Jester1341 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I finally after years and years have my first MJ! I've had three Cherokees and currently DD a 2000 classic. The MJ I have is an '86 custom: 2.5L, AX4, 4WD. The bed has some rust but the unibody rails and underside of the cab are great. The only con besides the dirty mouse infested interior is the engine apparently blew a HG twice and won't turn now. Question is should I go for another 2.5 for the time being just so I can drive it and gather parts, or should I bite the bullet and jump straight into a 4.0 swap. Originally I wanted to just get another 2.5 because I wanna go HO with an AX15 and new xfer case.(I've also never gotten a straight answer on how hard 4.0 swap in an '86 would be because of the firewall) Any help is greatly appreciated, it's close but this ain't no XJ. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 It would be a lot less work to just put another 2.5l in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester1341 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Agreed, now the '86 is carb'd can I get any 150CI AMC and just swap over the intake components? And the flip side of that is it easy enough to go FI or should I stick to the carb? All of this setup is just get it running for the time being, ill be swapping 'cooler' parts down the road. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 The 86 2.5 should not be carbed. It has TBI which is like a carb, but not. It will already have a renix computer control system for the TBI. If you swap to port injection, you may as well do the 4.0 swap because it will be almost the same amount of work, including all underhood stuff, and all under dash stuff. As far as the 86 firewall issue, I hear it is a minor issue that can be fixed with a few hammer blows in the right spot for a little extra clearance. Your bigger issue will be swapping on the 4.0 core support for the 4.0 radiator. It requires cutting and welding. Youll also need a later model hood when you do this because the latches are different in 86. I say either go for the whole deal, or just get a good 2.5 longblock for the time being. Anthing in between will be a waste of time and money. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Find a good 2.5 and swap it in. As I understand it, a 2.5 block is a 2.5 block no matter the year. This means AMC 2.5 or Chrysler 2.5, it doesn't matter. I would strongly suggest you find a cheap 2.5 and stick in there so you can start enjoying the truck. If you find the 2.5 undesirable, then start collecting parts for a 4.0 or V8 swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester1341 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 It's not carb'd? Oh damn, ok. A friend has a 304 he wants to sell me dirt cheap but I was planning a 4.0HO down the road but as for now I'm pretty set that ill replace the 2.5. I can do some minor welding and fabbing and am a pretty accomplished hammer swinger ;) I will deff post any and all progress once I actually start any work and get some pics to post. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I will have to agree, as much as i dislike even the thought of the 2.5... driving the truck is much more fun than it sitting. So prob pop another 2.5 in and cruise it while you gather the stuff for the 4.0 swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garvin Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Your bigger issue will be swapping on the 4.0 core support for the 4.0 radiator. It requires cutting and welding. Youll also need a later model hood when you do this because the latches are different in 86. You can actually modify the front and still use the stock hood. The top bolt on core support is wide enough where you can still get both of the outside bolts to bolt into the welded nuts. You will have to drop the frame rails slightly though to get the radiator under the hood or lean the radiator back, assuming you have the space to lean it back. It does require a good deal of cutting into the sides to get her to fit. There's a bunch of pictures on how I did it in my build thread and still retained the stock hood. I did go to hood pins after that though since I like the assurance that both corners of the hood are held down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Personally, I would not do a 4.0 swap. If I wanted a 4.0, I would just find an MJ with a 4.0 and call it good. If I were to go to all the trouble for a swap, I'd do a v8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftpiercecracker1 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Personally, I would not do a 4.0 swap. If I wanted a 4.0, I would just find an MJ with a 4.0 and call it good. If I were to go to all the trouble for a swap, I'd do a v8. :agree: . . . . mostly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Just find a good 2.5 and drop it in. I swapped a '94 2.5 from a XJ into a '87 MJ. Sat the two engines side by side and swapped everything that needed to be swapped for the '87 configuration. And as for the capabilities of the 2.5. My DD is a '87 MJ, 2.5, AX4 and it does everything I ask of it, and i've got a heavy foot. Gas pedal only knows two positions. All the way up or floored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Just find a good 2.5 and drop it in. I swapped a '94 2.5 from a XJ into a '87 MJ. Sat the two engines side by side and swapped everything that needed to be swapped for the '87 configuration. And as for the capabilities of the 2.5. My DD is a '87 MJ, 2.5, AX4 and it does everything I ask of it, and i've got a heavy foot. Gas pedal only knows two positions. All the way up or floored. Great minds think alike. :thumbsup: :yes: Stick with a 2.5 for a bit; then collect parts. The 2.5 may not have 177 horses or 190 lbs of torque, but it's still a decently endowed engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester1341 Posted November 29, 2012 Author Share Posted November 29, 2012 finally brought it home(about 2.5hrs) and gutted the interior. carpet and headliner are gone, bench is removed. plan to swap in buckets, but may throw the bench back in for now(even though it stinks) after extensive searching and informing a few people a 'running' 2.5 is NOT worth $600+(one guy was asking $1100+) i've found a guy close enough selling for 150! picking up this weekend. hopefully can't pull the old 2.5 and swap within a few weeks. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftpiercecracker1 Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Good thinking pulling the carpets. :thumbsup: Pete would be proud, BTW how did the floors look? The guy wanting 1100 for a 2.5 is off his rocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I paid $100 for a running 2.5 with all accessories from a guy in Michigan doing a swap. You just need to keep an eye out, and lurk on several of the Jeep forums and youll usually find one pretty quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Don't lose the headliner backer board, they are hard to come by. Even if it is rough they are easily recovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester1341 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Pulled old 2.5 and swapped most of the acc over to the newer one. Oddly enough I was still thinking and thinking about what to swap to(in the future) and I was down to 4.0HO, V8(prob magnum), or a 4BT. Guy I picked the engine up from not only saw the same truck I bought and was going to buy it to swap his 2.5 into, he also pulled the running 2.5 to swap a 4BT into his YJ! Think looked pretty sick! Pretty much made up my mind although its a lot of work(and may get done to another MJ) I think it's what I'm going to aim for, way down the road. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now