1978 Jeep Cherokee, looking for conversion ideas/suggestions
 

I picked up a 1978 Jeep Cherokee a few months back for $500 that needed a paint job and engine work.

I have been looking at what it would take to make this Jeep a daily driver, and the stock AMC 360 is not going to fair well on gas milage.

I have seen plenty of info on Diesel conversions in Jeep, but I have seen few to none for the Full Size Jeeps.

I had some ideas of what I could do, one extreme build, and another more documented.

I know I could get a Cummins 6bt in it with a little work, I also looked at the Cat 3208 V8 Diesel used in old buses. The problem I have ran into with the 3208, is the Available trannys that can handle the kind of torque a Cat motor will put out. If I do go the way of the Cat 3208, I will upgrade the Transfer case to a heavy duty Atlas, replace the rear diff with a ford 9, and the front with a Dana 60.

I realize this all sounds good on paper, hence the requested input from you vets..

Thanks

I've only ever seen 1 fullsize cherokee done and it was along time ago, The guy had stuffed an 8. something Detroit in it and what a hack job. I would say a 5.9 should fit fairley easily, you should look for a doner truck, a wrecked Dodge or Medium duty series truck with all the parts you need. What trans does it have? A GM 400 or a CHR 727 would handle the 3208 in your application because your not dealing with the weight, you would have tire spin before twistage. the only thing with those trans's would be the low rpm of the motor vs road speed, I think a 3208 only turns around 2400 WFO.:humm:

The Jeep has a TH350 in it right now, but that could easily be swapped for a TH400. I was more leaning towards a Manual Tranny, but have not found one I want yet.

4bt would be a good choice, good fuel mileage and won't be to heavy for the stock drivetrain.

I second that - saw one online and it fit right in there nicely. Sweet conversion.

From what I've read its pretty easy to squeeze a couple of hundred HP out of one and still have a solid reliable motor...

I'd also second the suggestion of using an auto. Much nicer to drive (especially in traffic) and you're going to get such a nice increase in mpg from the diesel anyway, so loosing an mpg or two for the convenience of the automatic is no big loss - unless you're driving three or four thousand miles a month...