Cooling:
Jeep CJ and YJ radiators have the lower and upper hoses on the wrong side of the engine for a Chevy V8. In addition, the stock 2 core radiator, or an older radiator, will simply not cool enough for your new V8. When you are shopping for a new radiator, look for more rows, and aluminum for better cooling ability. Plus some radiators have oval cooling tubes, or a cross flow design, which are even more efficient yet. There are companies which mike nice aluminum radiators just for such a swap, but it’s going to cost at least $350. Companies like Summit racing sell universal radiators starting less than $200, but you will have to fabricate brackets and make it fit. I took my existing 3 core brass radiator (it was almost new), and had a local radiator shop move the upper and lower radiator hose connections for a cost of $80.
I chose stainless steel corrugated upper and lower radiator hoses (like cool flex). They were $22 each off Ebay, and come with silicone adaptors to fit any size connection. Another option is the corrugated universal rubber hose, but I have had bad luck with the internal support coils.
The stock cooling fan may be enough cooling for your Jeep, but more times than not, a healthy V8 is going to need extra cooling from an electric fan. I have dual electric fans with built in shrouds and mounting brackets made for my Jeep. If you do decide to run a mechanical fan, make sure it is spaced close to the radiator, and you have a fan shroud (which improves cooling efficiency).
Transmission:
You are going to need a way to shift your transmission if you are swapping in an automatic. Two ways to go here, transmission mounted, like Lokar style (this is what I chose), or cable type (B&M seems to be big here). Pictured is the Lokar TH350 model which I used. The Lokar has plenty of position adjustability, and rigid feel.
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The Lokar floor shifter |
Also, run an auxilary cooler for your transmission. You can get them at any auto parts store for cheap, and offroad usually beats trannies pretty hard. It is worth the small time and cost investment.
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The auxilary transmission cooler |
Engine mounts:
You have lots of choices here. JB conversions, Novak, Advance adaptors, and many other companies make universal, or semi-universal mount. Engine position is critical. Clearance issues to be considered are: firewall, axle (consider at full compression), exhaust (either one side or both sides), and up down of the transmission. Also, angle and height needs to be thought of.
With all of these factors, and that I had no idea where the engine really needed to be, I chose the MORE (Mountain Offroad Enterprises) engine mounts. These mounts use the factory mount holes in the frame, and position the engine in the optimum position and angle for most applications. For the novice, this is an excellent option. Also, they are much more durable than the standard “pan” style mounts because they capture the engine side mounts completely using a tube and shock bushing style fitting. I would recommend these mounts for those who do NOT need a lot of flexibility in position of the engine.
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New M.O.R.Emotor mounts |
To prepare for the new engine, I took the opportunity to refresh my transfer case and paint my skidplate.
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Cleaning the transfer case |
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Time to refurbish the skid plate |
Next time, in part 3, I will cover the actual installation, as well as unexpected problems, with solutions to those problems!