AMC/Jeep 360 pilot question

[BillyBob535]

I am working on putting a 360 out of a FSJ into my YJ.

I know the 360 was available from 71 to 92 and I know I will probably get one from a Waggy as they are plentiful and most have AC (for OBA).

I have most of the details worked out and I have begun to research the missing links.

I will be retaining my AX-15 5-sp tranny. I will have to change the pilot bushing in the 360 to mate the 2.

My questions are:

Are all 71-92 360 cranks drilled for a pilot bushing?

Can anyone tell me if they are all drilled the same size and what size that is?

I found a couple of bushings at NAPA that will fit the input shaft of my tranny and they have an OD of 1.055" (and in ID of 0.753" which is correct for my tranny).

Any suggestions on where to find this info?

Thanks.

Bob

[joe]

Originally posted by BillyBob535:
Are all 71-92 360 cranks drilled for a pilot bushing?Yup, the 71-79's used the bushing(at least the TH400 equipped ones did) and the 80-91 didn't have the pilot bushing.

[BillyBob535]

Ok. I also found out that 73-78 had a 4bbl option so I will limit my search to 73-78 Jeep 360's with engine code P as the 7th VIN digit (and 74-78 401's Vin Z - Hey you never know).

Anyone know about the PB size?

[1BADJP]

If the guy at Napa was able to tell you the I.D, he should be able to tell you the O.D!! The last engine swap I did, they (Napa) lent me a book with all the sizes ID & OD and I picked my own #. You can always machine down a bronze bushing to the size you need!

[BillyBob535]

Napa lists the OD to be 1.055" for those bushings. My question is will those bushings fit in 73-78 AMC/Jeep 360's? Just because the book says they are for 360's dosen't mean they will fit all 360's.

[mdill]

I don't beleive the manual cranks differed from the
auto cranks from 73+ (The cranks that had a TH400
behind them had a bushing in it so, if you get a 360
from a 79 down J truck that will have to be removed
to allow the pilot to be pressed in) What are you using
fo a fly wheel preshure plate and clutch ? will the origional
presure plate bolt up to a 360 fly wheel ?
(Sorry I don't have a crank handy to mesure the pilot OD)

Mike D.

[Chero77]

Hey BillyBob, do you know what the max torque rating of an AX15 is? I have thought of putting one behind my 401. Never could find any ratings for it though. The AX15 is the only bolt-on (with factory parts) 5 speed that could be used in our trucks.

[joe]

Originally posted by Dave _S:
The AX15 is the only bolt-on (with factory parts) 5 speed that could be used in our trucks.The T-5 was used by the factory in 82-83 FSJ's behind some 258's but I wouldn't recommend one behind a V8. Actually I wouldn't recommend one behind an I-6, they're barely tough enough to last behind an I-4(my CJ) :(

[ July 02, 2002, 10:39 PM: Message edited by: -joe ]

[Al Johnson]

Check Advance Adapters for a crank pilot bushing adapter. I am building a '84 GW 360 for a Wrangler, and the crank was in front of an auto trans. It has a big hole in the end, and will need an adapter bushing to fit in a pilot bushing.

On the AX-15, I know that one guy on the JU board is running a Corvette engine with one in a Wrangler. His is holding up to that, and he has run it at the dragstrip. I'm going to use one behind the 360 in my Wrangler, so we'll see how it works. Won't be until next spring, though. Sure is a better trans than the Peugeot I got rid of!

[BillyBob535]

So far no one that I know of has come up with any solid info concerning the capabilities of the AX-15. Novak states that it is a "Medium Duty" trans.

I have only talked with 4 guys who have done the YJ V8 swap so info is very limited. I called AA and they said a "stock" pilot would work but they were unable to tell me which one. I found somewhere that the input shaft of the early AX-15 with the internal slave is 0.750". I also found that some stock pilot bushings listed by NAPA for late 70's AMC 360's have an ID of 0.753" so they should work for the tranny but I don't know if they will fit in the crank. Both of them were 1.055" OD.

So far I have only heard of one guy blowing up the AX-15 with a 360. He was romping on it and it let go. Everyone else is fine so far. As for holding up to a stock 401 all I could say is maybe. As far as I know, no one has done it yet. If the 401 is stock and the driver is very cautious with the accelerator, it may be fine. I believe that if the motor is built, be it a 360 or 401, the tranny probably will not last long.

The way I see it there are a couple of ways to play this. I am going to swap in a mostly stock, non-rebuilt 360 (or 401 if I can find one), add a Holly truck avenger and a DUI HEI setup and run it like that. If the tranny goes, I will swap in a NVG4500 and be done with it. The other option would be to find a NVG4500 and swap that in at the same time as the motor. This would be nice as I would be able to weld the mounts in a position to allow me to keep my existing driveshafts but I would have additional cost of an adapter for my 231, and have to modify the floor pan to fit the tranny (Can't do a body lift - I tried but there is too much NY rust) or drop the TC 1" (yuck).

I still haven't found a donor 360 but I have been looking for an NVG4500. I did find a company that would allow me to use the AX-15 to 4.2 bellhousing with the 4500 and AX-15 clutch components. This retains that crappy internal slave but is cheap. I am going to see if they make one for the external slave AX-15 and then try to find an external slave AX-15 bellhousing and use that with the 4500. I am also going to see what is needed to mate it to my 231. i would love to go to a D300 with a flip kit, 4 to 1, and 32 spline output shaft but it would cost too much and then I would have to mess with my new driveshafts.

My decisions will most likely be based on what I find and when I find it. If anyone here finds out any useful info about this swap or knows anyone who has done it, please drop me a line.

Thanks.

Bob