i need some suggestions...

[andru]

if i have a 77 CJ5 frame and tub, whats the best motor to get that will have plenty of power and is cheap/easy to find?

[92yj]

i would do a diesel if i had the money. 4.0 is a good jeep motor it will last a long time just depends on what you want.

[andru]

thats not what im looking for

i just want something that can do some light to moderate trails and some mud with little need for constant maintenance

[mrchips]

Have you thought of a small block Chevy, it has got the power,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[andru]

thats where im starting to lean

ive asked around a little before now and gotten the same response. so what chevy do i need to pull that oiut of?

[Shadly1]

If you're going used, find a truck... preferrably a 3/4 ton or 1 ton. You'll get some great torque numbers out of that.

If you want to try a crate motor, a 350 Ram Jet is a great one. It's designed for marine use, but that doesn't mean much. It's pretty simple to set up since you can get it shipped complete.

[dirtman13]

ive asked around a little before now and gotten the same response. so what chevy do i need to pull that oiut of?

Welcome to MJR. I got a CJ7 and I put a Vortec v6 in it and it has plenty of torque. IMO I really don’t see the need for a monster v8 in a Jeep. What’s the point? :dunno:My v6 has done just fine and I’m glad I went that route. It’s never had any lack of power plus with fuel prices continuing to rise I got two less cylinders sucking up the gas. There’s a ton of info on the Internet and some good info here. Good luck with what ever you choose.

[Roger]

Is 1977 exempt from smog regulations? If you want to make it street legal, you better look into that.

[Shadly1]

Is 1977 exempt from smog regulations?

Nope. The cutoff is '75

[Roger]

Nope. The cutoff is '75

That's what I thought. . .

[Lawrence]

Nope. The cutoff is '75

Then this wouldn't be legal

If you're going used, find a truck... preferrably a 3/4 ton or 1 ton.

[Shadly1]

Then this wouldn't be legal

Exempt and legal are two very different terms. You can put any engine you want in a Jeep, as long as it's newer than your Jeep and you keep to the new engines smog specs. Smog refs kinda suck though.


I know of lots of guys that have unsmoggable Jeeps that tow them to the dirt.

[Lawrence]

Exempt and legal are two very different terms.

Right, but since a 77 is not exempt, it has to be legal unless the OP wants to green sticker his rig.

You can put any engine you want in a Jeep, as long as it's newer than your Jeep and you keep to the new engines smog specs.

No you can't. If you want the CA BAR sticker, you can only use either a passenger car engine or a 1/2 ton truck engine, since the Jeep is classified as a 1/2 truck. A 3/4 or 1 ton engine won't fly since they have less stringent emissions.

Edit: Since the OP is in WA, the rules may be different up there and less stringent than CA.

[Shadly1]

Right, but since a 77 is not exempt, it has to be legal unless the OP wants to green sticker his rig.



No you can't, you can only use either a passenger car engine or a 1/2 ton truck engine, since the Jeep is classified as a 1/2 truck. A 3/4 or 1 ton engine won't fly since they have less stringent emissions. This was from talking to a referee 2 weeks ago.

True, but... with the exception of the diesel, Chevy branded trucks typically share engine blocks between truck classes. There are only a few exceptions. A 5.7L from a 3/4 ton can be placed in a Jeep because it was used in a 1/2 ton also. It must pass 1/2 ton emmission standards which shouldn't be too hard because 3/4 ton engines are sometimes "detuned" to drop HP and increase low end torque. In this particular case, the Chevy 350 small block(Gen 1) would be the easiest to get through smog because of the extremely wide range of years that engine was used. It can be a '90 Chevy 350 and be smogged as a '77 Chevy 350 in a '77 Jeep. You can't do that with a Vortec though.

It's just not worth it to me to put a different engine in a Jeep for road use. Old Jeeps are slow, but they get respect for being so. All Jeep engines are capable enough off-road.


Edit: Yeah, scratch all that. WA rules are different.