v8 conversion in a cj 5

[corvettemarty]

Well first off I am new to the site.. So hello to everyone.. Well here is what I got. I have a 1974 CJ5. It has the stock inline 6 with a three speed in it now. We are planning of putting in a v8 motor.. I have a 360 amc that I was going to put in it.. My question is what will I need to do this. I have been told it will bolt to my bellhousing but I want to make sure before I tear into it.. I would like to get as much stuff as I will need before starting the project.. Or is the amc coversion not the right way to go? I have been told it is the cheapest way to do a v8 conversion. Any help would be great. Thanks Marty

 

[CJ]

Hello and welcome to the site CorvetteMarty!

You are correct, the cheapest and easiest V8 swap is an AMC. It is almost a bolt in operation, and since you have an early 70's CJ5 your running gear is already strong enough to use that V8 without breaking - it should have a T15, if it is a T14 it should still be OK - just a little weaker...

I own a '72 CJ5 with an AMC V8 so I can help all you need... You'll need new motor mounts and I think only one engine mount bracket (I can't remember which side). There are other assorted parts (mounts and cables) but we need a little info first...

Does the 360 have a fly wheel or was it out of an auto donor vehicle? Did the V8 include brackets or is it completely bare? What kind of shape is your CJ in? The reason I ask is most CJ's our age have been pieced together with what ever the PO had around to keep it running. Heck, my CJ had a Toyota throttle cable! :laugh:

The better you can describe your current CJ and what you have to go in it, the better list we can give you so you don't have to run out late Sunday night to find a parts store!

 

[corvettemarty]

The CJ i am working on is as for as I know all jeep.. It has been owned by my family for like 15 years.. They guy we got it from had it for like 10 years. He took pretty good care of it.. The jeep is my stepdads.. It was his daily driver and a family fun vehical. The problem was it started to smoke and he didn't keep an eye on the oil and ran it out of oil. That was a couple of years ago.. It has been sitting in our shop for three years now. It is time to get it running. I actually have a little extra time for it. The motor I got is a supose to be a 360 amc.. I am going to check the numbers for sure this afternoon.. I got the motor the other day. It has all the brackets and accessoires still on it. There is no flywheel though. So I know that I will need to get one of those. I understand that the flywheels have to be for a 360 only.. I will try to get some pictures of the jeep later on.. Marty

 

[CJ]

Sounds great and I can see a new V8 CJ in your future.

The swap isn't really difficult. There are no real big headache items but there are a few minor ones. Depending on how you decide to do the swap you may or may not have to mess with drive shafts. I did one on another CJ one time and we just moved the engine mounts back instead of moving the trans up - that would require lengthening and shortening the shafts. Can't forget the exhaust either, and maybe a few little wire splices.

 

[mylittlecj5]

Welcome to the world of a V-8 Jeep
I also have a '74 CJ5 with a 360 (it was a factory 304, so mine was easy..Actually it was really easy, I bought it with the 360)

a good site for AMC parts is Bulltear.com - Home. they have a bunch of hotrod AMC stuff.
Be warned...The CJ will never drive the same again. It will actually get out of its own way and have enough power to turn bigger meats if you want to.

 

[dieterschmied]

I have the similar question but I have an 1981 cj7 with a four cylinder engine. I also have a amc 360 engine out of a Matador and with an automatic transmission.
Would I have to remove the automatic transmission and go through the original manual transmission or can I use the automatic. I am not familiar with the fitting of the transfer case; can it be used with the automatic transmission?

My four cylinder is broke and it never had much in the way of power. I seldom had to use the four wheel in the past as I am generally driving in the city.

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copy: dieter@one.net