So I need some more ...hummph ... power in the Wagoneer, as it only has 144 hp which is about 50% of enough. Any recommendations ? Presumably the Mopar crate engines would bolt up straight to the Chrysler Torqueflite 727 ? Novak doesn't seem to have any adapters for the 727 - "if your transmission is not listed it is probably not worth converting to". I don't / won't take my Waggy off road as it is an old lady that deserves a little bit of respect :-)
Your Wagoneer would have an AMC engine, with a specially modified Chrysler Torqueflite 727, that sports an AMC bolt pattern, not a Chrysler bolt pattern, on the engine end. This means that no Chrysler engine will bolt to it. Now if you are good at disassembly of the 727, including reassembly so that it still functions, you can replace the main housing with the Chrysler variant. Then you could attach any of a number of excellent Chrysler V8s, which are no doubt real common on your side of the Atlantic.
Which engine do you have? If it is the AMC inline six, then you can bolt any of the AMC V8s to it, assuming that you can obtain or fabricate engine mounts, exhaust, various accessories and brackets, and a fuel system. If you want to keep the LPG option, this can be a problem. If you keep the current dual fuel setup, you will find that you have more low end torque, but less top end power than you anticipated. A bigger engine will want more air, and more fuel. The fly in the oatmeal, is that these engines will be rarer east of the Atlantic, than they are here.
An option that people have used here, is to use a transfer case adapter, to put a Chevy truck Turbo Hydromatic 350 in front of the TC, and a Chevy 350 engine in front of that. This is an excellent option for power, and cheap too. New engines go for about $3,000, the last time I looked, and new transmissions are pretty cheap too.
formatting link
has the transmission "all set up" to bolt to the Dana 300 or NP231 transfer case. Which transfer case do you have? Important information that.
Way back in 1976, some of my coworkers hit on the idea of putting a Chevy
283 in a 1963 J10 pickup, an ancestor of your Wagoneer. The transplant was successful, but it took a real long time. The main problem was that many of the parts had to be ordered through the mail (no Internet then) and so there was a lot of waiting. My experience with shipping Christmas gifts back from Spain, was that it is (1) real expensive and (2) less than 100% reliable. The fault seems to have been with the USPS, not Correos Españoles, but who knows what they will do with your parts?
You might want to get the Jeep Conversion Manual from the Advance Adapters web site,
formatting link
This explains which transmissions andengines were used in each vehicle. Another option to consider is forced induction. A number of companies make turbo- or super-charger kits for the 4.0 liter Jeep engine. One of these should bolt right up to your 727, if you find a place to hang the crankshaft position sensor.
Thanks for your thoughts. The engine is the AMC 360. My first thought was a crate 401, but I can't find any. Not too fussed about the fuel consumption, as I do less than 3K/year in it (just weekend pottering about). Transfer case is the NP229.
In the UK you have access to the current generation of common rail diesels, including the V6 in Jaguars and the one in Mercedes. And, fuel isn't getting cheaper.....not unless the insane plans of the insane Free World Leader actually work in the Middle East, what are the chances of that you think???
When was the last tune up? It is amazing what a new distributor cap, rotor, wires and plugs can do for them. You also can get a hotter coil, like an Accel or Mallory to toss in which also can really boost power because you can open the plug gaps for a big assed spark.
What is the current compression? If it is carboned up it will run like crap too. How about oil consumption? If those are good, you can boost the intake with a larger carb and add headers with larger diameter exhaust to get some more 'seat of the pants' oomph.
How about checking with Chrysler for a short or long box engine? They sell them here in Canada at a competitive price even last time I checked.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
Dave said he wasn't that concerned about fuel mileage as the Jeep isn't a daily driver, and you would have to drive a LOT to make up the extra expense of changing to a modern diesel.
Yeah... President Bush is both crazy and stupid, that's why he keeps beating his opponents...but this isn't a politics NG.
Just wait till 2008. It wasn't Bush who beat his opponents, it was Karl "I told the Special Prosecutor the truth but lied to the American People" Rove.
The AMC 360 cid is a big engine, by today's standards. If it "doesn't put out that much power to start off with" you may have a problem with the choke pull-off, egr or ignition. I wouldn't give up on it, especially in view of the expense of an engine upgrade, buying parts no doubt mail order from the U.S. You could always try some of the performance upgrades to the 360, that others have mentioned. How are your local Polizei with regard to a free-flowing exhaust?
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.