[BsOt]

I'm thinking of buying an older CJ with a 304V8...What can you tell me about these engines? Reliability, fuel consumption, etc...or should I stick with a I6?

Barry

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88 4Runner SR5/PMS

[This message has been edited by Barry Sotham (edited February 18, 2002).]

 

[yuhave bigJeep]

I had an '80 cj 7 with a 304 in it, it was a pretty good running motor, as long as you change the oil often it will last a long time. The 304 has pretty good power and is of course harder on gas than the 6 but it wasn't bad if it is tuned properly and you don't have a heavy foot.

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89 yj major cash pit

 

[Jeepasaurus]

I have an 81 CJ5 with a rebuilt 304 V8 I have it on 33-12.5 tires so the comsumption is up a bit. On my 31-10.5s I made a 400 km trip using up just over a 3/4 tank of gas my tank is 50 L one so I guess thats about 10 L per 100km. The engine is great though, lots of power and easy to work on, everything is accessable from under the hood

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Blue 1981 CJ5 33X12.5 tires
*Damnit, anyone see where that door went?"

 

[MikeCj5]

I agree. I have a 360 in my Cj5 and it really isn't that much more expensive to run than my Cherokee(4L I6 H.O.). I only run it on 94 octane gas and $20 would last me a couple of days bombing around town and driving to work and back.

If you keep a good maintenance schedule the engine will give you gobs of extra power when you want but can still give you good mileage if you drive it with some sense(not that I'm one to talk). It's really fun to piss off guys in Mustangs. They hate seeing a set of Super Swampers keeping up to them in their rear view.

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80 Cj5, Met.Grey,360amc, Swampers, Custom 5in. lift, Warn winch,
92 XJ Blue6/6.5" Rubicon, 33" Swampers, engine build up in the works

 

[jeeponrock]

Originally posted by Barry Sotham:
I'm thinking of buying an older CJ with a 304V8...What can you tell me about these engines? Reliability, fuel consumption, etc...or should I stick with a I6?

Sigh... OK I'm going to avoid the obvious opportunity for humour here and stick to the topic.

I had the 6cyl in my Jeep when I bought it. Good power, ok fuel economy (when the carb worked right), and it was reliable. I swapped a Chev 350 in and got better fuel mileage (less carb problems), much more power, and better low end grunt. The swap cost me less than it would have cost to rebuild the 6cyl.

Lynn's CJ has the 304. You've seen it work on the trail. Lots of power, good mileage now that the carb is set up correctly. In stock form her drivetrain (304/T176/AMC20/D30) is good for 33" tires. With the T18 in the shop and my D44/D60 combo she could run up to 38's comfortably.

I like her setup because it uses all stock CJ parts. A little more expensive to work on than my Chev/Jeep combo but still cheaper than toyota stuff .

If I was going to buy a stockish CJ my first choice would be a CJ8 (more space). Second choice would be '77-79 CJ7 with the 304/T18/D20. Swap in some lower gears in the D20, add one piece rear shafts and a rear locker. It would handle all the local trails.

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Jon B.
'82 CJ7 Some mods (Hers)
'82 CJ7 More mods (His)
'02 Chev 3500 LT D/A

[This message has been edited by jeeponrock (edited February 19, 2002).]

 

[BsOt]

Originally posted by jeeponrock:

Sigh... OK I'm going to avoid the obvious opportunity for humour here and stick to the topic.

I

Thanks for the feedback Jon. I can hardly wait to start ragging those Toyota guy's...LOL

Barry

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88 4Runner SR5/PMS

 

[Dan]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was so good Barry that I feel no need to add my two cents.

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Dan
Herd of Turtles Four Wheel Drive Society

 

[Mark D]

There is always someone who posts the "More money than brains" response.

For this topic, it will be me...
http://www.rancefi.com

My stock AMC V8 has more than enough power, but don't you think it would be fun to drive around with one of these for day?