Specifications

CONVERSION APPLICATION SUMMARY
JEEPS 1987 & Newer
1987-99 JEEPS CHEROKEES (4WD):
The Chevy V6 & V8s are very popular engines to swap into 4WD Cherokees 1987-99. We do not offer any conversion components
if your vehicle was originally equipped with a Chrysler V8. The conversion kits we offer are for replacing the 4 cylinder, 2.8 V6, and
the in-line 6 cylinder engines. We have a complete line of bellhousing adapters to retain any of the original stock automatic or manual
transmissions. We also offer a full complement of transfer case adapters, adapting to many of the Ford & Chevy transmissions.
A. Stock Manual Transmissions: If your vehicle was equipped with a 4 cylinder engine, the transmission would be an AX5.
This 5 speed is considered to be a light-duty transmission. We offer a full bellhousing kit to mount this transmission to either a Chevy
V6 or V8 engine.
If your vehicle was equipped with an in-line 6 cylinder, the transmission would be a Peugeot 5
speed (1987-89), or an AX15 5 speed transmission (1990 & newer). The Peugeot is a very light-
duty transmission and should be replaced when doing an engine conversion. The AX15 is a good
& reliable transmission. It has an excellent gear ratio and is ideal for V6 & V8 conversions. This
transmission is one of the only newer Jeep manual transmission capable of handling the engine
torque of a V8. We offer a full bellhousing kit, P/N 712567, to retain this transmission to a Chevy
engine. Please refer to the 1987 & Newer Stock Transmission & Bellhousing Adapter section for
more information.
B. Stock Automatic Transmissions: If your vehicle was equipped with a 4 cylinder or
2.8L V6, the transmission would be a Torqueflite 904. Retaining this automatic is not
recommended when installing a V8. If your vehicle was equipped with a 6 cylinder, the
transmission would be a Torqueflite 999 or a AW4. The 999 transmission works great with
either the Chevy V6 or V8 engine conversions. For more information on retaining these stock
automatics, refer to the 1987 & Newer Stock Transmission & Bellhousing Adapter section.
C. Exhaust: The engine compartment on these vehicles is very restrictive. We do offer some
exhaust headers which only fit when installing or retaining an automatic transmission. For a
V8 application, use Part No. 717053, and on a V6 application use Part No. 717056. If you want to use stock manifolds, the following
are some suggestions:
Chevy 4.3 V6 Manifolds off of a 1980 3.8L Monte Carlo (for smog-legal vehicles)
Chevy 4.3 V6 Manifolds off of a 1978 3.8L Malibu Classic (for non-pollution control vehicles)
Chevy V8 Manifolds off of a 1982 & newer low-performance car application
D. Radiator: The stock radiator is not normally sufficient to cool the newer engine. We do not offer a custom radiator for these
vehicles. We recommend having a custom radiator made. When retaining your stock automatic transmission or swapping to another
automatic, thought should be put into proper cooling for the transmission.
E. Driveshafts: On V6 & V8 engine conversions retaining the stock transmissions, driveshafts modifications may be required.
When upgrading the vehicle with a new engine & transmission, driveline modifications should be expected.
F. Engine Location: The main limiting factor when positioning the engine is firewall clearance. On Chevy engines, it is crucial
to allow proper clearance for the distributor cap. The mounts that we manufacture are a bolt-in application, positioning the block
to allow for this. If a large H.E.I. distributor cap is being used, modifications to the firewall will be required.
The placement of our engine mounts bolt directly to the unibody, replacing the stock motor
mount supports. To obtain proper hood clearance, it is mandatory to position the new engine
lower than stock. This creates interference with the suspension system. To provide adequate
suspension travel clearance around our mounts, a 3” suspension lift is required.
When using a V8 engine, the overall length of this Chevy block may cause clearance issues
with the radiator and grille assembly. A grille assembly off of a later model XJ, equipped with
the in-line 6 cylinder, can provide additional clearance in this area.
1987-96 JEEP WRANGLERS (Chevy V8 with TH350 Automatic):
When the Jeep YJ Wrangler was introduced in 1987, we had many customers interested in Chevy V8 conversions for these vehicles.
Since we did not produce any adapters for this new model, the solution was to purchase a new Jeep Wrangler and swap in a Chevy
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conversion application summary (1987 & newer)