What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and adapt
it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily driver
with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all for under
$3000.00

 

I had my choices when I did a 'glass build and went with the 258 with a
Weber-Carter BBD all manually tuned with no emissions computer and an
Accel SuperCoil for a hot spark with ported vacuum timing. I kept the
Borg Warner T-5 tranny and the Dana 300. My CJ7 came with the D44 rear
end and 3.31 gears.

Maybe some day I will put headers and a better carb on, but... It still
passes emissions with really low numbers and goes like a scalded cat.
1st will light up my 33" mud tires, 2nd hauls fast to 52 mph at 4400
rpm, 3rd hits 75 mph quickly, 4 will bury the speedo and I have No urge
to find out how fast 5th will go....

I play in sand pits and it just won't stall. It will start to dig the
tires in at 400 rpm if it gets too steep.

I am happy with my setup.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

mark wrote:
>
> What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
> should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and adapt
> it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily driver
> with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all for under
> $3000.00

 

I had my choices when I did a 'glass build and went with the 258 with a
Weber-Carter BBD all manually tuned with no emissions computer and an
Accel SuperCoil for a hot spark with ported vacuum timing. I kept the
Borg Warner T-5 tranny and the Dana 300. My CJ7 came with the D44 rear
end and 3.31 gears.

Maybe some day I will put headers and a better carb on, but... It still
passes emissions with really low numbers and goes like a scalded cat.
1st will light up my 33" mud tires, 2nd hauls fast to 52 mph at 4400
rpm, 3rd hits 75 mph quickly, 4 will bury the speedo and I have No urge
to find out how fast 5th will go....

I play in sand pits and it just won't stall. It will start to dig the
tires in at 400 rpm if it gets too steep.

I am happy with my setup.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

mark wrote:
>
> What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
> should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and adapt
> it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily driver
> with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all for under
> $3000.00

 

I had my choices when I did a 'glass build and went with the 258 with a
Weber-Carter BBD all manually tuned with no emissions computer and an
Accel SuperCoil for a hot spark with ported vacuum timing. I kept the
Borg Warner T-5 tranny and the Dana 300. My CJ7 came with the D44 rear
end and 3.31 gears.

Maybe some day I will put headers and a better carb on, but... It still
passes emissions with really low numbers and goes like a scalded cat.
1st will light up my 33" mud tires, 2nd hauls fast to 52 mph at 4400
rpm, 3rd hits 75 mph quickly, 4 will bury the speedo and I have No urge
to find out how fast 5th will go....

I play in sand pits and it just won't stall. It will start to dig the
tires in at 400 rpm if it gets too steep.

I am happy with my setup.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

mark wrote:
>
> What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
> should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and adapt
> it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily driver
> with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all for under
> $3000.00

 

I stuck an AMC 360 in front of an NV4500 with the stock Dana 300 in my '84.
Not sure of the hp, but with the K&N, Edelbrock intake and 4 barrel carb,
MSD, headers, 2.5" duals, Dynomax Superturbos and superconverters, it's
gotta be well above the 250 mark. Plus my mileage is marginally better than
it was with the original 258 if I'm polite with my right foot. I got the
motor from an '82 Wagoneer as a complete take out for $125 from a local bone
yard including the AC compressor. That allowed me to send the core into
Gopher Engines in Minneapolis for a fresh factory rebuilt unit. I'm gonna
do a cam next probably. The theoretical goal here is 1 hp per c.i., but
it's got some pretty good snort as is. I did the motor first and it bolted
up to the stock T5 gearbox. Then when it went bad, I did the NV4500 with
adapters from Advance Adapters. I'd keep the Dana 300.

Then just for fun (and totally OT), since I don't really need (or want) AC,
I converted the free compressor to pump air instead of freon. After a lot
of planning and some toil, I now have a homemade on-board air system. I can
run air tools, air up and down tires, etc. I'm building a spudgun with my
5-year-old son now, and we can launch spuds at will from the cockpit. I
keep getting these daydreams of bouncing across the desert launching spuds
from my roll-bar mounted spudgun...ya know, Rat Patrol style.
Pete

"mark" <mark@islandtelecom.com> wrote in message
news:MSdYf.54229$VV4.933808@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
> should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and
> adapt it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily
> driver with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all
> for under $3000.00
>

 

I stuck an AMC 360 in front of an NV4500 with the stock Dana 300 in my '84.
Not sure of the hp, but with the K&N, Edelbrock intake and 4 barrel carb,
MSD, headers, 2.5" duals, Dynomax Superturbos and superconverters, it's
gotta be well above the 250 mark. Plus my mileage is marginally better than
it was with the original 258 if I'm polite with my right foot. I got the
motor from an '82 Wagoneer as a complete take out for $125 from a local bone
yard including the AC compressor. That allowed me to send the core into
Gopher Engines in Minneapolis for a fresh factory rebuilt unit. I'm gonna
do a cam next probably. The theoretical goal here is 1 hp per c.i., but
it's got some pretty good snort as is. I did the motor first and it bolted
up to the stock T5 gearbox. Then when it went bad, I did the NV4500 with
adapters from Advance Adapters. I'd keep the Dana 300.

Then just for fun (and totally OT), since I don't really need (or want) AC,
I converted the free compressor to pump air instead of freon. After a lot
of planning and some toil, I now have a homemade on-board air system. I can
run air tools, air up and down tires, etc. I'm building a spudgun with my
5-year-old son now, and we can launch spuds at will from the cockpit. I
keep getting these daydreams of bouncing across the desert launching spuds
from my roll-bar mounted spudgun...ya know, Rat Patrol style.
Pete

"mark" <mark@islandtelecom.com> wrote in message
news:MSdYf.54229$VV4.933808@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
> should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and
> adapt it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily
> driver with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all
> for under $3000.00
>

 

I stuck an AMC 360 in front of an NV4500 with the stock Dana 300 in my '84.
Not sure of the hp, but with the K&N, Edelbrock intake and 4 barrel carb,
MSD, headers, 2.5" duals, Dynomax Superturbos and superconverters, it's
gotta be well above the 250 mark. Plus my mileage is marginally better than
it was with the original 258 if I'm polite with my right foot. I got the
motor from an '82 Wagoneer as a complete take out for $125 from a local bone
yard including the AC compressor. That allowed me to send the core into
Gopher Engines in Minneapolis for a fresh factory rebuilt unit. I'm gonna
do a cam next probably. The theoretical goal here is 1 hp per c.i., but
it's got some pretty good snort as is. I did the motor first and it bolted
up to the stock T5 gearbox. Then when it went bad, I did the NV4500 with
adapters from Advance Adapters. I'd keep the Dana 300.

Then just for fun (and totally OT), since I don't really need (or want) AC,
I converted the free compressor to pump air instead of freon. After a lot
of planning and some toil, I now have a homemade on-board air system. I can
run air tools, air up and down tires, etc. I'm building a spudgun with my
5-year-old son now, and we can launch spuds at will from the cockpit. I
keep getting these daydreams of bouncing across the desert launching spuds
from my roll-bar mounted spudgun...ya know, Rat Patrol style.
Pete

"mark" <mark@islandtelecom.com> wrote in message
news:MSdYf.54229$VV4.933808@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> What is the best engine transmission combo and from what donor vehicle
> should it be from for a CJ. Should I plan on keeping the Dana 300 and
> adapt it to the donors transmission? I would like a nice reliable daily
> driver with around 250hp from a small block and would like to do it all
> for under $3000.00
>