kilroy26 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Hey everyone I recently purchased an 89 comanche with the eliminator trim. The truck is in need of a new engine and rear. I was looking at putting an AMC 360 into it with a ford 8.8 rear and turning it into something that's a bit more fun to drive. If any of you have tried putting a V8 into one of these I will take all the advice and knowledge you are willing to give. The truck has the 6 foot bed and is 2wd with an automatic trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWoods Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Ive never put a v8 into a comanche but am very familiar with 360's. What is the main goal you are trying to achieve here? If it is higher hp or torque you are barking up the wrong tree. A factory amc 360 with a 4 barrel made about 200 hp and 300 ft/lbs. I wouldnt trade a 4.0 for that any day. If its carburation your looking for check out some 86 and older 4.0's or even some 4.2's. You said something fun to drive is what your looking for but I don't think a 360 is going to provide that without an extreme amount of engine work. Your fuel consumption is going to go from 16-18 mpg assuming you have a 4.0 in your jeep to something along the lines of 10-12 mpg on a very well tunned 360 while getting no noticeable power increases. If you are set on a v8 swap which seems like a poor decision I would really look into a gmail 350 where you can easily get a motor with 350hp and 350 ft/lbs. If youve got some cash to throw around look into a 4.7 stroker motor. High hp comes with higher price tags, including but not limited to transmission upgrades, axle upgrades, plus a huge list of mods for fitting a v8 under your hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy26 Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share Posted December 27, 2015 The main reason I was going with a 360 is that I have a few laying around as I am a fan of the AMC muscle cars. I figure getting one of them off an engine stand and into something is better then them sitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnj92131 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Since you have the engine in the garage, why not go for it. My question is what are you going to use for a transmission? Not sure why so many people want to use the 350 Chevy as a transplant. Just because it is so cheap. Frankly, I think a later all aluminum 5.3 version of the GM/Chevy is a much better choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy26 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Since you have the engine in the garage, why not go for it. My question is what are you going to use for a transmission? Not sure why so many people want to use the 350 Chevy as a transplant. Just because it is so cheap. Frankly, I think a later all aluminum 5.3 version of the GM/Chevy is a much better choice. The engine in question is already mated with a turbo 400 automatic transmission and as to the 350 I think it's because they sell all the adapters and motor mounts and everything else you could possibly need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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