[Amc-list] Late engine/trans into earlier body...(83 Spirit running gear into a 1963 Breadbox); Gracie Starter update

["Jerijan" <jerijan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings All..

 

I have decided that I'd like to consider 'dropping' my Spirit engine and 4
(or 5?) speed floor shifting tranny into my Breadbox convertible 'lock,
stock, and barrel'; The 258 is one bulletproof, super tuff engine; reliable
yet cheap to run.with the 2bbl and it oughtta get fair gas milage with an
'overdrive' tranny.

So.the question is this: Straight out of the Spirit, what is involved in
getting this into the Breadbox with the least amount of modificiation and
work?

I assume there will be some issues: the engine (258) is physically larger
than the ol' 196.  Both are are standard by 'birth' and I've all linkages
from both.

 

So, what is involved in this, what has to be switched, etc, etc.  

Starter and alternator from the 'new' one (and wired accordingly).carb, of
course.  Radiator?  These interchange pretty well, but it's positioning is
my concern.

Where would this engine mount and what is necessary to mount it 'there'
(wherever that is)?  Driveshaft?  Cut and splice?

I kind of think this changeover should not be too huge a project.  I don't
want to alter anything that is hard to undo (like cutting huge holes here
and there for whatever.  I reckon there might need to be a hole in the floor
for the stickshift (since the Breadbox's is on the 'tree').  This I don't
mind.if it takes a 'special shape', I can cut it clean from the spirit and
splice it into the breadbox and keep the breadbox's should anyone ever want
to replace it.

 

If this isn't a huge involved project, I want to get it underway right soon
for Spring has Sprung and it's 'top down time'!

 

Please reply to jerijan@xxxxxxxxxxx and jerijan@xxxxxxxxxxx as I do not
receive the AMC list still (on both computers!  Wonder why??).

 

I am anxiously awaiting this information as I really want to get this done!

 

Thanks in advance, as always,

Jerijan

 

(Update: Starter on Gracie.  Done.  Could not acquire a starter at
reasonable cost and speed, so I took the disassembled bones of a V-8 Delco
M-10, and put the shaft from the original Gracie starter into that armature
(Gracie's starter is just about an inch shorter than the V-8).  The six
needs it's own mounting end (the 8's is different).so the Armature shaft,
the rear end, and the solenoid are Gracie's, the rest is from the V8 (and
those parts were quite 'like new').  So I have a super good starter which
starts Gracie faster than she ever did (telling me the starter was 'failing'
long ago and just kept working inspite of it's being quite wasted!   Good
Ol' AMC!  Incredible how bad the parts can be and still function (for
example: My Daughter's '76 Gremlin had a minor skip for a long time, but
always started, ran, and acted like the Everready Bunny.going and going and
going and..  When the engine stalled one day two blocks from home and would
not start, we dragged the Gremmie home.and we knew it was 'engine time' (we
were planning to do that anyway); then disassembled the camshaft had ONE
cylinder's worth of good lobes, five cylinders were of various 'wastedness'.
Some cylinders had nigh unto zero compression.  But.it ALWAYS started.  This
included WINTER when the temp was below zero.  Why did it run?  I don't
think it 'should have', but it did.  Daughter says 'Gremmie likes me' and
that's the best I can come up with.  But Gracie's starter also should not
have worked judging by it's condition.but it did.  So our 'Rides' are just
so 'bulletproof' they seem to move along just form all the momentum  from
all it's years.maybe?  But who knows.they just go and go and go and go
and..well, you know.)

 

Jj

 

 

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