Belizeit's 1984 CJ-7 Engine Swap/Upgrade

[spankrjs]

I met Andy a few months ago while I was traveling to Baton Rouge. Andy kindly donated some parts for JeepAddicts four cylinder Jeep/project, so I stopped by his house in New Orleans to pick them up.

Andy bought his 1984 CJ-7 brand new in New Orleans back in 1984. It is a base model, four cylinder/4 speed model. He daily drove it for many years and it racked up quite a few miles performing daily driver duties.

A few years ago he decided to swap out the four cylinder engine for a 258. He acquired a 1985 258, had it rebuilt by a local machine shop. He also obtained a T176 which he rebuilt. His buddy is a mechanic at a Lexus dealership, so when the pandemic hit he helped Andy out on a lot of this stuff. So, rebuilt engine, rebuilt T176, and a rebuilt Dana 300 with Low Max 4:1 gears installed.

The pandemic ended and Andy his mechanic friend got real busy with their pay the bill jobs. Andy asked me if I would help him finish up this project, and I agreed.

Picked up a bunch of parts from his house Friday night, including a Holley Sniper EFI system:



Packed up my tools, headed back to Andy's house Saturday morning:



The plan was to install the engine/transmission/transfer case and entire front clip on Saturday to make future transport back to my house easier. A few minor glitches, but got it finished up, a long Saturday!!!

















The only "glitches" were self inflicted LOL!!!

1) We had the M.O.R.E. engine mount frame bracket mounts reversed

2) Engine lift had a hair too short reach, but got there in the end

3) I installed the Dana 300, but the engine hoist limitations prevented that from happening. So removed transfer case, installed engine/transmission, then installed transfer case.

The skid plate installed super easy, so did the transmission mount stuff.

I plan on towing the Jeep back to my house in the next day or two, until then, that's it for now!!!

 

[Belizeit]

Thanks Raymond ! I needed an expert to finish off this project so I can retire and start road trips, 4 wheeling, camping and maybe some fishing in places where most people don’t go or can’t get to without some effort in beautiful places. At least that’s the plan.

 

[Belizeit]

Well I can’t say this is bitter sweet, because that would just be a load of b s. But when you see your Jeep of over 38 years leaving without you for the first time, there is a little something going on like a piece of you leaving or missing. Reminds me a little of when my daughter went off for the first time for college. I knew she was coming back the better for it. Raymond came mid afternoon with his bumper and tow bar and light kit and hooked up my Jeep and away they went. I guess the next time I see it, it will have something equivalent to a masters or doctorate degree. Where my daughter will need a few more years. Looking forward to it all.

 

[John N]

Hey Raymond, how about a trip to Virginia next? I’ve got one that needs to be finished up too. Come visit.

 

[xatu40]

I had been thinking the same, Florida isn't that far away....

 

[Belizeit]

Seems like there was a saying for this. Ok now I remember. “ Have trailer ? Drag that CJ to the Mississippi Gulf Coast “

 

[spankrjs]

Towed Belizeit's CJ-7 back home yesterday behind the Gladiator.

Parked it in the tent, need to get it in the garage:



The broken head ight was killing me, so replaced it:



More boxes of stuff in the garage:



I need to work on cleaning out the garage, getting the CJ-7 in there, reorganizing, then I can get to work!!

That's it for now

 

[Belizeit]

I don’t remember mine having the Jeep lean. Did you run over one of those 15 foot gators on the interstate ?

 

[Chamba]

Maybe the missing headlight kept the balance just right to correct the lean.....

 

[wm69]

Hey Raymond, how about a trip to Virginia next? I’ve got one that needs to be finished up too. Come visit.

Hey now, Arkansas is a much closer drive for him to make!

 

[John N]

Yeah, but he likes t

Hey now, Arkansas is a much closer drive for him to make!

Yeah, but he likes to follow me around at the trail rides…

 

[spankrjs]

Worked on this one a little bit tonight. I will finally be able to move it into the garage tomorrow (washing machine broke, new one dropped off tonight, have to bring it into the house through the garage, after that I can shuffle Jeeps around).

Just bolted on a bunch of easy parts. Under hood still looks messy, still in transport mode:



Installed the grill brace rods first:



Driver side fender braces:



Evap canister bracket:



Passenger side fender/battery tray brackets:



Battery tray:



I removed the grill to make installing the new power steering lines easier:



The four cylinder lines are completely different from the six cylinder lines. They have the same size fittings, but the bends and routing down by the steering box are completely different.

AMC 150ci four cylinder:



The 258 lines installed:



The NAPA lines work well, BUT the pressure line is a PIA to install. I always have to hand tweak this line a little in multiple directions to get it installed. I pull the grill to prevent extreme frustration. You could drop the box to make the line installation easy, but that's a whole other can of worms!!!!


Reinstalled the grill and called it a night!!



I will probably install a few more easy to install large parts (radiator, fan, fan shroud) in the morning, then play vehicle musical chairs.

That's it for now!!

 

[Jeep Addict]

That’s a great looking CJ

 

[spankrjs]

More easy bolt on stuff today, mostly.

Bolted on the clutch fan:



Ran, secured, hooked up the front lighting harness. Cleaned up the head light ground screws, too.



Loosened up the front fenders and grill support rods, centered the grill on the cross member.



Not sure if there is a correct measurement for this, my red Scrambler is close to 32-1/8" and works well, so replicated that dimension on this one.





Minor snafu #1. Andy had a fan shroud, but it won't work the clutch fan. It is not as deep as the correct shroud. Correct shroud is darker black, deeper than this grey one.




I thought that someone hand cut it down, but looks unmodified.



The side panels are wider, making the circle too small to fit around the clutch fan.





Pulled an OEM fixed fan down off the shelf, looks like this shroud is for the fixed fan, not the clutch fan.



No big deal, I'll order an OMIX fan shroud, I have had good luck with them on two other Jeeps.

 

[spankrjs]

Andy bought this nice aluminum radiator for this project, snafu #2:



Unfortunately, it will not work with the clutch fan. It is a two core, BUT the cores are so thick that it mimics an OEM three core copper/brass radiator. Not enough offset on the mounting wings to clear the fan. And, with the thickness of the core, no way to make it work with the clutch fan.





Compared to a Summit two core copper/brass radiator, had a spare new one on the shelf.



You can tell in the below picture that you have to match the radiator with the fan in order to have clearance.



I called Andy to ask him what he wanted to do. I could use the aluminum radiator with the fixed fan/shroud I have. Or, install my new/spare radiator and use the clutch fan, order the correct shroud. He wanted to use the clutch fan, so I installed my spare radiator.

Around 1" clearance between the face of the fan clutch and the radiator surface, should be good to go.



I prefer the look of a black radiator in a CJ vs aluminum, anyway!!

 

[spankrjs]

A few more easy bolt on's.

Installed the jack plate, jack and lug wrench.



Installed the splash shield that installs under the evap canister.



Installed the horn:



Hooked up the power steering hoses to the pump. This is the four cylinder pump/reservoir. The main difference is the return line tube. On the 258's there is a short tube that sticks right out the back of the pump can. The AMC four cylinders have a really long tube that comes out near the top of the pump can. The 258 hoses will work, so no big deal.





The pressure line hooks up in the same place. I need to verify that the 258 pulley is installed. I am sure the 4 cylinder one would work, maybe the same size?? The belt is a little long, I will probably install a shorter belt to keep the reservoir more vertical.

It quit raining after lunch, so drug this Jeep out of the tent with the red Scrambler. Then, reinstalled my front bumper on the red Scrambler. I have been swapping this bumper around since it already has holes in it for the drawbar mounts. Hooked up the tow bar and pushed the silver CJ7 into the garage with my Scrambler. Way easier then trying to manhandle it on gravel, and the 8" curb you have to climb to get into the garage!!



Now that it is inside the garage it will be much easier to work on.

 

[spankrjs]

Unloaded all parts from the bed of the red Scrambler into the garage, sorted through the treasure real quick.



All of the small parts on the table. This Jeep already had the MSD 6A ignition and coil installed when it had the four cylinder. I will reuse this stuff with the Holley Sniper stuff.



Gear oil, anti freeze, battery, and break in oil for the engine.



Plug wires, some hoses, front brake pads, battery cables, fuel pump relay kit.


Whole bunch of fuel hose and fittings.



The Holley Sniper TBI thingy:



MSD distributor, should allow me to let the Sniper control the timing. Twin stick for the Dana 300:



The OEM four cylinder/T4 driveshafts. Not sure if they will work with the 258/T176, need to measure.



I will probably remove the AMC ECU/wire harness next, then install some more bolt on stuff. Going to try to install all the easy bolt on stuff before I get too involved with the EFI/ignition/distributor/wiring/fuel line stuff.

That's it for now!!!

 

[jpnmaine]

I have an 03 Rubicon power train, frame platform with a 95 YJ tub. Just getting ready to modify the 03 4.0 to behave with the 95 ecu/engine harness. First on the list is removing the cam sensor and installing a distributer. Will be watching your write up. Then repin/connector compatable the engine harness so it can connect to the 03 throttle body and other sensors. Researching voltage outputs on this now. Alternator mash up will be last, electrically there is a difference between the systems. Enjoy your approach and thorougness when reading your work!

 

[spankrjs]

Did some more easy work today, and some disassembly.

Installed sway bar end links:



Need new sway bar bushings at the frame:



Measured the existing driveshaft(s) lengths, and distance between both sets of yokes.



The needed distances fall between the fully extended and collapsed lengths, will confirm if these will work with my driveshaft guy. If so, just need some new u-joints and I can install them.

 

[spankrjs]

The existing windshield squirter pump hose connector was broken off, so I dug through my spares and found an old pump that worked.



If you have never swapped one of these out before, your in for a treat!!!

A few tips, or how I do it.

Install rubber seal in tank
Install motor/pump up through seal
Use a piece of tie wire to lower plastic washer down and over pump body
Takes a 7/8 deep socket over screen thing
Stuff napkins inside socket to prevent plastic thing from sliding up into socket too deep
Put a little goop on plastic thing so it stays inside socket



Fill with water check for leaks, which it did. Little hole in the plastic??





Packed the hole with Shoe-Goo, will let it set up for at least 24 hours then recheck for leaks.





Put a little of this stuff on the plastic nipple to seal it to the hose.



Installed/hooked up the windshield squirter bottle and the coolant overflow bottle.



I might have to remove them to mess with evap canister/hydraulic clutch stuff, but for now they are installed/all parts accounted for.