[yjayinit]

i have a 95 wrangler looking to do a swap. i have a 2.5 now but i need more power. My options are either a 4.0 liter or a chevy 350. what would be easiest and more practical

[machinehead131]

4.0l cost is an issue too

[Brandon_YJ]

I'm looking at your profile and I'll tell you, the most practical will be the 4.0... as well as the easiest.
If you drop a 350SBC in there you'll have to do a bit more upgrades. Your tranny and rear end will not handle the power. The radiator is not enough to cool the engine either. And then there's the fab work.
A 4.0 is *almost* a drop in.

[joe's_yj]

i was told a 350 will get decent gas mileage?

[stu1021]

Originally Posted by joe's_yj

i was told a 350 will get decent gas mileage?

You will never pay for an engine swap with gas savings - but if it makes you feel better............

For the OP - easiest way to go would be to get a wrecked Jeep with the driveline you want and swap it out - when you are done part out what you can and scrap the rest to recoup some cost.

I did a Chevy swap, but went with the 4.3L Vortec V6 - plenty of power, lighter weight than a V8 and still uses cheap, plentiful parts. My mileage improved significantly over the old 2.5L - and it cost plenty of $$ even though I got the entire donor vehicle for nothing. Fun project to do with my sons though and very happy with the results.

[arcticcatbob01]

I have the same thing in mind...How much of a job is it to fab a 4.0 eng./tranny swap to replace the 2.5? thanks!

[wendell]

I personally don't see the need for a V-8 in a wrangler, much less a chevy V-8. I'm a bif fan of the jeep I-6 engines, be it 4.2 or 4.0. I love the lowend torque, the sound of them and there easy to work on, there just a fun motor. It's one of the things that make a jeep a jeep. Keep it real, keep it jeep, 4.0 for sure!!!

[Mean Max]

Originally Posted by wendell

I personally don't see the need for a V-8 in a wrangler, much less a chevy V-8. I'm a bif fan of the jeep I-6 engines, be it 4.2 or 4.0. I love the lowend torque, the sound of them and there easy to work on, there just a fun motor. It's one of the things that make a jeep a jeep. Keep it real, keep it jeep, 4.0 for sure!!!

I think I've seen you post responses like this before wendell. I have to say that ultimately I agree with you. I've had V8 Jeeps before, and they're great in many ways, but now that we have 3 of the 4.0L Jeeps I've really grown fond of the characteristics that it has.

Now matter how many dreams I have of making huge mods to our Jeeps, my mind always rationalizes keeping the 6 cylinder setup.

[chadroc]

Is cost an issue? I'd do a V8. I mean, I am going to do a V8. I bought it already. I have a 4.0 with a 5 speed and 4.88 gears. I'm not impressed with it.

[wendell]

I have a 52 3a with a 60 hp 4 cylinder and I'm even impressed with it. The thing is slow, but cool and has that neat sound like the jeeps on M*A*S*H. If I wanted a V-8 jeep, I would of gotten a 67-77 ford bronco. There's just something cool about a straight 6. I even loved the 300 ford I-6 in an F-150 4x4 with a 4-speed, they made peak torque at 1,800 rpm's, you gotta love that. I mean V-8's are cool too, they have there place, but to me it is'nt in a wrangler. I had a 77 CJ-7 with the 304 and didn't enjoy it near as much as my 6 cylinders. I thought I would love it, it was all right, it just seemed more like a hot rod than a jeep. I just like crawling around and hearing that slow putter of a 6 or even a 4 in a jeep. To each his own I guess.

[Root Moose]

Wow, me and Wendell finally agree on something? Early Jeeps (MB/GPW, CJ2A, CJ3A) need to keep their flat heads for the vintage look and sound. We agree.

I figure anything CJ5 and up is fair game though. They were available with V8s so...

What happens with a lot of V8 swaps is that the guys building them start putting "hot" parts in them and they start to get away from the idea of a Jeep. Then there's the loud obnoxious flowmaster mufflers and such. Not going to be sneaking up on much wild life with that - maybe at the mall. LOL

Different strokes...

[capone1680]

I would do a 4.0 swap. But if you have a heart set on a Chevy and you are worried about gas mileage consider putting in a 4.3. My YJ with a 350 gets around 7 mpg. But when I built my engine I was not building it for gas mileage.

[befumo]

Originally Posted by capone1680

I would do a 4.0 swap. But if you have a heart set on a Chevy and you are worried about gas mileage consider putting in a 4.3. My YJ with a 350 gets around 7 mpg. But when I built my engine I was not building it for gas mileage.

7 MPG! JESUS.

[Ben_88Jeep]

...

And Im gonna drive in that baby at 15 miles per hour
Gettin' 7 miles per gallon,
Sucking down Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers from McDonalds
In the old fashioned non-biodegradable styrofoam containers
And when Im done sucking down those greeseball burgers
Im gonna wipe my mouth with the American flag
And then Im gonna toss the styrofoam containers right out the side

why? cuz I'm an ...................... couldn't resist. :-)

[Ben_88Jeep]

A few years back, I went through a similar scenario with my 88 YJ. Do I rebuild or swap in a V8?

I ended up keeping the 4.2 litre 6 cylinder mainly because it's the way the engineers designed Jeep. They decided on the 6 cylinder for a reason. Once you start adding more weight to the front, AND more power to the rear wheels it becomes a completely different beast and its on/off road handling characteristics change significantly.

In my case, opting for the rebuild, I was able to give my self some more power by modifying my AMC 258 block to accommodate a 4.0 liter head. On top of that, I also gained the ability add in fuel injection down the road.

So long story short, it's a versatile little engine and there are lots of options.

You could also build a stroker motor out a 4.0 liter and to put things into perspective, a colleague of mine has his 92 Cherokee pushing over 300 hp with a new cam, some new pistons and some machine work...

all food for thought... good luck!