TH350 behind the 225 Buick

Anyone out in CJ land have any experience with mating the TH350 auto to the 225 Oddfire? I've got a '68 CJ-5 and the wife can't use a manual tranny clutch
anymore due to health issues.

 

I use the 400 because the ones that came out of wagoneers, trucks and Jeepsters bolt right up. All the 350s that I have used required cutting and modifying the pan so that the driveline would clear. You are most likely gonna have to modify your drivelines no matter what you do so dont let that determine the placement of your motor. I usually end up with a 14-16" rear driveline. I have done over a dozen Jeeps with a t-400 without any driveline vibrations, so dont let someone tell you that it is too long!

 

Ok new to the jeep world , what transfer case did you use behind the th350 or 400 tranny?
Thanks

 

Thats the best part about the 400 is that it came with a dana 20 behind it stock. No new shafts for a 350 or any modifications. It is still common to pick up a 400 with a 20 behind it ready to go for a couple hundred bucks.

 

this is a mod I would love to do. My wife has had a few knee operations and the Cj is like a knee killer for her to operate. So any info I could get to put a 350 or a 400 b4hind a 225 and bolting to a D18 would be helpful

 

If you start with the grill and mount up the radiator sized to your engines cooling needs. Next mount the engine with the proper clearance for the fan and presto chango you have a setup with a 14-16" rear driveline. It really is that simple! It will fit, it does work and it can save you hundreds of dollars over an AA adapter, rebuilding a 350 with the short shaft, all for a couple inches.

 

I sometimes forget that moving the motor mounts is probably easier to me then some people changing spark plugs. Its nice to get points from more then one angle.

 

Is there a way to use the Warn overdrive with the 350 conversion?

 

Yes, that would be the worry, shifting the OD, With the manual Tranny you need to disengage the clutch to shift it so I was wondering if anyone had tried using it with an Auto, And if so how they would shift it. I think it would be possible to decide before starting the engine which range you would be using, but sometimes when driving the freeway it can become useful to pull an extra gear out of your hat. Like when that Tacoma will not let you take the lane you want. Sure surprises the bejesus out of them when they find out the power your little 225 has.

 

No problem shifting, just sold a 3b last year with an overdrive on a 18 behind a 350. I was always worried about shifting at speeds, but never had a problem. Around town I ran it in direct and if I was going on the highway I would shift into o/d. Remember that the o/d doesnt give you any more power it just reduces the engine rpm at speed. Herm would be the best contact on what you can and cannot do with an o/d.

 

The TH 400 is indeed a viable option. Other than length and pan size there's one more thing to think about, transfer case options. Using the stock TH 400 Jeep adapter does not allow you to use an 18 transfer case with the lower 2.46-1 gears or do that conversion to a 20 because the spud shaft in the adapter is not a standard 6 spline unit so you can't use the standard transfer case input gear.
With the TH 350 conversion when you buy a Novak or AA adapter they come with the 6 spline spud shaft which opens up tons more options.

 

I have this very set-up as we speak. I have a Warn overdrive that I do indeed shift in neutral. I have never tried it in drive. I used a 4x4 th350 from a chevy and used an adapter plate from jegs since is was cheaper than changing cases. I left the motor mounts in their stock location and moved the trans cross member back into some of the holes that were already in the frame( t98 location maybe?). I then had the rear d shaft shortened to somewhere around 12-1/2" and I had a late model CJ front d shaft shortened for the front. I used a b&m quicksilver floor shifter. I went to the twin stick conversion on my d18 thus not needing to do anything with the shift bracket. BTW I used the novak adapter. Their adapter clocks the tranfer case down a little. I did have to "clearance" my tranny pan a little but I think this was needed since I went to a D44 up front and the pinion location is a little farther inboard of the frame rail than the stock d27 was. I did not use a kick down cable and plugged the whole on the tranny with no ill affects on shifting.

This set-up works pretty well so far.

todd

 

This is one upgrade that I've wanted to address but haven't (I will admit my kids want to drive the CJ, but have NO desire for a stick tranny). As I've gotten older (only 44 now) I've thought about doing a T-350 swap (Chevy or Buick), but my "greed" also wants to keep the Warn OD. Sounds like it's definitely doable; just shift the OD with the tranny in neutral when on the fly... One question I have is what torque converter has been used, and why? Detailed swap pics would be awesome; possibly a tech write-up for inclusion on the site.