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Low buck Jeep 360 rebuild questions...

1K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  ozarkjeep 
#1 ·
I am going to be swapping a Jeep 360 into my 89 YJ. i have been collecting parts and info and now I actually have the 360 in my possesion. It is a 79 Waggy 360 that the PO added a 4bbl intake and carb to. It ran great but leaked oil.

I am sure I will install new gaskets before the I drop it in but I just wanted your opinions on the rest of the stuff before I go and spend $$$.

I don't think I am going to totally rebuild it right now just replace the oil pan gaskets, rear main seal, intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, and the water pump and fuel pump gaskets. I am going to install a new fuel pump and a flowkooler water pump. I am using an HEI conversion distributor for the ignition so that's all set. I expect to put in an oil pump rebuild kit while the oil pan is off. The crank is already drilled for a pilot so I don't need to take the motor down if I don't have to.

My questions are:

Should I replace the timing chain and gears even though I am not replacing the cam or rebuilding the motor? Is there any adverse affect to replacing it?

Where should I go for a rebuild kit for the stock 4bbl? Is there a certain brand that is better than another?

I need an alternator but the motor I got didn't come with one so I don't know what it is supposed to look like, the MFG, or the amp rating. How do I find the right one that will fit with the highest amp rating possible? I will have a YORK A/C pump mounted in the stock position if that matters.

Is there anything to know about the oil pump rebuild kit? It appears to be 2 gears, a spring, and a gasket. Is there anything to watch out for?

Is there an EGR block off plate for the stock EGR manifold? I would rather not replace the EGR valve if I don't have to and I can't afford to buy an aluminum non-EGR manifold yet. If I do have to leave the EGR on, is there some sort of vacuum connection to it and how should it be hooked up?

I would like to put new head gaskets in but I would suspect that I would need new head bolts. Would I need new ones or can the old ones be re-used? If I do need new ones, where should I go to find them cheap? Most of the places I foumd the other parts don't have AMC/Jeep head bolts.

I have about 5 weeks to pull off this rebuild and motor swap. I hope to start the process late next week if I can find a garage to do it in.

I would appreciate any other suggestions you may have to offer.

Thanks.
 
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#2 ·
BillyBob535 said:
I am going to be swapping a Jeep 360 into my 89 YJ. i have been collecting parts and info and now I actually have the 360 in my possesion. It is a 79 Waggy 360 that the PO added a 4bbl intake and carb to. It ran great but leaked oil.

I am sure I will install new gaskets before the I drop it in but I just wanted your opinions on the rest of the stuff before I go and spend $$$.

I don't think I am going to totally rebuild it right now just replace the oil pan gaskets, rear main seal, intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, and the water pump and fuel pump gaskets. I am going to install a new fuel pump and a flowkooler water pump. I am using an HEI conversion distributor for the ignition so that's all set. I expect to put in an oil pump rebuild kit while the oil pan is off. The crank is already drilled for a pilot so I don't need to take the motor down if I don't have to.

My questions are:

Should I replace the timing chain and gears even though I am not replacing the cam or rebuilding the motor? Is there any adverse affect to replacing it?
depends on milage of the motor
Where should I go for a rebuild kit for the stock 4bbl? Is there a certain brand that is better than another?
napa
I need an alternator but the motor I got didn't come with one so I don't know what it is supposed to look like, the MFG, or the amp rating. How do I find the right one that will fit with the highest amp rating possible? I will have a YORK A/C pump mounted in the stock position if that matters.
napa for stock, Mean Green if you want to go banannas
Is there anything to know about the oil pump rebuild kit? It appears to be 2 gears, a spring, and a gasket. Is there anything to watch out for?
replace the oil pump
Is there an EGR block off plate for the stock EGR manifold? I would rather not replace the EGR valve if I don't have to and I can't afford to buy an aluminum non-EGR manifold yet. If I do have to leave the EGR on, is there some sort of vacuum connection to it and how should it be hooked up?

I would like to put new head gaskets in but I would suspect that I would need new head bolts. Would I need new ones or can the old ones be re-used? If I do need new ones, where should I go to find them cheap? Most of the places I foumd the other parts don't have AMC/Jeep head bolts.

I have about 5 weeks to pull off this rebuild and motor swap. I hope to start the process late next week if I can find a garage to do it in.
hahah
I would appreciate any other suggestions you may have to offer.

Thanks.
 
#5 ·
It doesn't have high miles but I was thinking more PM than anything else. I think I will do the gaskets, timing chain/gears, oil pump kit, and rebuild the carb. I will do the whole thing later when I swap trannies.
 
#6 ·
I just picked up a grand wagoneer with a 360 in it.

The distributor gears were munched which is why I got such a good deal on the beast.

Guy said the motor was rebuilt about 50k miles agofrom the looks of the bottom end and the compression I'd say it was.

I'm gonna pull some of the bearing caps and look at the bearings to make sure.

Any way I have the front of the motro apart and I am doong the following.

New distributor gears. new Timing chain set and an oil pump rebuild kit.
I also noticed the Harmonic balancer was starting to fall apart so I bought a new one.

I hope to get everything back together this week. I'll let you all know how it goes.
 
#9 ·
the oil pump change is very easy, just those 2 gears and a spring, if you know the motor wasn't smokin or runnin bad, i wouldn't tear it apart, the timing set is probably in good shape, those things are pretty beefy, a carb rebuild and dropin to pan to check the mains and rods is a good idea, and if your pullin the intake, might as well check the lifters, but otherwise i wouldn't do much to it
 
#10 ·
its pretty common for an amc V8 to eat the distributer gear, I think it caused by the cam wearing, and allowing it to slightly walk out of hte block, not allowing hte dist drive gear to mesh properly.

if the gear was eaten up, id replace more than just the gear, I had a freind do this 3 times before he replaced cam, its stayed together for several years since that.

Id do gaskets,and waterpump, weld the EGR shut.

and the oil pump isnt in the pan
 
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