• Notice for iPhone users: DO NOT use the image size reduction option when uploading photos to the forum. This causes portrait images to post as landscape. We have added a warning to the image insert pop-up as well.

It's begun! (350/SM465/D300)

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
History: My Scramber started life as a 1982 4-cylinder, but somewhere along the line, the engine was swapped for a 1982 SBC350, and mated to a Muncie M20, adapted to the Dana 300 transfer case.

Well, the swap (in my opinion) was hodge-podge at best, so I'm gutting it, and re-doing the whole thing.

I'm going with a new GM crate engine, and I re-built an SM465 and a D300 (rebuild thread here: https://www.cj-8.com/threads/4-1-dana-300.46771/ ), as well as later model engine accessories to go with it. .

For engine mounts, I bought MORE SBC conversion mounts for a 1"body lift.

NOTE: If you buy MORE conversion mounts, go ahead and get them for a 1"body lift... the mounts that go on the engine have two sets of holes, one for stock height, and one for 1" body lift. If you ever think you might want a 1" body lift, you might as well have these mounts!

Anyhow, here's the beauty...

swap1 - 2.jpg

... and here's the beast!

swap1 - 1.jpg

It's a bummer that my Scrambler is going to sit here for a few weeks... but it's going to be worth it!

swap1 - 3.jpg

Cheers! :cheers:
 

SKT

Legacy Registered User
City
APO
State
AE
.

Awesome and congrats - looking forward to following your progress!

.
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
Not much new to report. We've just had our first heat wave of the summer, and I'm not acclimatizing as quickly as I used to.... :unsure:

I've got pretty much everything disconnected underneath, so hopefully the old drivetrain will be coming out this weekend.

I've got a couple of questions for those who do this more often than I do:

1. Do you prefer handling the engine separately from the transmission/t-case, or do you prefer to remove/install everything together?

Last time I did this, I did everything together, and it worked out pretty well... but my friend who is going to help me muscle it around really thinks I should do them separately. I do have a transmission jack, so it's workable, but I honestly don't enjoy working on the ground as much as I used to....

I don't have a vehicle lift, and I'll be using a hydraulic engine hoist for this project, which is a bit more unwieldy than an i-beam/chain hoist setup.

2. My current exhaust is junk. For smog reasons, I have to keep it 2-into1, with a cat and a muffler. Right now, it seems to be 1-7/8" pipe from the manifolds all the way to the tailpipe.

The cat and muffler are newer (probably installed right before I bought it, 2-1/2 years ago), so I'll most likely re-use them, but I'm thinking of running 2" exhaust pipe from the manifolds to the Y, then 2-1/2" out to the tailpipe.

Does this seem reasonable? The new engine is set up as a stock 1982 Chevy 350 pickup engine, with a Quadrajet carb. I'll probably rarely see more then 4500-5000 rpm, so I'd like to maximize my power and torque below that range.

I know some of you have a lot of experience with small blocks in Jeeps, and I'd sure appreciate your input.

Cheers! :cheers:
 

tower210

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Olathe
State
KS
I've only done this twice; and I pulled the engine / trans / xfer all at once. It was nice not to have to be under it unbolting heavy items and have one piece that came out. The downside was lifting that beast out and over my (tall) warn XD9000i was a bit of a challenge. It's do-able if you have 2 or 3 guys; can't imagine trying to do it alone.

I think it's more preference than anything.

Looks like fun!! Good luck.

kk
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
Progress! I pulled everything at once, and it worked out just fine.

I forgot how many little things have to be done before an engine can come out!

removal - 1.jpg

WOW, this drag-n-drop photo feature is AWESOME! (y)

Anyhow, now I've got a bunch of cleaning up to do in the engine bay. I'm not as meticulous as some of our members here, but I can at least wash off the grime, and tidy up the wiring a bit.

removal - 2.jpg

I'm undecided about what to do with the M20 and the D300. I may rebuld the D300 (maybe with a 4:1 kit), and store it. I like the M20 transmission, but honestly, If I decide I want car-like shifting, I'll probably swap in an AX15. Maybe I'll rebuild it and store it as well... I'd like to do a flat-fender project someday, and this would be a fun transmission for that!

removal - 4.jpg

I don't intend to rebuild the tired old 350. It's a good candidate for an overhaul, but I'll give it away on Craigslist and let someone else deal with it. I'll strip it down to the block, though... the brackets and accessories will be usable for someone. There are plenty of items destined for my "free to good home" thread. ;)

removal - 3.jpg

That's enough for today... it's HOT outside! :wave:
 

tower210

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Olathe
State
KS
I just swapped to the AX-15; it's really nicer (shifts much nicer than my old T-5). Another benefit is the Dana 300 goes ALMOST flat when it clocks to fit. I'll be getting a custom skid sometime soon with probably 2-3" less belly....
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
I just swapped to the AX-15; it's really nicer (shifts much nicer than my old T-5). Another benefit is the Dana 300 goes ALMOST flat when it clocks to fit. I'll be getting a custom skid sometime soon with probably 2-3" less belly....

I did that with my CJ7. I loved how high the D300 clocked! I'm a little disappointed that the SM465 won't allow that without serious trimming. Oh well, I'm doing a 1" body lift, and custom crossmember, so I should be able to gain some clearance over stock anyway.
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
I installed new 1" lift body bushings the other day. It turned out to be a bit more than 1" lift, because the old bushings were all cracked and squished. I'm a pretty tall guy, and I used to be able to set a rag on my hard top for the hood to rest on while I worked on the engine... now I have to jump a little....

lift - 1.jpg

Over the last few days, I've been washing down the engine bay, and getting the engine mounts bolted in.

install - 1.jpg

Today, I got the engine bolted to the transmission, in preparation for tomorrow's install.

install - 2.jpg

install - 3.jpg

Well, I couldn't wait! I had some friends lined up for tomorrow, but I had my wife help me instead. She's a trooper... and she's always ready to pitch in... She's awesome!

install - 4.jpg
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
Dang, I'm sore this morning...!

So, when I first started contemplating the SM465, I wanted to know where the shifter would come up through the floor, especially since I'm using engine mounts that set the engine a little further forward than some. Well, there's surprisingly little information about that on the internet, other than some comments about having to trim the floor to make clearance. Here's how it worked out for me:

fitment - 1.jpg

Not a bad fit! Right now, the front of the shift tower is touching the floor pan, but just barely. I may trim the pan a little bit for clearance, or I may just lower the transmission until it clears. Aside from that, everything is just right! My preference would be to leave the transmission at this height.

Here's how it looks underneath:

fitment - 2.jpg

It only hangs down a couple of inches below the frame. Plenty of room to make a crossmember and skid plate with more clearance than the original!
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
I'm really happy with the fitment inside the engine bay! There's plenty of clearance for the steering shaft, which was not the case in my previous setup.

fitment - 3.jpg

There's also plenty of underhood clearance. Even when the carb and air cleaner are installed, I'll have a couple of inches of space above the engine. My previous engine used a top mounted smog pump, which sat really close to the hood.

fitment - 4.jpg

It looks like there will be plenty of front driveshaft clearance as well. I'll have to get creative with routing the exhaust, though. The previous y-pipe looped under the front driveshaft, and I didn't care for that setup. The rear exit exhaust manifold doesn't lend itself well to routing the exhaust around the front of the oil pan, either. I'll get a better idea of what I'm working with, once I have more parts mounted.

fitment - 5.jpg

Have a great day! :wave:
 

Belizeit

CJ-8 Member
Gold Member
City
River Ridge
State
La
I'm in the need of a transmission myself. Actually looking for a T176 for mine but there is a SM 465 out there that has been kinda staring me in the face, but I just don't really want what is really just a 3 speed plus super granny gear. It would be nice to have once in a while but I just would not use it enough. Think I would rather have a D300 with 4 to 1 with something like the T176. Finding a T176 has been a little more challenging than I thought
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
I've got a Muncie M20 I can send you! :D

The SM465 is probably overkill for most of us. It's huge, and it's heavy! I got mine for $100, but then I rebuilt it, adapted it to the D300, and bought a bellhousing for it... I'm in it almost $1,000 now. That money probably would have been better spent on an AX15 conversion, but I wanted to try something new. Also, the SM465 is easy for amateurs like me to rebuild... not so much with the AX15.

Anyhow, it's in there now, and I don't intend to remove it! :cheers:
 

Belizeit

CJ-8 Member
Gold Member
City
River Ridge
State
La
Just got done watching a couple of videos of someone rebuilding a 465 and I'm thinking as a first timer I would watch someone who had some experience. Anyway glad for you that you finished up yours and have it in.
 

CJ7Pilot

18436572
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Yuba City
State
CA
Incidentally, back in April, 93_Fummins mentioned that he has a T176 he's not going to use... maybe check with him and see if he still has it? :shrug:
 
Top