Jeep TJ 318 Motor Swap
 

I have...errr HAD, a 97 Jeep Wrangler TJ with a 2.5L 4 cyl, AX5, and NP231...

Last weekend I pulled the 4 banger, 5 spd, and np231 to get my motor swap going

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And I'm starting to prep this 318 out of a 96 Dodge to swap in with a 46re and np231 with a SYE

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The trans plan...

Transmission...46RE out of a 97(I think) Grand ready to go

Transfer Case...Picking up a 23 spline NP231 with a SYE

Driveshafts...

Transfer case will mount back into the stock location allowing me to keep the stock front driveshaft. To keep this build on a budget, I'll be pulling a front driveshaft out of an XJ and shortening it for the rear to use with the SYE.

Motor work...

Previous owner said he was driving and the oil pressure dropped so he shut her down and towed it the last couple miles home. From what I've read, it could be as simple as a clogged pickup or something easy. I'm going to pull the pan and probably replace the rod and main bearings.

Cracked heads seem to be a problem with the 318/360, so I plan on pulling the heads and getting them checked. I may have a simple port/polish job done on them while they are out.

Cam shaft. Its highly likely that I will replace the cam, but we will see what the funds allow.

In order to keep the tcase in the stock location and retain my driveshafts, I'll be using Summit's block hugger headers so I can scoot the block closer to the firewall. I plan on building my own motor mounts. The AA mounts are nice, but I'm on a budget and 150 seems a little steep.

Wiring...

Wiring could be a bit of a tedious task, but it shouldn't be bad. I'm in touch with a couple people that have done the swap, and it sounds like the wiring appears more discouraging than it should be. I have some experience wiring things up, so I don't foresee it being a problem at all.

Here's where I'm at right now.

200 for a trans
200 for the motor
200 for the tcase

Sold my motor/trans/tcase for 500, so I'm only down 100 at the moment. And as far as time goes, it took me half a day to yank the stock drivetrain by myself. Now I just need to start ordering some parts and tear the 318 down to make sure everything looks okay.

Couple notes on suspension. Due to the increased wait up front, I may either jump to 4.5" coils in the front instead of my 3.5" coils, or simply use some coil spacers. I'm also considering a 1" body lift to give me some more room to work. The fenders will be coming off and I'll be doing DIY highlines.

Part of what helped me decide to do the 318 swap instead of a 4.0 and stroking it or anything, was the price for one. The 318 will be a lot cheaper than stroking a 4.0. My buddy just finished stroking his 4.0 to 4.6, and I think he ended up around 3k into it. Comparing the gains of stroking a 4.0 to just swapping the 318 in, I'll have more power, better torque, and my wallet will complain less!

Here's a link to the headers I plan on using:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G9064/

Backwoods offroad and Advanced Adapters also make hugger headers for this conversion, but they are 2-4x the price.

Black Hills,
So what is the deal? Is your Jeep done? Update this thread so we all know what is going on.