Getting ready to do 350 swap, advice?

[cracked91]

Im going to be doing a 350 swap in my CJ7 within the next few months I was wondering what you guys would say total cost is going to be, what parts im going to need, and what tranny.

I have a 81 CJ7 with the gm 151 in it. Its my understand that this uses the same bell housing as the 350. But I want a transmission with an overdrive gear. Something that would be comfortable at 75-80 mph because i do alot of highway driving and this is the main reason I am doing the motor swap.

I also was wondering if the 350 uses the same bell housing as the 327?

Kind of looking for someone who has done this before and can give me a list of what Ill need and total cost. Any advice will be appreciated though. Thanks!

[mdwatkins]

Are you planning on doing a complete swap engine, tranny and t-case? Cost is going to vary depending on what you're looking to do. If you're planning on running a dana 300 then there will be the additional costs of an adapter. Advanced Adapters and Novak have a lot of information on doing this swap and is a good place to start the process.

The 350 and 327 should have the same bell housing. Are you planning on running a 327 or a 350 (just curious as I'm running a 327 and have yet to find another CJ with one).

As for the tranny there are a million options. If you absolutely have to have overdrive about the only option is the NV4500. You can run with a NV3500 if you're not going to build the snot out of the engine for huge horse power or torque numbers. If there's any doubt, then run with the NV4500. If you're not totally sold on the overdrive look at the cheaper 4 speed SM465 (what I am running). Depending on how deep your rear end gearing is you can still run 70-75 comfortably in the 3K rev range.

If you're looking for the cheap then the absolute easiest is to find a complete drive train out of a mid 70's/early 80's K series pick up. This way you'll pull the engine, tranny and t-case (most likely an 205) and drop it into the CJ.

Good luck...

[DT5150]

my 350 is going in week after next. i've been collecting parts since february but there's still a few little things i need to get. but the cost all depends on how you supply the parts. there are a few different ways you can go about it.. buy a cheap donor vehicle and take what you want, then part out or scrap the rest. or, you can buy a crate motor, or you can find a used motor either pulled already or is about to be pulled. ideally, if you go with a used motor, try to hear and see it run if at all possible.

for mine, i found a rebuilt tbi 350 with 0 miles on craigslist. the guy bought it from a local engine shop for a project he didn't finish so he put it up for sale. for the rest of the drivetrain, i decided on a gm th350 auto for a tranny and keep my dana 300 xfer case. i found the th350 freshly built with the d300 adapter already installed. it also came with some other stuff like a shifter, tranny oil cooler etc. the small stuff is what gets ya. the little things that nickle and dime you. i made out pretty well money wise on the motor and tranny, but i've invested probably just as much on the other stuff to go with it. so far, i'd say i've got about $2600 or invested. and i still haven't put it in yet so i'm sure i'll come across some more little things i need. the things you don't think of until you get to the point where you need them. it's a pretty big and costly project, but i think once i'm done i'll be glad i did it.

[DT5150]

some reading for you...

http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/cj5_cj7_80-86_swap.htm

google it too. you'll find lots of info out there.

[kickingprop]

Also, you need to think about Driveshafts, the lengths of them will change and have to be adjusted.

Radiator will need to be swapped for one that works with a SBC

Fuel: if your 350 is FI'd then you will need a higher PSI Fuel Pump and probably just want to run new fuel lines at the same time.

As far as Tranny goes. If you have 2.73 or 3.31 gears in your CJ already you can get by with a 4spd with the amount of power the 350 will have and go 75-80....especially if you are running taller tires... I'd go with what was said previously and find an SM465...they arent hard to come by usually. If you MUST have a 5spd. The NV3500/3550 is plenty strong to work with a V8 unless you plan on wheeling the heck out of it or hot rodding it. But a standard 350 driven properly with a 3550 will do just fine. The NV4500 is overkill for 90% of the applications it gets swapped into. Another 4spd option that doesnt require an adapter (of any kind I think...) if the T176. In theory your 4cyl 151 should be mounted to an SR4 tranny. That bellhousing should work with the 350 as well as the T176, then the T176 mounts up directly to the 300 and off you go. The T176 is a good medium duty tranny and will perform fine behind a 350 as long as you arent beating it up too hard on the trails or at the drags. It will handle most wheeling applications though.

Transfer Case: A 205 will work great and not require adapters behind the SM465 but its HEAVY and will add a few more inches to your driveline length and shorten your rear driveshaft even more. The Dana 300 will require an adapter but will be shorter, lighter, and perform just as well if not better than the NP205.

[CajunCountry]

Yea did mine a few months ago, the only regret is not leaving enuf room on the back of the engine for easy turning of the dist. for timing ect. I guess I was more concerned about driveshaft and front clearance for fans. Novak is great info, I go to it alot. and I used there V8 motor mounts.And got a 3 core radiator with the hose conn. on the right sides( the reg. one not any exspensive alum. ones) It keeps the engine cool even in this 98+ deg. i was in,in hot Springs,Ark. god luck and keep it simple and do your homework.
p.s. not sure on that 151 bell but the 350 and 327 are the same.

[cracked91]

Well Im running 4:11 gears w/ lockrite lockers front and rear. I have seen a few good 327s on craigs list for under 1k as well as many great 350s. Im probably going to buy a rebuilt one off craigs list. If I decide on a 350 im probably going to be doing a rebuilt one like this:
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/pts/1231174493.html

But if I do a 327 (I really would rather have a 327 but my question is it going to be alot more work than a 350?) then I will probably get one out of a newer wrecked truck, so it will probably be fuel injected. I would prefer fuel injected on the 350 too but I have heard when you do v8 swaps its alot easier just to go for carbed. The transmission thats in mine is the SR4 I think but it has 186k on it so Im definetly swapping it when I change it. Does anyone who has done this have a list of parts they bought, I gonna start gettin the stuff together with the next check.

[kickingprop]

dont rule out the Vortec 5.3L swap with a 4L60E...I did this swap and while it was a little more work on the front end of the swap....once everything was together and running its been GREAT. Great power, Torque, and I can get 23+ mpg highway with 33s and 3.31 gears... If you do this swap just make sure you get the computer with the motor from the donor vehicle. if its 2003-newer also make sure to get the gas pedal assembly as its throttle by wire.

[DT5150]

a carb is indeed easier, but i decided from the jump to go tbi with mine. any 88-95 chevy truck, burban or blazer with a 350 would do.

[mdwatkins]

Really no difference between the 327 and 350 other than bore size.

Internal rotating assembly is going to be in the same price range as those for the 350. All external after market accessories for a 350 will work with the 327. Perfect example is that I'm running a 69 yr 327 block with mid 90's Vortec heads. Typically small block parts are interchangeable among the different castings.

In all honesty it sounds as if you're wanting to do this on a budget. In that case It make sense to source a donor vehicle and gut it.

To do the swap you are going to need:

Engine Mounts
conversion Radiator
Engine
Tranny
T-Case
front and rear drive shafts
Trans mount
exahust

That should get you started. Aside from those items you need to figure out what you're going to do for the tranny and tcase as there may be other parts needed i.e. adapters etc to mount to the SBC. Depending on the tranny you may need to address the clutch if running a manual trans. You may need to locate adapters for the power steering pump to work with Jeep lines (I'm running a PSC box, gear and lines so it didn't matter for me).

As kingchip has pointed out if you going to run a late model SBC be sure to snag all of the wire harness, computer, connectors etc.

[cracked91]

yeah im for sure gonna be doing this on a budget im 17 and work at a pizza shop so its gonna be little by little. I thought about a donor vehicle but I want to buy a professionally rebuilt motor, or one with really low miles out of a wrecked truck, which would probably be my best option. In all honesty im not a big chevy fan, my last vehicle was a lifted 93 silverado and I HATED it. Everything broke. But aside from that I might have to settle for an automatic if I can find a wrecked truck with a 700R4 or RL60E but would definetly prefer manual.

[mdwatkins]

Originally Posted by cracked91

I thought about a donor vehicle but I want to buy a professionally rebuilt motor, or one with really low miles out of a wrecked truck, which would probably be my best option.

This is the route you should take. Find a donor and gut it. Then take the motor to a local speed shop and have it freshend up. This route will still probably be cheaper than buying a motor and fitting it to a trans & t-case.

I'm with you that I really don't like 90's chev/gm, everything did break. I personally would look for a running mid to late 70's PU. You should be able to pick one up for a couple of hundred bucks, gut it and sell it off as a chassis resto project to someone or sell it to a scrap yard.

You can also run the route of a 4.6L v6 out of a blazer that would be on the cheap.

[dsl4me]

Originally Posted by mdwatkins

Really no difference between the 327 and 350 other than bore size.

Internal rotating assembly is going to be in the same price range as those for the 350.

Correction, the bores are the same the stroke is different. The 302,327 & 350 have the same 4" bore. The strokes are 3.00,3.25 and 3.48" respectively. You can destoke any 350 to a 327 or 302. If you find a pre-68(IIRC) small journal 327 it will have a steel crank. The large journals ~69+ are cast or steel depending on HP rating.

A 302/327 will get you more RPM potential but less low end torque. If you find an original 327 it will most likely have no bolt holes in the cylinder heads for accesories and will be a short waterpump design.

Side note:
If you want to be comfortable at 75-80, get a car!

[cracked91]

What about an 80s suburban? Those can be had for really cheap, I had a friend who just got rid of one with a completley rebuilt powertrain for 1000 bucks.

[CSP]

Originally Posted by cracked91

But if I do a 327 (I really would rather have a 327 but my question is it going to be alot more work than a 350?) then I will probably get one out of a newer wrecked truck, so it will probably be fuel injected.

The 327 hasn't been used in a Chevy since 1969, so good luck finding one out of a newer wrecked truck.

Now of course you could be confusing the 327 with the newer 5.3 engine, which many people incorrectly call a 327 since it is actually 325 cubic inches. This engine could be found in a late model truck and it is a more involved swap than a 350.