Buick 350 Jeep!!!!!!!!

[Sean Buick 76]

Hey everyone. I'm new here but heavily into buicks and big jeeps. I don't have a jeep yet but I will be getting one soon. I'm looking for info on which years came with the dauntless 350 (68-69??). Also how difficult is it to put a Buick 350 in a jeep that came with something else? Can I just use motor mounts from those few years? I have a 76 Buick Century with a SBB and I have a few spare BOP th 350's, th 400's, a 455 olds, 455 Buick and another 350 Buick. I'm interested in peoples combos. Thanks, Sean.

[Tad]

Welcome Sean,
You'll find alot more Buick 350 info in the General Tech section as this section tends to focus more on the more modified rigs but let's get you started.

Which Years?
'68 to '70, with a smattering on the fringes of that range.

Difficulty?
Not hard at all depending on skill level and availablity.

Motor Mounts?
The motor mount towers from those years of FSJ's swap right over into the newer FSJ's. Makes for a quick and accurate setup. They are well sought after and sell rather fast when they come up.

Transmissions?
Well, save the TH350's for your Buick cars and stick with the BOPC TH400's for Jeeps running Buicks.
In stock form ours came as the nailhead TH400 with an adapter ring getting us to the BOPC pattern. If you use a TH400 from something else, let's say a car, you'll have tailshaft/output shaft changes to make. Once again, not a big deal.

Drivetrain Combos?
In stock form any FSJ with a Buick 350 in it came with a Dana20 Tcase. Sort of a love/hate relationship for some of us
The TH400 setups used a somewhat rare and pricey adapter, that in stock form was/is prone to breakage. Several aftermarket companies make a stronger adapter.

The 455?
BB BOPC engines get swapped in all the time, at that point some creative motor mount work takes place.

My combos:
'70 Wag = B350 (from '71 Skylark), TH400, D20
'72 J2000 = B350 (from '70 FSJ), TH400, Dodge 208 (yet to move in this form but darn close)

Once again, Welcome.

[ December 12, 2004, 04:58 AM: Message edited by: tadsal ]

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Tad pretty much covered it............Except for the Snap Ring! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Welcome!!! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Elliott]

Welcome aboard Sean! Occassionally I get inappropriately labeled with a few derogitory things for appreciating the AMC motors and for standing up for them. Along with my appreciation for AMC I have always considered other options and you are in good company here because most everything worthy of swapping into a FSJ (and unworthy) has been done by members of this forum. CJM (Pete) above is a Cad aficionado, and Riverbeast (Todd) is completing a Cad install as we write. Some other swaps here are the Mopar 440, Ford 460, GM 502 (which I'd like to learn more about), the Olds 455, Pontiac 455, scads of GM 350s and a few diesel swaps. I've always kinda had a thing for the Buick 455 and I e-mailed you a write up of Brad Feick's J10 install. His site seems to be down currently, but he's a great guy and if you email him he'd prolly give you more info. I think you could use block hugger headers and get away from some of the exhaust routing mess he got into and if you used a hydra-boost brake system (or even a late model smaller vacuum booster) you could possibly get away with not lifting the body. Also, check the pics of the dually flatbed 455 I sent you, no lift there and it all sits in nice and tight.
Have fun, build a great rig and please share it with us as you build it.

[ December 12, 2004, 08:43 AM: Message edited by: Elliott ]

[Sean Buick 76]

I will keep my eye out for motor mounts for the Buick 350. I got into jeeps because I was a oldschool mechanics monkey for a few years. His jeep was a 68 wagoneer, when I met him it was in a hundred pieces and after we were done with it it had a fully rebuild 292 chevy, th400, full time 4 wheel. I did all the body work with oxy acet and some stick welding. It turned out great but I didn't ever get pics before he took off to the interior with it. I also got to work on the AMC 327 that we pulled, I wanted it but couldn't afford it! So when looking for a full sized wagoneer, what are the major drivetrain differences between the diff years. Thanks for the input, guys.

[Tad]

Originally posted by Sean Buick 76:
...So when looking for a full sized wagoneer, what are the major drivetrain differences between the diff years. Thanks for the input, guys.

I wouldn't limit yourself to Wagoneers per say, the Cherokee and the Jtrucks are great rigs too.

Now, I'll piss a few off here, but if I had to do it all over again, I would stay away from any version of a post mount rig.
Not that I am changing anything here, I have two post mount rigs and have scavanged parts from two others.
They are just a bit more difficult to deal with in the lifted versions, but it can be done.

My preference for a builder would be a '75 - '79 rig with no drivetrain, a good interior and body.
Since you wrench and weld, the rest is just, whatever you want to do with it.

[Sean Buick 76]

I'm not sure the diff between the tower or regular mounts. The Wagoneer I worked on we fabbed solid mounts for the straight six. Anyone have pics of the mounts? Maybe I could modify some car mounts or start from scratch. I don't think I want it solid mounted though, too much vibrations, right? Yeah I'm open to j trucks too, I like em all. Thanks, and keep the mounting ideas flowin!!! Sean.

[Tad]

You are in luck today Sean

The left side from under in front:

http://members.cox.net/tadsal/b350mountleft.JPG

The right side from under in front:

http://members.cox.net/tadsal/b350mountright.JPG

Buick 350 versions installed into the '72 in place of the 360 versions:

http://members.cox.net/tadsal/350mountsin72J2K.JPG

[az mike]

ya i got the post muont and it has is harder to work with but ill get it this buick seems alot stronger than my old 360 wag i had not bashing 360s just saying thats how this one feels

[Sean Buick 76]

Cool, thanks for the pics. So what years and models had the th400? It was probly a short shaft, right? Were there certain t-cases that were better than others?

[Tad]

This explains it better than I could ever do.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jjacobs149917/fsj_faq.htm

[Sean Buick 76]

Thanks for the help so far, but I have a few more questions. The th 400 trans that had the AMC 360 infront, were they BOP pattern or a different one? If a truck came without a th400 would I have to change crossmembers? or just move it on the frame?
If anyone wants to see my 76 Century burnin rubber with the 80 Buick 350 that I dropped in, here it is.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/562863/1

[J4GRAND]

The TH400s on the Buick-equipped Jeeps had an old Buick "nailhead" pattern to them with an adapter ring to fit the Buick 350. The AMC motors used the same tranny with an adapter ring also patterned to the AMC. It wasn't until 74 that the TH400 got an AMC-patterned case.

[ December 16, 2004, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: J4GRAND ]

[Sean Buick 76]

Thanks.