Rebuild or keep going for now

[holley68]

My j-10's 258 needs a rebuild. I know for sure one piston ring is gone but iam thinking two. But its not really smoking yet. But the two major problems is the head gasket is gone bad, and the rear main is gone bad. The oil looks the same as the water in the radiator. Dont want to for get I think a have a major vacum leak, it has been for a long time running like Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley.

1 So the question is should i just rebuild the engine. Which iam leaning to but its going to be hard to spend the cash for it.

2 Should i just replace the head gasket and rear main seal( which i have just tryed a month ago but the top of the rear main was a bear and had to stop because of the weather and it got late). Cheap Cheap Cheap

3 One i am thinking about is a 82 cherokee I got a few months ago. But for me to get everything changed over will cost about as much as a rebuild on the j-10.

[gte901m]

Sounds like the 6cyl is in bad shape. I would rebuild it. If you swapped in the 360 from the chero, you would end up needing new drive shafts for the J-10 - the V8 and 6cyl sit in different locations which moves the trans and t-case. And if you took the motor out of the chero, how would you drive it?:D

[addicted]

258's can be found for cheap and sometimes free. For example I have a perfectly good one sitting in my garage right now that I can't find a buyer for. I would sell it to you really cheap but pick up/delivery would negate the price. Look around some and you will surely find one close by for a few hundred bucks.

So I vote other!

[holley68]

gte901m i was not talking bout switching the drivetrain to your ex cherokee. But tags, inspection, tires, stuff like that.

[Belteshazzar]

option 4, what addicted said.

[bigun]

#4 258s are cheap

[holley68]

I wouldnt even know where to start looking around here. We have one engine shop around. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[addicted]

Throw an ad up in the wanted section or get a hold of Tanker he is on the west side of NC AFAIK and has many SJ's at his property and will even let you camp out there. He might have what you need.

[cajun_lad]

And I know someone in northern SC who just pulled a 258 to do a 4.0 swap. Pretty sure it was running at the time, just wanted fuel injection. Maybe he will chime in.... ;)

[mdill]

Running it with the issues discribed would be dumb, it does not have any life left, rebuild it, or find another engine of unknown history to suff in the hole

[tgreese]

Yep, #4. You can buy several good used 258s for the price of a rebuild.

Overhaul is another option - Hone the cylinders, new rod bearings, valve job. You might be better off to overhaul a good running 258 rather than your engine though.