help '76 j10 258/4spd engine swap bolt up questions

[Colter.Brown]

i've always liked the jeep trucks and finally bought a '76 j10 258/4spd. by the time I got it home i found that the old straight 6 had issues. my question is will my bell housing bolt up to any other makes of engine, and if not where can i find a bell housing that will (on top of the engine donor list is my 97 dodge w/a fairly fresh 360). also what kind of tranny and t-case do i have and are they reliable parts? i know i probobly sound like an idiot to you guys but it's not my fault i was born a chevy guy, any help would be appreciated. i also have alot of sourses for random parts for all vehicles if anyone is interested

[tgreese]

i've always liked the jeep trucks and finally bought a '76 j10 258/4spd. by the time I got it home i found that the old straight 6 had issues. my question is will my bell housing bolt up to any other makes of engine, and if not where can i find a bell housing that will (on top of the engine donor list is my 97 dodge w/a fairly fresh 360). also what kind of tranny and t-case do i have and are they reliable parts? i know i probobly sound like an idiot to you guys but it's not my fault i was born a chevy guy, any help would be appreciated. i also have alot of sourses for random parts for all vehicles if anyone is interested

The bell pattern will fit any of the AMC V8s or 6s, but you will have engine placement problems with the V8s. The V8s used a very long input shaft and a 5" spacer to move the V8 forward in the engine compartment, so the factory mounts are in basically the same location, 6 or V8.

The obvious swap is a AMC 4.0L HO engine, or the 4.0L with a 258 crank, which makes a 4.6L stroker engine. The 258 has a lot of cheap hop-up potential for its displacement, and 258s are cheap on the used market. I'd suggest you listen to the logical side of your brain, and override the emotional impulse to go with a Chevy

If you use the Chevy or BOP bell, and a Ford input shaft to the T-18, you can adapt the GM engines with some minor machining. Novak has a page about this: http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/ford_to_gm.htm The Jeep T-18 case has one bolt hole different from the Ford transmission, so you'll have to drill the bell once more than in these instructions. Plus all the other stuff you'll need, like plumbing, motor mounts, etc.

hth!

[tgreese]

Also, there's a drivetrain database in the Tech Library, accessible from a tab at the top of the page.

You have a Borg-Warner wide ratio T-18 transmission and a Dana 20 transfer case.

[Colter.Brown]

thanks alot i did find tech library just after i posted... so, should i reuse my old block mine would need bored and rebuilt or are the 4.0 blocks better

[tgreese]

thanks alot i did find tech library just after i posted... so, should i reuse my old block mine would need bored and rebuilt or are the 4.0 blocks better

You want the complete 4.0L HO engine ('91 on, IIRC - the earlier engines are quite inferior). You can use the crank from the 258 to make a stroker. The 4.0L (242) bore is larger then the 258, and the 258 stroke is longer than the 4.0L. 4.0L bore 30 over + 258 stroke = 4.6L, roughly. Lots of info on the net if you Google it. http://www.jeepstrokers.com/forum/

You really want the excellentMopar MPI that comes with the 4.0L HO engine. The '91-94 engines are OBD-1 IIRC, and easier to deal with.