CJ 258 question

On a local buy sell forum near me a guy is selling a 258 out of a 77 cj7. I'm just about to install the 134 but its got me wondering. If I can pick this up cheap enough is it an easy install? Will I have to move much around or will it bolt right in?
Would be going into a stock 65 cj5.
Thanks!!

 

258 is too long to easily fit under the hood of an early CJ

 

If you look where the bottom of the front fender meets the tub, the late fenders are 3" longer. The entire nose was extended to fit the 258.

 

Thanks for the info, I'm going to give it the pass!

 

There's a reason V6's or larger I 4's are put in old Jeeps. I've seen pictures and actually one old Jeep in person that someone swapped a 258 into. Not images I want to recall. Sometimes on Ewillys someone is selling 2A or something with a Studebacker flat head 6 or a little Ford I6. They don't seem to show how much they had to chop up the body to get them in.
Even a SBC would be easier to get under hood.
I should have checked out "that' one Jeep a bit closer, a Buick 445 Wildcat motor stuffed in there.

 

Yeah, forget putting any inline 6 in a '71 or earlier. Too long. It can be done, but there's no good reason to take on so much more trouble.

The Studebaker was popular in the 50s because Studebaker also used the T-90. No adapter. Firewall must be pushed back, and the engine extends under the cowl slightly.

The 144/170/200 Ford sometimes was used because (I believe) it has the same bell that the Pinto 2000/2300 swaps use. So it can be used with a simple plate adapter. It's also the shortest of the widely available domestic inline 6s. But it still won't go in without pushing the firewall back.

Today there are so many better options. The junkyards are full of Chevy 4.3L V6s. Other V6s from GM, Ford and Chrysler could also be adapted. There are several modern domestic 4-cylinders that would work (AMC 150?). Lots of Chevy and Ford V8s have gone into Jeeps... not as easy as the V6s or I4s, but still much less hassle than an inline 6.

Sorry for piling on ... but I got started writing. Hope this helps!

 

Right idea - the wheelbase is 3" longer. The front clip is actually 5" longer. This means that big front tires will typically catch the back edge of the front fenders when stuffed, rather than the front lip or corner.

 

I remember that on my 77

 

I stuffed a 232 (same size as a 258) in a short fender CJ5 years ago by using the extended (UGLY) postal grill shell. It worked and that is what the customer wanted. That Jeep actually drove suprisingly well and had a great low-end pull.
-Donny