CJ5 w/Factory V6 Wanting to do a 231 Swap

Basically i just bought a 1970 CJ5 with a Factory 225, I was driving it home after i purchased it and the engine threw a rod putting a whole in the block (not rebuildable), There is a guy selling a 1982 231 Even fire that was rebuilt for Cheap, Its a longblock so no pulleys,intake, oil pan, valve covers, no water pump etc. I Have a few questions, Will any parts off my 225 interchange with the 231? like valve covers, oil pan water pump, exhaust manifolds, alternator brackets etc. The reason im going with the 231 is because I can not find a 225 within 400 miles. Any help would be great! Ive searched all over the forums and can't seem to find what im looking for. TIA

 

Where are you located? fill out your profile, some one might be near you. What did the even fire come out of? auto or stick. etc.

 

Updated Profile, And the Buick 231 is a remanufacured engine and was never installed in any vehicle (AC Delco) is the rebuilder.

 

Valve covers will not fit. The flywheel will fit but balanced incorrectly. you would need to have your 225 flywheel balanced to match the 231 as will the balancer. Your timing cover will fit but the timing marks will be off. The pan should not fit as the 231 "should" be metric, different bolt pattern, but you'd have to match them up to be sure. Intake won't match up, distributor from the 225 won't work because it's an odd fire motor and the '82 231 is an even fire motor. You might want to look in the tech section and do a search. There is pretty comprehensive info as to what will interchange and what will not....

 

having peiced together a 225, 231 EF, and 350 to make a working 231 OF anything can be done... it's a pain to do and I would honestly not reccomend it. If you have your heart set though, the 231 EF should work, but you will need the EF flywheel (I have no ideas about the clutch) To make it into an OF you'll need a crank, rods, distributor, and cam from an OF (cam from 77-78 231 OF).

As nickmil said the heads and intake will not change out, the 231EF will have a different carb that will not interchange (at least it didn't on mine), the valve covers will not interchange and the 231 rocker arms are louder and a little more "fragile" looking. I didn't have an issue with the oil pans, but maybe I just got lucky somehow... The motor itself will bolt right in and go once everything else is taken care of.

IMO both should be balanced just to be sure... but that means tearing the motor apart anyway. And at the very least you should replace the bearings in the "rebuilt" motor just to see what the wear is like before you put it in (been there and done that as well...)

 

The heads won't interchange but the valve covers will and so will the intake manifold. The ports aren't a perfect match but at least Offenhauser and Holly manifolds work great on a 225.

 

Might remember that the 231 will have to come from a rear wheel drive vehicle. The front wheel drive block accepts a different bellhousing and is incompatible with the standard BOP bell found in your Jeep.

 

Thanks for all the input and quick response!!! I feel like I will be putting to much money into the 231 idea, the whole reason i even considered this swap is because I can't find a 225 anywhere in my area. another reason why I would like to keep a buick v6 under the hood is because i have no welding skills what so ever and Its the only vehicle i have other then a cj2a that needs alot of work before becoming a streetable rig.

 

Read that entire page, thats what gave me the idea for a 231, hopefully i find a 225.

 

someone mentioned a v6 book- where do I find one?:v6::v6:

 

Google is your friend
http://www.amazon.com/V-6-Performance-Pat-Ganahl/dp/093147213X

There's also a 6-page Buick V6 performance article in Petersen's Complete Book of Engines, 9th ed (1973). There are likely more sources out there.