AMC 360 SWAP
 

No, not the 5.9 from a limited ZJ. An old school AMC 360 with a carburetor. I have an 86 SJ waggy under the shed with no title and no hope of really going anywhere. I also have under same said shed, a 94 ZJ with a leaky 4.0 thats had work done, but has problems. So, has anyone done a 360 swap into a ZJ?

We only have safety inspections, so that is of no concern. Not worried about MPGs.

Thoughts? Have I completely lost my mind?

I'm an old hotrodder so with enough time and money, anything's possible! I think the only concerns are using a breaker-point ignition and whether the trans will bolt up. I know the 4.0 uses a different trans than the V8 and are they both 4wd? How about the fuel pump? Is the 360 a mechanical? Your max fuel pressure with a carb should be around 7 psi. Anything higher will push the float down.

Can you use the waggy trans? I'm pretty sure the 4.0 and V8 have starters on opposite sides.

This sounds like an interesting swap and without emission restraints should be doable. The 360 will take performance enhancements more easily also. Please keep us informed!

I initially thought of using the 42RE, but have found out that it wont work with the V8. I was hoping to keep OD, but, oh well. So now the thought is to use the whole driveline minus axles. I know its not really a power gain in stock form, but it has potential to be built up. The 360 is mechanical I believe. I work better with carbs than EFI. Both vehicles are 4x4.

It's probably better that you use the waggy trans anyhow because the 42re and whichever trans is used for the V8 is electrically shifted in 3 and 4 and you'd have that problem controlling it. You may need custom driveshafts, but Tom Woods builds anything you need.

I used to rebuild carburetors as a sideline back in the day. I had the knack of making a Quadrojet sit up and talk! I did Rochester 2-jets, Carter WCFBs and AFBs, but I stayed away from Holleys. Much too fussy and leak-prone.

You may not believe this, but my 67 SS Camaro had a Carter Quadrojet on it! I made lots of money from guys who said I didn't, but molded right into the side of the float bowl it said "Manufactured by Carter Carburetor for GM."

It seems in the beginning Rochester couldn't keep up with the production line so sub-contracted them out to Carter. All the parts interchanged perfectly.

Yea, Im thinking doing it fully stand alone is the way to go.

Holleys are a real pain in the arse. We built a C10 with a 454 and twin holleys. That truck would roast the tires in 4th gear. Problem was it got about 2 gallons to the mile... I mostly mess with the motorcrafts on my buddys racecar.

Actually, I like the new Edelbrock 4 bbls. They are a remanufactured Carter AFB, which was my favorite.

So its looking like I will be able to retain my current NP242 which will eliminate the need to fab up linkage and mounts for it as well as let me use the stock speedo. I might also be able to keep my DS as well. It seems that the factory trans shift linkage can be "bent to fit" as well. I also think, after some comparison, I can make the existing throttle cable work as well. Which mostly just leaves motor mounts and the basic sensors (tach, temp, oil pressure). This looks like it might actually work. Of course, I could get the motor set in and go oh ****, nothing is going to work right.


I will be keeping the motorcraft 2150, as it has a good offroad rep