The jeep say idle in Taylor for 3 months while I worked an internship in East Texas. However, I had big ideas. I did a little research and learned that it was very expensive to rebuild an AMC 304. Even with adding performance parts, the max horsepower I could achieve was around 200. My conclusion: throw away the old engine and install a chevy 350.

Aug 29, 2004: The first step in an engine replacement: pull the old one.

The removal of the fiberglass hood makes engine work very easy. All bolts can be accessed from the side instead of on top.

Fast forward ahead a few hours.

The radiator and engine have been removed. I left the transmission and transfer case in there, but would remove them the following day.

Ryan came to lend a hand.

A shot of the transmission while it was still in the jeep. I was relived to identify it as a T-176, the strongest transmission made at that time. It would be strong enough for the increase horsepower of the 350.