motor swap probs.

[Joemo]

Hello, I have a 1983 cherokee with a 258/4 speed. I pulled a 360 out of a 1980 J10 auto to go in the cherokee but the motor frame mounts are different on each vehicle and in different locations. Does anyone know if the j10's mounts will fit, or of any retro kit? Also, will my 258 flywheel fit/work on the 360? Thanks! Joemo

[gsmikie]

Joemo welcome to the board the mounts from the j-10 should fit i think the flywheel is diff jeep crazey man will be along in a bit to inform you

[jeepguzzi]

No, No, and NO!!

Sorry, but I am doing this swap right now, also. Here is what I learned after I sent the engine donor to the junkyard:
1) You need to get the motor mounts from the 360. The bolt holes are there in the j10, simple bolt in, you shouldn't need to reweld that silly piece on the top.

2)The 258 flywheel will not work on the 360, completely different animal. I got a new one from Specialty Jeep Parts. They are rare in the first place because most of the time people upgraded to the 360, they also upgraded to the auto trans.

3) The four speed will bolt up but you have a choice to make. You can either find a long input shaft and bellhousing spacer, or you can bolt it right to the 360. If you do that, you will need to modify the crossmember, floor opening, and clutch and transfer case linkages as this will move the drivetrain 4" forward as well as your gearshift. This will mean a pair of new driveshafts as well. At this point, I have gone too far to go back, but if I had thought it through beforehand, I would have switched to an automatic (maybe).

4) Some of the 360 cranks did not come with the hole for the pilot bushing as I understand it. Mine did.

5) You need to trim the sheet metal where the radiator goes and move the battery to the v8 location . Then you can move the passenger side radiator support over to accomodate the v8 radiator. I cheated on this step by having a radiator shop use the mounting from a v-8 radiator and putting it on the 258 radiator core. I also had them make it a three core radiator. This way I just trimmed the sheet metal with out moving the rest. Drawback is that if I need a radiator sometime, it will have to be a custom job.

6)If you had the computer controlled carb on the 258 (not sure which years ) you will need the engine wiring harness from a 1979 to 1985 (I think) FSJ with a 360. I also left this in the donor Jeep. It will plug right in to the firewall. The Jeep will not start without this unless you do major PITA wiring. Trust me, the harness is way easier.

7)Need to route the fuel line to the other side of the engine bay.(I am still working on this)

Otherwise, it's a bolt in deal!!

[jeepstruck]

" 3) The four speed will bolt up but you have a choice to make. You can
either find a long input shaft and bellhousing spacer, or you can bolt it
right to the 360. If you do that, you will need to modify the crossmember,
floor opening, and clutch and transfer case linkages as this will move
the drivetrain 4" forward as well as your gearshift. This will mean a pair
of new driveshafts as well. At this point, I have gone too far to go back,
but if I had thought it through beforehand, I would have switched to an
automatic (maybe)."

I just did this swap also. My donor was a 1980 Golden Eagle and I put the 360 in a 1980 J-10. I got lucky and found a 4-speed trans in a junk yard that was bolted to a 360. That is the easiest way to go. If you can find a 4-speed, everything will bolt right back where it is supposed to. The biggest pain for me was the radiator mount. I wound up cutting the passenger side mount and moving it over. If you have a hard time getting your hands on a 4-speed and have to go to an auto. I still have the auto trans and transfer case out of my donor. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

[KYJ10]

I just finished my swap into my 81 j10. When you get the J10 mounts, move them forward to the next set of holes. The holes are there. If you look, you'll be able to see what Im talking about. I found a donor t-18 out of a j20, so all my stuff lined right up. Had to move the crossmember back to the next set of holes. I also used the front driveshaft from the j20 and had to shorten my rear shaft about 10". My radiator was actually quite easy. I have a body lift, so I just dropped the radiator 2", and it fits perfectly. If you can get the tranny, tcase and adapters from the donor rig, it will make your life much easier! Dennis