305 in XJ???

[chuckie321]

Hi all... I started a 4.0 rebuild for my '89 XJ, and am patiently awaiting for my crank to get turned and such... Has been almost 2 years since taking it to the mechanic!!! Anyway, my brother has a '86-ish XJ with GM 2.8 V6 that needs a new oil pump and has some other issues... A friend of mine has a Chevy 305 taking up space in his garage, I'm thinking about seeing how well it'd fit in the 2.8 XJ's engine compartment. Has anyone pulled this off? I'm wondering about transmission and such and if say a 350 turbo or a 700R4 and a transfer case is used, will there need to be a custom driveshaft? Any help is appreciated! Thanx...

Brian

[JJ13]

Will it fit??? yes if you are ok at Fabbing
Will it perform better than a 4.0??? On the road
Will it require a custom Driveshaft??? It will require WAY more than that. You wouldn't believe the money you will spend on little "custom" BS. Even if you get the 305 motor for free it will still be cheaper to put a Jeep motor back in. That is a project and a half. In my opinion the rewards are not worth the work in this case. When I was younger I was V-8 crazy. I put em in S-10's 4x4 and 2 wheel drive, I put em in Yotas(yup 2 and 4 wheel drives). I would say find a 4.0 and build it stout if you want some ponies....my 2 cents

[andyr354]

Well, the 2.8 uses the narrow front wheel drive style bellhousing, the 305 uses the standard chevy pattern. You would need a different trans or an expensive adaptor.
Then fab motor mounts, take a BFH to several areas, fab an adaquate cooling system, etc.....

Simplest swap for a larger engine on the 2.8 rigs is a 3.4L from a 90's camero.

[chuckie321]

Thinking about doing that swap... What about just stroking the 2.8 out? Also, do the 3.4's have the same problems with rear mains as the 2.8's did? Thanks

Brian