I am thinking of moving up in engines, loosing my 4 banger <IMG SRC="smilies/frown.gif" border="0"> will be a sad day if i ever do. Is it stupid to go to a 258 Jeep engine in the paper or wait? Its $500 obo,that "runs good": doesn't sound that bad.... Or i could go for the Chevy 454 for $700...Is it stupid to go up from a 4 banger to a 258?
TIA

The main problem with the 258 is it will probably be carbureted, and even worse it'll probably be the Carter BBD. The reason the Chevy 350 is such a popular swap is it can be found with fuel injection and they are plentiful and cheap. The difference in the cost of taking a 258 and putting FI on it and all will make up the difference of what it would have cost to do the 350 and buying the adapters necessary to get it all to fit.

It is all a matter of what is easy and cheap. In my case with the 4.0l FI, I will probably never swap out to a V8. In your case, you are looking at a completely different situation and I would suggest a Chevy 350, preferably the Vortec 350. If you wanted, the Vortec 4.3l V6 is not a bad swap either, still plenty of power (my opinion which I'm sure will not be shared by all!)

The 4.3 is great for something that gets driven alot and has 35" tires or smaller. Pulling out the 4 to put in the 258 is a good start and I would say go with that and when it is dead you will then have a good idea of what you want or what you need.

thanks for the responses, I think I might just go with the 258, and see how things work. If I went with the 258 do i need to replace the transmition and transfercase?...no laughing <IMG SRC="smilies/emb.gif" border="0">
TIA..again

I was going to reply and say it is a good idea because you wont need a new tranny/t-case or adapters back there... If you did the v8 I wouldnt trust your current tranny much. Unless you have the peugeot you should be fine w/ the 6 cyl. The 6 cyl should make you happier it makes as much torque as a mild v8 but isnt as much fun in mud or on the street b/c the hp numbers are lower... Hope this helps in your decision making. If you can find a whole setup from harmonic balancer to the transfer case for a good price I would grab it. Also dont forget cooling the new bigger engine. thats a serious concern for me being in Az <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

i am swapping out my 258 for an EFI 302. i would recommend a V8, but the 258 has been a great motor for me. if you are interested, i could sell you my entire setup(motor, t150 tranny, d20 transfer case) for a couple hundred $$$. email me if you want more details- russel

i might even have a t18 if you'd be interested.

Hey hey, the 258 is a great motor once you throw on a motorcraft 2100. It is almost as good as fuel injection.

I think you will need a different tranny if you swap engines. I'm pretty sure the tooth count on the input shaft is different on a 4 cylinder than the 6. I know it is on the fuel injected models. The tranny in the 4 cylinders is the AX-5 while the 6 has the AX-15. Check out off-road.com the have an accurate details about every jeep in their specs section.
Nick

The 258 is a great motor with lots of low end torque, not to mention, its bulletproof. I love mine in my yj, its got 176,500 on it and it still runs great.. burns a little oil.. but no biggie.... heck Ive never even had a single complaint about the carb the whole time Ive owned it.
EDIT: This post made me a rock God <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">
Scott <IMG SRC="smilies/grinpimp.gif" border="0"><><

[ 10-03-2001: Message edited by: 1badjeep ]

if you plan any pitches at all forget about a 258 with a carb. 258 with f/i is awesome..
Mike

Hey njc I would go with the 258 to and like the one guy said throw a motorcraft 2bbl on it and it will run all most like f/i. If you do that then I would buy a electric fuel pump for it and a regulator and it will run awesome on hills my 302 does....

Don't forget to look into emissions requirements if this is going to be a daily driver. I believe that most states require the engine to be the same year or newer than what you currently have...

I ran the 258 forever. It works great on the trail. When you get on the highway the lack of HP gets old. However, I ran that motor with a broken radiator, a hole in my oil filter, a broken power steering hose, and a couple of motor mounts. At different times of course. I always made it home whether I was leaking or limping. they are great motors. I pulled it out and put in a 4.0 with fuel injection. This is a much better motor in my opinion. It made a huge difference in the available power. I can still motor down the trail but the on road power is great. I can actually climb hills without having to down shift all the time.
joe

thanks for the help guys and gals. I am gonna see how much money I have and call the guy about the engine, just make sure it's ok. Thanks again
nick