I got a question, the people on the AMC forum didn't quite like it, so I am asking here. I found a late 70s jeep Wagoneer with 56,000 miles on it, rust free, but vandalised,= all glass busted out. I found it and it's pretty cheap considering. It has an AMC 360 with a 400 trans. I want to pull the motor so I can put it in my Javelin. How hard is it to instale the 350 Buick in the Jeep? I know the trans won't bolt up to the Buick. Anything else? Is it worth it. Jeep is $800
Read up on the Jeeps with a Buick heart beat forum. Jeeps came factory with a 350 buick some years and I believe there is adaptor plates for the trans. I plan on doing it to my J-10 in the future.
I knew they were in the earlier 70s Jeeps but didn't know if the engine bay was different. I plan on rebuilding the 360 anyways. Unless I could find an AMC 360 cheaper locally i might go that route. As I really don't need the Jeep, even though it would be a nice Daily Driver
Jeep used Buick 350s from 68 to 71(?) my 73 has an AMC 360 and a TH400. Both the Buick and AMC motors used adapters between the block and the Nailhead Th400 trans. Some FSJ guys think the Buick 350 was the best motor for the big Jeeps, some are devoted to the 401. The trans in your 78 should be a later version TH400 with AMC bolt pattern and no adapter. The most direct way to plant a Buick 350 in your Jeep is to swap out the trans for a BOP TH400, preferably with the 4x4 output shaft already installed. Motor perches, trans crossmember, all the expected parts for an engine transplant, it can be done, the engine bay didn't really change much over the years. You can do pretty much anything your wallet will allow. Firewall is deep enough for a straight six. If you buy the Jeep, head over to IFSJA and the FSJN sites. http://www.ifsja.org/index.html http://fsjnetwork.com/forum/index.php
Might? be able to source you glass inexpensively here in the borderland U pull it yards if you do buy the thing. OOPS just noticed thread is a year old. Did you buy the Wagoneer?
The side facing up almost looks like the pattern you'd bolt an AMC bellhousing transmission to. The starter bump out is in the right place for sure. But the bolt holes don't look exactly right. Perhaps it's the "universal" bellhousing GM used on the TH400 for a few years.
The dowel pins are offset to match up to the AMC block. It is a bit different to see without having the AMC and Buick side by side.
There you go that adapter plate is half the battle and I have a solution for the other half of the issue being engine mounts. The pedestal style mounts on those jeeps are not ideal I would weld in one of these kits, I have a spare new kit here I could sell for less than new: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Buick-V6-Motor-Mount-Crossmember,3272.html http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Buick-V6-Motor-Mounts,37154.html Use an angle finder to determine the current transmission angle. remove the old engine, drop the buick 350 in and bolt it up to the trans and then set the trans back to the same angle and mount this kit so the engine sits in the right spot.
