1982 cj 7 with weak 4 cyl. help

[chucker]

I am about to inherit this sick thing. I plan to do an engine tranny swap. I've owned a few cj's over 20 years ago.. I would put a chevy 350 mated to a 4 speed T-176. what do you guys think, as i have not owned nor kept up with the hobby in 20 years.

thanks chucker


What Company (ies) can assist me with the adapters, parts, etc. I will need the clutch pedal linkage, etc. chucker

edited by: chucker, Feb 17, 2003 - 01:40 AM[addsig]

[carriss]

sounds good go for it! :-D [addsig]

[Tug-n-pull]

Howdy Chucker and welcome. Big ol 350 is real popular around here you will get some of the best advice in the world here. Hang on and a V8 dude will be along shortly to help you out! tug[addsig]

[jprtroy]

Toss that T-176! The 350 with do very bad things to it! Find a T-18, or NP435,(ford applications)SM 420 should bolt right up a 350, with a 7:1 first gear! I had a T176, and was shocked at how tiny the thing was! It weighed like 40lbs when empty!. T-18, is a beast compared to it, weighing in at about 150lbs empty and an easy 2.5 times the size of it! Plus the granny first makes all the difference in 4LO!
Good luck!

[addsig]

[chucker]

JPRTOY, the t-18 is a true 4 speed? or a granny low 1st and usable 3 speed with syncroesz? I had a t-15 in a 72 cj with a built 304, ( 48 mph in 1st gear with a 3.73 gear what a rush) it held up well but only 3 gears.. chucker[addsig]

[dingus]

advance adapters is the big player in chevy V8 swaps into non-chevy cars... i'd start there.

good luck! :)
-nate[addsig]

[RayOvac]

The NP435, T18(A) and SM420 are NOT true 4 speeds. The granny low is useless on the road...but great for offroading.

I know on the 420 the first is 7:1, second is like 3.5:1, third like 1.7:1, and fourth of course 1:1 so it wouldn't be a very streetable transmission. For someone that has the AX5 or AX15 it would be like losing second gear all together and going 1st to 3rd all the time.

The NP435 is just as wide with 2nd being 3.34 and 3rd being 1.79. I have heard there are some of these with a 2.99 2nd which would be a bit nicer and not quite as wide.

The T-18 is not much better with 2nd being 3.09 and 3rd being 1.69 but would probably be fairly close in feeling to your old T-15 (3.00 1st, 1.83 2nd).

I do know however that you can get a close ratio T18 (the granny one is the T18A) that is somewhat like 4.02 2.41 1.41 1.00 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th respectivly) so it would be heavy duty but still fairly streetable.

The granny trannies would be cool but would not be fun for a daily driver. Of course there is the NV4500 but its basically a T-18A setup with a .73 overdrive (in respect to gear ratio). However the NV4500 is a very smooth shifting tranny compared to the "clunk boxes" of the old days.[addsig]

[MudDawg]

My bud at work that got me into 4 wheelin' has a F-250 with '44 swampers....the only thing he hasn't broken yet is his tranny... a NP435.

But if I was building a project like yours... it would build a 383 motor (400 block with 350 crank basically) and a Turbo 400 auto...properly built and using a good cooler...BULLETPROOF!!!... I have ran them behind 400+ HP motors with no problems at all...simple to fix up... (OK, im a mechanic) no tricky electronic doodads to mess up, and yah dont need a extra leg to get thru tricky sections with a auto trans..

Dawg[addsig]