Alright, I've been a Toyota guy for the past decade so you must excuse my ignorance here :flipoff2: I am picking up a 76 CJ5 with a 307V8, stock 3 speed tranny, stock tcase and wide track CJ axles all done by the previous owner. I paid $1900 for it and the thing is in awesome shape. Virtually no rust, nice seats, no leaks or smoking. Pretty nice rig.

What I really want to do is swap the 307 out for a 4.3 tbi that a guy has for sell locally. I need to know the cheapest and best transmission/tcase set up for me. I know that an auto tranny is probably gonna be too long for the CJ5 wheel base. I already have my eye on a 8.8 locally that has been set up for a CJ. Which tranny would you run behind the 4.3? SM420? SM465? Something else? I'd like to stay with a chevy tranny so I won't be spending a ton of cash for adapters. If I run a 420 or 465 which tcase would bolt up fairly easily and have the correct output for the 8.8 rear?

This is gonna be a 75% wheeler and an occasional driver.

PS. I did read the FAQ and I haven't found the answers I was looking for. Thanks for any input...

i put the tbi 4.3 in my yj ( which i know i quite a bit longer then the cj5) and used a th350 tranny and my stock 231 tcase with an advanced adapter. the th350 is only like 21 1/4 inches long which was shorter then my stock ax-5. its only a 3-speed auto so have to consideer what gears to use and tire size especially if you are going to street it some. mine was short enough that i was able to move the engine around where ever i wanted it and still had room for the back driveshaft.
I would say for its length.....th350 for sure and possibly adapt to your tcase

thanks for the reply

With your short W base a SM 420 would be mint if you can find one. Adapt it to a D300 and you set (in my books anyway). Can't go wrong with the 465 either I just heard its a bit longer and not quite as low first..
Good luck.

On my YJ I went with a 96 4.3l (not the TBI) matched to an AL460E and an Atlas. With all of that I had to lenthen my rear drive shaft. The AL460E is only 21.9" and has OD, which was important to me. Since it was made to match up to the engine block you don't need any adapters there. That helps keeps the overall length down a bit. You would probably need an adapter to match it up to your T-case though. There's a lot of good info on this subject on Novak's website: http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/transmission_gateway.htm

th350

th350

Im planning on the same swap in my YJ. I think the th350 is the way to go, also a th350 from a 4x4 is the most desirable because it has a stronger case.

i am pulling the th350 out of my yj in perfect working condition if anyone is interested in buying it

I went with a th350 on my 4.3 tbi as they are strong, parts are cheap and plentiful and if you grenade one you can pick up a second for next to nothing at a junk yard, unless it was the 4x4 model like I have then it is a bit harder to find but still readily available

700r4 (4l60) would be a better option. It has a lower first gear than the
TH350 (approx 3.06 vs 2.63) and the overdrive will let you go lower on the axle gears and still be able to run on the freeway. IT a gm tranny that bolts right up. Dana 20 on the T Case will be your best option as it is the shortest and will hold up to your V6 just fine.

Cool, thanks for all of your input :beer:

What trans and t-case are in it now?Either way you will end up doing adapters.Unless you use all Chevy.The problem with that is the length of the Chevy combos.They are all LONG.I put a SBC/465/205 combo in my '79 CJ-5.Ended up stretching the rear back 13",so I could get a decent length shaft in.Try and use a Jeep t-case.Either the Dana 20 or Dana 300 would be great.These are small and fit easily.They can be adapted to any tranny easily also.

what if you used a 700r4?
what would be a good transfer case with that?
or is it not a good idea?

One problem with the 700r4 is some years weren't so great and I believe they had a problem with cracking the cases, noy sure of the cutoff but the problem was in the earlier models. The other thing is that you will pay a bigger price for it as it is a popular swap for the reasons mentioned above. I have 35's, lockers, soa with 4:10 gears and can run all day on a 1/4 tank of gas or less on the trails, I get about 15 to 16 on the highway but it is a lifted offroad jeep I don't expect that much anyway if I did I wouldn't have bought a jeep. I have mine hooked up to a d300 imho much better than a d20 and yes you can get lower gearing in some d20's but the d300 is very dependable and you can also twin stick it if you like.