your Transfer Case , and driveshafts are all set up for this current set up.

Unless you were planning major drive-train changes anyway, I would keep your 360 and re-build it...


~ Jr

 

[Tinman22]

I would keep it ,rebuild it,make a few upgrades like ignition and count the money saved.

 

[Old Dog]

I would try replacing the valve seals in that cly. and see if that helped before I tore the whole thing apart.

 

[mtnwhlr]

If it was my Jeep I would keep the 360. I would pull it and take it apart and see just what it needs but I think I see a rebuild in your future. To get by for now you can buy a anti fouler for that plug.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

WSA-

The only AMC V8 ever offered in a CJ was the AMC 304 (1972 to 1980). The blocks for all of the AMC V8s are essentially the same and a direct bolt in for one another however the engines are externally balanced and the flywheel is part of that balance making them NOT interchangeable between the engine sizes; you must use a AMC 304 balanced flywheel on a AMC 304 and a 360 balanced flywheel on a 360. To know for sure the displacement of your engine look under the motor mount and the size will be cast into the side of the block. These blocks are of a high nickel content and very receptive to a rebuild. As there are a lot of AMC 360s out there you may be able to find a good one in the bone yard to just swap in your jeep for the summer and worry about a rebuild latter.

As far as dropping the SBC in for the AMC, don’t; keep your Jeep, Jeep. I know and admit all the accolades of the Chevy but keep them in the Chevys; thats where they belong.