Well, here is what the mighty AMC 2.5L 4 cylinder motor looks like. I was always impressed at how well this motor performed, especially in the rocks, considering it had to turn 36" Swampers and move the most un-aerodynamic vehicle ever produced. This engine had about 135K on it when we pulled it out.

We decided to begin by removing the entire front clip. This would make it easier to pull the entire drivetrain out as well as make it easier for the new drivetrain to slide in.

Here is the front clip after removal

A shot of the jeep without a front clip.

Here is the old drivetrain after removal.

Now that the old jeep drivetrain was out of the way, it was time to pull the engine, tranny & transfer case from the donor vehicle, which was a '95 Heavy Half ton Chevy Silverado with 80K miles on it. We purchased it from a guy in the hills who rolled it going up his driveway. The only damage, besides the front windshield blowing out, was to the bed and part of the back of the cab.

Here is the new engine after a good de-greasing. After debating about stroking it to 383 CI, we decided that leaving it stock was the best bet for now. We wanted to insure that we could get it to pass the smog referee. Due to California's strict emissions laws, we had install an engine the same model year or newer than the year the vehicle was manufactured. The smog referee also requires that all sensors and wiring from the donor truck be installed and operable in the new vehicle.

Now that the new engine was ready to be installed, it was back to the jeep. Dan volunteered to cut off the old engine mounts and grind down the welds on the frame, so there would be no interference from them with the new engine mounts from Novak-Adapt in Utah. Here you can also see Kev doing what he does best...supervising.

Also note Mike's truck in the background. This was when he only had the 6" lift on his truck, and Daniel's Jeep was still higher.

Once the old engine mounts were gone, and the rest of the frame clean, it was time to drop in the new drivetrain. You can see Dan guiding it in carefully to make sure we didn't snag anything.

Rather than spending countless hours cutting and splicing the old Chevy harness into the old Jeep harness, we decided to contact Howell Performance Engineering out of Michigan and have them fashion up a new harness with all new connections. This made for a simple and clean install, and we were able to still incorporate all of the smog equipment from the truck into the Jeep.

For gauges we decided to install all brand new Autometer Carbon Fiber series full sweep gauges. These include: 160 mph Speedo, 10K Tach, Water Temp, Fuel Level, Tranny Temp, Oil Pressure and Voltage. We installed them in a polished aluminum sheet metal for a clean look. Also note the switch and light for the rear E-Locker.

And here is the final result. A smog legal V8 in a Jeep Wrangler that came with a 4-cylinder motor. This is by far the most complicated and technical job we have done to date. It required countless hours of studying wiring diagrams, numerous trial & error engine configurations to get the drivetrain where we wanted it in the Jeep, and a lot of patience as well as funding. In the end, we are very satisfied and wouldn't hesitate to do an engine swap again. The most gratifying part was when the smog referee gave us the State BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) certificate and sticker that indicate we have a smog legal engine conversion.