Jeep 4.0 in 69 Barracuda

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JohnFM3

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Location
Sumner, Wa
So last month I bought a 69 barracuda fastback from a guy on here. I am totally stoked on it and looking at engine swaps. In the end, I plan on a 265 Hemi inline 6, which will be based on the Jeep 4.0L fuel injection. I was going to throw a slant 6 in to get it running, but then last weekend I came across a screaming deal on 2 Cherokee's that I will be buying.

Both 4.0Ls, 1 4wd and 1 2wd. While I would consider a 69 awd barracuda would be totally bad, I don't have the financing to even consider that kind of project. But a fuel injected jeep 4.0L with the 2wd AW4 tranny and matching Chry 8.25 with 3.55 gears would make for a fun car. And the fuel injection harness and ecu would be in place for when I swap over to a 265.

So now I am looking to see if anyone has considered this to pick their brain and consider gotchya's in this kind of conversion.

I am also looking to see if I can run a CJ 258 belly pan which if I recall has the oil pick up in the rear and not the middle. With this, I may be able to just cut off the engine mount points on the slant six K frame and build for jeep engine. I know K Frame changes are needed. There are no options for me to purchase, I may have to build it myself. I do have the V8 K-Frame in the car now, and the prior owner sold me a slant 6 K-Frame as well.

This will not be the official build thread, I am just doing some brain storming and asking around. I will post a link to a official build thread when I start later this year. I still have a YJ (wrangler) to swap the engine in first... :D
 
Would you be wanting to run a hood...??

You may find the upright 6 to be a bit tall,, they put slants in for a reason,, may have been to accommodate the long stroke,, but check the height.. jmo
 
My buddy did that whole 4.0L/auto swap into his Gremlin. Cool deal really. Pretty straight forward too. He used the Jeep's gages and floor shifter too. I have no idea how it might go into an A body, but I know they had at one point a 360 mopar in a gremlin too... So I think the oil pan designs might be similar.
 
My buddy did that whole 4.0L/auto swap into his Gremlin. Cool deal really. Pretty straight forward too. He used the Jeep's gages and floor shifter too. I have no idea how it might go into an A body, but I know they had at one point a 360 mopar in a gremlin too... So I think the oil pan designs might be similar.

Put a 401 AMC into Gremlin for a customer,, very quick, hooked amazingly well...!.!
 
Would you be wanting to run a hood...??

You may find the upright 6 to be a bit tall,, they put slants in for a reason,, may have been to accommodate the long stroke,, but check the height.. jmo

That's kind of my concern. I am hoping that since the 265 hemi fits under the hood (which is my end goal) that this would. I am also considering other way of getting around that such as building a custom tubed K-Frame.

I have been searching for anyone who has done this conversion, or even considered it. And if I don't find anyone, then I guess I will be trail blazing on this one and documenting the hell out of it.
 
The 4.0 F.I. 6 in my 91 4WD Cherokee was one of my favorite engines of all times. Had a T-5 trans and it was a great combo. Rated at 200 HP. It would just idle along in first gear traffic like it was an electric motor. 200,000 miles and only thing I replaced was the PS pump and the hydraulic throw out bearing.
I've thought about what it would be like to swap into another car and as another has said, hood clearance may be an issue in an a-body. But hell...it's F.I. and wouldn't know if it was slanted to the right :)
 
Hey, I hit F5 and more responses showed up that I didn't respond too... Thanks guys.

Regarding the hood, I would buy a fiber glass pro stock hood if need be have a raised middle if the original metal hood wont work... :) Really don't want to destroy a 67/68 hood which is the style I want to run with.

Moper: Yeah, I love the 4.0L. I have had 2 Cherokees, and my wrangler all with that mighty motor. And with the H.O. version (vs the renix) its even simpler. The great thing about the YJ ecu and wiring setup I have is I can go with AutoMeter gauges.

The thought is to go with a painless wiring harness for the whole car, then just run the Jeep ECU and engine harness as a stand alone harness setup. Hesco sells the harness already trimmed down, so I may just trade in mine to save the core charge and get one. Just add 12v and switched power.

To All: Does any one have a slant six in an A-Body they can get some measurements from? I would like to compare to the 4.0.

I am so hoping this works out. What I don't know is if I can make use of a A-Body K-Frame or if I get to learn how to build a tubed k-frame. And I am interested in learning to do that. Can not be any different than the custom builds I have done on my jeeps. Just need the tools which means a reason to tell the wife I need to purchase a tube bender :-D

What I am stoked to hear is no one dawging the thought. I am totally going to be moving forward with this.

I didn't see a custom engine thread location. I wonder where I should post questions like this and the build thread? Any advice on where I should post this kind of thread? I chose the slant six threads for the obvious reason, its a 6 cyl. I want to install.
 
Measurements would be even cooler if printed on a few pictures of a engine compartment with the engine in.

I am sorry to ask for that, I don't have a slant 6 and tranny to install so I can get ref measurements to start with.
 
In the end, I plan on a 265 Hemi inline 6, which will be based on the Jeep 4.0L fuel injection...While I would consider a 69 awd barracuda would be totally bad, I don't have the financing to even consider that kind of project.

Where are you finding an affordable 265 Hemi 6? The crate engines start at around $4300 before shipping - no idea how much shipping costs. AWD might be cheaper?

re: the size topic that comes up in another reply, I've read that the 265 Hemi is about 3.5" longer than the slant 6.

If you do it, keep us posted!! I've wanted to see one running here someday!
 
Where are you finding an affordable 265 Hemi 6? The crate engines start at around $4300 before shipping - no idea how much shipping costs. AWD might be cheaper?

re: the size topic that comes up in another reply, I've read that the 265 Hemi is about 3.5" longer than the slant 6.

If you do it, keep us posted!! I've wanted to see one running here someday!

A 265 wont be an option for 5 or 7 yrs, I am sure. That will be something after the rest of the car has been restored. The 265 will be something I will buy and build as I want. To purchase a built 265 the way I want it was going to run me $8000 before shipping. Keep in mind I invested $5k in a slant six. spending a little at a time, it can be done. Just a matter of time. but for now, I can get the 4.0L h.o. installed right away. The base block would run me about $1500ish from a guy in Cali for me to start building.
 
This what I have planned for my 70 Duster. But take a crank and rods out of a mid 80's Jeep CJ 258 six and make a stroker. 4.5l is stock bore, .030 over is 4.6l A company called Hesco makes an aluminum head. 300 hp on 91 octane is really easy with the 4.0.
 
Put a 401 AMC into Gremlin for a customer,, very quick, hooked amazingly well...!.!

Bring it!
00N0N_gemom4Y4cQD_600x450.jpg

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/4990996373.html
 
4.5 or 4.6 stroker... Gawd talk about massive low end torque!
 
That's kind of my concern. I am hoping that since the 265 hemi fits under the hood (which is my end goal) that this would. I am also considering other way of getting around that such as building a custom tubed K-Frame.

I have been searching for anyone who has done this conversion, or even considered it. And if I don't find anyone, then I guess I will be trail blazing on this one and documenting the hell out of it.

I thought the problem with the 6 cyl hemi was that the intake/exhaust interfered with the steering on the LHD cars??

Anyways, I can't wait to see what you come up with. I've toyed with this idea a few times.
 
This what I have planned for my 70 Duster. But take a crank and rods out of a mid 80's Jeep CJ 258 six and make a stroker. 4.5l is stock bore, .030 over is 4.6l A company called Hesco makes an aluminum head. 300 hp on 91 octane is really easy with the 4.0.

4.5 or 4.6 stroker... Gawd talk about massive low end torque!

Yeah, I have the parts for a storker in storage. Been collecting for a few years. But if I invest that kind of money and time to build a stroked 4.0L, my Wrangler or Cherokee (both lifted on 32's) would get the engine first. Since this 4.0L probably wont be the final motor for this car.

Sc2ner: I am aware of Hesco, they are also the ones who sell the converted YJ fuel management into a stand alone for any jeep inline 6 which can accept the distributor. Rumor has it, you could even use it on ford an chevy as well. The guy who runs the shop is very knowledgeable.
 
I thought the problem with the 6 cyl hemi was that the intake/exhaust interfered with the steering on the LHD cars??

Anyways, I can't wait to see what you come up with. I've toyed with this idea a few times.

So this thread is a brain storming thread. And I am thankful for all the input, I am sure I will return to this thread from time to time as more brain storming is needed. At the time that I move forward with tearing down the barracuda, I will start a build thread on this. I hope that what comes out of this will be helpful to you in a future build.
 
I thought the problem with the 6 cyl hemi was that the intake/exhaust interfered with the steering on the LHD cars??

Hit submit before addressing this. I don't really know if that is the case. I will need to do more research in that. But even if it is, I could go hydro ram steering. No its not legal for road use, and I would be fined heavily if it was found to be the cause of an accident. But Semi's only have that (as I understand it), and I know jeep owners who remove the steering box an attach a ram on the front axle. So even if the steering box was an issue for the 265, its just another excuse to make more modifications... lol
 
I played with Jeep 4.0's a lot in highschool, cousin had an 87 and a 91, we beat the crap out of em, rolled one, twice, ramped a 6 foot ditch once, still ran and drove....

I'm not sure about length or width, but that 4.0 is TALL. To even fit in an A body, you're probably looking at running at least a 4 in crowl hood or similar, that's if you modify the brackets to drop the motor down as far as you can. Probably going to need cut the firewall back some too.

Neat idea but it's going to take a ton of work to make it fit.
 
Put a 401 AMC into Gremlin for a customer,, very quick, hooked amazingly well...!.!

His other Gremlin is the one I did the paint and body on... It's a 360, mild cam and 175hp N2O plate, AMC auto trans, and Ford 3.73 8.8 rear with 4 wheel discs. Without the bottle the tires are useless...lol. Hasn;t racer it at the track yet, no tried sticky tires and as it is it's a handful.
 
I'm not sure about length or width, but that 4.0 is TALL. To even fit in an A body, you're probably looking at running at least a 4 in crowl hood or similar, that's if you modify the brackets to drop the motor down as far as you can. Probably going to need cut the firewall back some too.

Neat idea but it's going to take a ton of work to make it fit.

I just got off the phone with AJE Racing. They understand the issues I am facing and think they can assist in a custom K-Frame. Though I wanted to use a factory hood, I may have to consider (as you suggest) a fiberglass cowl induction hood just for valve cover clearance. Hopefully AJE can help me lower the engine down some with the K-Frame. Just means that this car will have to sit stock ride height.

I am cleaning the garage this weekend from the Jeep project I am just finishing up. After which my barracuda is getting pulled in so I can start looking at this and taking measurements. The jeep project I finished entailed converting my sisters 89 YJ from a 4 Cyl with GM throttle body injection to a 94 4.0L H.O. with Chry batch fire multiport fuel injection. Which required cutting and relocating the frame side engine mount locations.

Since this car is going to be powered by Jeep, it may as well have the jeep moto applied...

"Built, Not Bought"

Thanks everyone, I am sure with guidance from everyone this will turn out to be B.A.
 
where you at in Sumner? I'm in Puyallup, right off Valley Ave. Your only a few miles from me. Nice to see another Mopar guy in the area.
 
where you at in Sumner? I'm in Puyallup, right off Valley Ave. Your only a few miles from me. Nice to see another Mopar guy in the area.

I am in Bonney Lake just on top of the hill. Instead of going up hwy 410, take the exit an go up S Tapps as if your going to the back side of the lake.

Agreed, its always nice to meet others in the area.
 
Hit submit before addressing this. I don't really know if that is the case. I will need to do more research in that. But even if it is, I could go hydro ram steering. No its not legal for road use, and I would be fined heavily if it was found to be the cause of an accident. But Semi's only have that (as I understand it), and I know jeep owners who remove the steering box an attach a ram on the front axle. So even if the steering box was an issue for the 265, its just another excuse to make more modifications... lol

Well here is a pic of a hemi 6 in an RHD car:
265_hemi_vh_charger.jpg


It looks like the carbs/intake would hit a power brake booster.(maybe a hydro boost, manual brakes or a remote booster swap?) And the full length header would get in the way of the steering box.

However, a cherokee exhaust manifol might be able to be modified to work around the box:
52233-lg.jpg


The intake is the big mystery. Obviously we don't if its wider or narrower than the hemi 6 intake/carb setup. However, even if it did get in the way, you could possibly do like the 240z guys when they convert their L28's to efi.(w/o the later efi manifold)
maxresdefault.jpg
 
I just got off the phone with AJE Racing. They understand the issues I am facing and think they can assist in a custom K-Frame. Though I wanted to use a factory hood, I may have to consider (as you suggest) a fiberglass cowl induction hood just for valve cover clearance. Hopefully AJE can help me lower the engine down some with the K-Frame. Just means that this car will have to sit stock ride height.

I am cleaning the garage this weekend from the Jeep project I am just finishing up. After which my barracuda is getting pulled in so I can start looking at this and taking measurements. The jeep project I finished entailed converting my sisters 89 YJ from a 4 Cyl with GM throttle body injection to a 94 4.0L H.O. with Chry batch fire multiport fuel injection. Which required cutting and relocating the frame side engine mount locations.

Since this car is going to be powered by Jeep, it may as well have the jeep moto applied...

"Built, Not Bought"

Thanks everyone, I am sure with guidance from everyone this will turn out to be B.A.


Before spending money on AJE racing crap, you need to do some serious research on the reviews on their products for mopars.... tons and i mean tons of absolutely horrid reviews by people who have used them.
 
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