All AMC 6 and 8 cylinder engines share the same bellhousing bolt pattern. The straight-six that won't bolt up would be the Kaiser-era 230 "Tornado", but then the Buick 350 was the V-8 of that day...
You may find it surprising to know that a 304 is much harder to find than a 360. The Grand Wagoneer used the 360 exclusively for a very long time (and ended production in '91, so you can still get an AMC V-8 thats newer than your non-HO 4.0s). The 360 was also found in many other Full-size Jeeps like the Pick-up, Cherokee, and Wagoneer.
All AMC V-8s share the same block, only the bore and strokes are different. This means that if you install a 304 and get tired of it, a 401 will drop right in and all the accesories will bolt on. Many internal parts are interchangeable as well, camshafts, crankshafts, bearings, etc. 304 and 360s have the same crankshaft, but a 401 crankshaft in a 360 strokes it out to 385, and a .03 overbore creates a 390.... BTW, the 401 was last used in '78, and came with a forged steel crank and rods from the factory!
As for the motor-mounts.... The driver's side mount is fine, but the passenger-side mount has to be notched. A 4" angle-grinder with a cut-off wheel can do the job just fine. (This is for the CJ/YJs, I'm not sure how different the motor mounts are on the XJ/MJ/ZJs, but it shouldn't be a difficult mod to mount this engine.)
They use the Duraspark electronic ignition system, which is really quite powerful and very reliable (and simple to install, check out my webpage "
Ignition Woes".) Stick some Ford parts on it like the TFI coil and a cap & rotor from a '90s V-8, and it becomes
very powerful.
They have great carberators (MC2100) and there are EFI kits available from MOPAR, Howell, Holley, and
Custom EFIs.
I wouldn't try using the AW-4 behind it because of the electronics invovled, but the TF-999 (used in CJs) and TF-727 (used in full-size Jeeps) are reliable, durable, and best of all- plentiful. Your NP-231 or 242 x-case will bolt right up, as will the NP-208 found in the full-size '80s Jeep Trucks. The NP-208 has a 2.61:1 low range, fixed rear yoke, and 32-spline output shaft! It should be the same size as an NP-228 (which I hear is just the full-time variant of 208).
Since we've just discussed using the engine, transmission, and transfer-case from an '80s FSJ, why stop there? The front and rear D44s under them are almost the same width as mid-size Jeeps (2" wider I think). Front axles newer than '85 don't have any vacuum crap on them (due to the change from the NP-229 to 228 x-case). They have the common 6x5.5" lug pattern, so finding cheap (or even cheaper,
used) rims is easy. The drive flanges can be removed and manual-locking hubs bolted on.
But then, I'm a bit biased. I think a Full-size Jeep drivetain should be in any Jeep that sees more use than daily driving.
I know what your thinking- how could all this be cheaper than rebuilding/stroking the 4.0? Well, how often do you find '80s Grand Wagoneers with rusted out bodies for sale for less than $1500? Or find them in the junkyards? Maybe you'll find the set-up piece by piece like I did... Keep reading.
I'm doing this swap to my Wrangler. The NP-208 cost me $150 (and I sold my 21-spline NP-231 for $100). The TF-727 cost me $450 $50 shipping from someone on ORC. He just had a $600 HD rebuild done to it and decided not to use it and parted out the Jeep instead. The 360 I haven't bought yet, but there are two that run very nicely at a local junkyard and they want $400 a piece for them, all accessories included. The D44s were $150 each at another junkyard, and had 3.31 gears in them (better than the 3.07s in my stock axles). Granted, I spent a lot of money getting new 4.10 gears, carriers, installation kits, and EZ-Lockers for them.
'89 Comanche, '89 Wrangler, '74 Postal
Re: V8 swap using AMC V8? 
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