Area51Werks Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 We have a 91 shorty with a high pinion front and a 44 rear. So far all I did was put a plow and a trailer hitch on it. I am getting to a place where I'm thinking we could use a larger engine. We have a 95 6 cylinder HO now. Here's one question: We have a floor shift auto trans. It is an overdrive auto. My question is what type of auto trans is it? And will it bolt up to any Chrysler V8's? 318 or 340? I can fab mounts and wire in F.I. I just would rather keep the trans as is and bolt it to a V8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 What makes you think you need a larger engine? The Jeep 4.0L is known for producing lots of torque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area51Werks Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Ya, Either I'm not used to they way the engine works or it's weak compared to a modern F.I. V8. The trans downshifts a lot when climbing inclined sections of freeway even without a trailer. I will need to pull a car trailer at highway speed and I think the way the truck is now it would kill the 6. I want 300+ hp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 a car trailer with a car on it? what size tires do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Ya, Either I'm not used to they way the engine works or it's weak compared to a modern F.I. V8. The trans downshifts a lot when climbing inclined sections of freeway even without a trailer. I will need to pull a car trailer at highway speed and I think the way the truck is now it would kill the 6. I want 300+ hp. Buy a Ford F250 ... or F350 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Ya, Either I'm not used to they way the engine works or it's weak compared to a modern F.I. V8. The trans downshifts a lot when climbing inclined sections of freeway even without a trailer. I will need to pull a car trailer at highway speed and I think the way the truck is now it would kill the 6. I want 300+ hp.Buy a Ford F250 ... or F350 This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area51Werks Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 So no one modifies their MJ here? I see lifted trucks beat to hell here. I have a single axle car trailer for pulling my Porsche. I'm not into junk. Looking for a cool truck with more power. Is this a stock truck site only? Interesting and friendly reply from a moderator... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 There are plenty of non stock trucks here. I have a V8 in one and the other is a 97 converted truck. You will not receive bad advice from people here. If you want bad MJ tech go to Cherokee Forum or Facebook. You will also not receive advice on towing a car on a trailer with an MJ. They are far too light and the toad will push it off the road. If you want to tow a car get a real truck. Have a nice day. (There is your friendly reply from a mod) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area51Werks Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Back to the topic. What trans do I have and will it bolt to a V8? You didn't answer my question just gave me the breeze. I didn't tell you not to V8 your truck. And my trailer is very light and low. No problems towing it. Not that it matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Read this http://comancheclub.com/topic/39234-towing-with-my-mj/?fromsearch=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 AW4, no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc. Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 If you said tire size or gear ratio I missed it. If the trans is down shifting more than you like my first guess is axles need to be re geared.? I assume you don't pull with it overdrive. Basically no truck should pull a loaded trailer in overdrive. Maybe towing a car on a trailer isn't the best idea, but then again if the trailer is light, and the car is light, and you got it balanced right, maybe it's just fine. You are the judge there. If you buy a "real truck" don't buy a ford, buy a Chevy, why you would need a 250 or 350 to haul a little Porsche is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 I towed a light car trailer with a light car on it -- once. I towed it with a short wheelbase Comanche. It was a one-time event because I was moving the vehicle for a friend. Short trip, no highway involved. Scariest thing I've ever done. Shelbyluvv mentioned the trailer pushing the tow vehicle off the road, and he wasn't kidding. The MJ is just not heavy enough to be used for this kind of duty on a regular basis. Beyond that, although the back of an MJ has a frame, it's a fairly light duty frame. It carries a decent payload in the bed, but it's not made for pulling heavy loads regularly. A small utility trailer for a lawn machine -- no problem. A car trailer with a car on it? Not a good idea. The shortbed just makes it worse. As to V8s, look through the project discussion area and you'll find that a number of people have done V8 swaps. Cooling is an issue with V8 conversions. Also, the front end of an MJ is unibody -- put a big V8 in there and start pulling heavy loads, and I very much expect that the unibody will get twisted out of shape. Hence ==> Buy a Ford F250 ... or F350. You have to remember that the MJ is a small, might to medium duty pickup. It wasn't designed or built to compete against full-size or even mid-size trucks, it was created to compete against the S-10 and Ranger class of truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 That's a long thread with lots of arguing. Factory tow package on an MJ is rated at 5000lbs. ChryCo wouldn't have stuck that in the owner's manual if it wasn't repeatable or would cause the legal problems down the road. That's with an aw4, tranny cooler, d44, and a receiver hitch. Trailer brakes were probably on that list too. Bear in mind also that was with all new parts, but that your truck is 25 years old. Make sure all your suspension, drivetrain, and brakes are still in good condition. If you're looking to pull more than 5000lbs, horsepower won't be the solution to the problem. That number is based on far more of the package than just the engine. I've pulled a couple disabled cars at the end of a strap with my '91 300,000 mile 4.0/aw4 MJ. Last one was 4500 lbs. I wouldn't say there was a horsepower problem at all to get the mass moving. Obviously it was going to be a bit slower, but it wasn't painfully so. Even without an extra tranny cooler I wasn't noticing excess heat either. So would you need a v8 for towing? Absolutely not. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be sweet to have. I would totally go for power in my MJ. I just need to get the brakes and suspension sorted out first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area51Werks Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks for the replies. the truck is a 91 and has a high pinion front, D44 rear swap with 4:56's/ 31" tall tires, fresh suspension, new ball joints, I just had both the front & and rear diff's rebuilt with new bearing and a new posi clutch pack, New shafts all around. The truck has a fresh 95 4.0 HO 6. I have cruised some of the builds here but it doesn't directly answer my original tech question in the tech forum about my truck. 1) Can anyone tell me what type of OD trans I have B) And if it bolts to any of the jeep/Chrysler V8 engines? I agree about the ability to tow 5000lbs. But I want to get there this month. I used a V6 Ford Ranger to tow my trailer to California and back. Car weights at 2000lbs., trailer is about 1000lbs. tops. It got me there and back but I worked that truck to death. Anyway. The question was about the transmission not the towing. That was a side bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 I did answer your questions, AW4 trans, no it will not bolt to any V8s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 add the dual brake booster mod to your list too. :thumbsup: 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