77 Cherokee T-18 into a '74 CJ5??

I have the option to buy a rebuilt T-18 that came out of a 77 Cherokee with bell housing and listed as having the Texas Bolt Pattern. The thing hasn't sold in a while so the price is dropping ($400 OBO). I have tried to look around to figure out what it would take to put into my '74 CJ5 with 258, T14 as of now, D20 with Tom Woods rear shaft.

Does anyone know if this will bolt up or if I need special adaptors? Would this require a new rear shaft due to tranny length differences?

Sorry if this has been covered, but the SEARCH is failing me, or I should say I am failing at searching and finding a definitive answer.

Thanks,
Scott

 

Lots and lots of coverage of this in the past.

Use GOOGLE not the native search engine: http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&...termediate+AMC+V8+nickmil&fp=f05d2ab524568127

Mmm, $400 isn't that cheap really. I'd offer $250.

Yes, you can make it work.

If it was from behind a 258 6-cylinder (unlikely), it will just bolt up (and would be worth the $400 asking price - but I'd want the bell and bell adapter with it). But these cars are much less plentiful than the V8 versions. If it was behind a V8, it won't just bolt in. You'll need to adapt the front side to the engine. Buy a new input shaft from Parts Mike (or scrounge a Ford T-18 input shaft from the wrecking yard) and use the Jeep T-150/T-176 bellhousing.

There are other ways to make this work, but I don't want to write a book. Do some reading of old threads and the Novak site and it will become clearer.

Yes, you will have to change both driveshafts. You will have to move the crossmember. You will have to build a new mount for the transmission. You will need to cut your floors and build new higher floors to clear the transmission. Hardly a bolt in operation. But worthwhile.

 

You don't have to cut floors...you can fab a new floor plate (the small one) that is over the transmission.

Mine fit okay using the existing floor plate's, until I got to the one that sits directly over the trans and the stick for the xfer case.

 

hmmm, I have a fiberglass tub, so re-doing floors doesn't sound that fun to me. Seems like it is too much work for what I use the Jeep for (mostly tooling around on weekends, with 1-2 offroading trips a year). I just figured if it was not too much work I would go for it.