Mike S

Moses, thank you so much for your reply. Also, thank you for being so thorough with the information that you provide. I was really hoping for an inexpensive TBI kit that would be legal in Washoe County, mainly because (as I stated before) I am on a very tight budget, and I was hoping to get away with using the factory engine for the time being. The engine seems to run well and appears to have low miles. While I have not driven the Jeep on the street or for that matter haven't driven it any further then around the block. Once I get this Jeep Road worthy, I can determine whether or not I need to do anything with the engine. I have had a few Jeep CJ's with the 258 but they have all been carbureted (and wouldn't pass smog). I really liked the way performed for my needs both on and off road. So, to keep the 258 in the Scrambler with some modern upgrades would be ideal. The problem is that I don't know anything about the engine and don't know how reliable it's going to be, so I really don't want to invest in an expensive set up for it because if it doesn't work out, I'll probably do a complete engine and transmission swap. I am kind of a purest and would prefer to keep it original with minimal up grades. I'm also rational enough to know if I need to spend the money that I should do it right. I know that I could rebuild the factory engine and buy the Howell kit but in reality, that would probably be more costly and time consuming than the engine swap. I have upgraded the axles to Wide Trac with the Dana 44 rear and 4:56 gears so I'm not completely opposed to modifications. While I am a huge fan of the LS motor, I just think it takes too much away from the "Jeep" that the Scrambler represents. I have definitely considered the 4.0 swap and now that will probably be the route that I take. I'm sure that I could do this swap for around the same price that Howell is asking for their kit. The 4.0's are a dime a dozen and a good low miles engine would be easy to refresh. While we're on the subject of the 4.0, can you tell me some of the goods and bads of the automatic transmissions that were used behind these motors over the years? I would really like to have an automatic with an overdrive that would bolt to the 4.0 without adaptors. I don't know much about the automatic that Jeep used but I have owned a few XJ's and a ZJ and never had any issues with the transmission. I should add that I will on occasion be pulling a little Bantam T3-C trailer with a rooftop tent and a camp kitchen set-up. It's not real heavy but it might make a difference as to which transmission to use. I know that I'm asking a lot, and after reading some of your other threads, I look forward to any advice that you can give. Thank for your Knowledge, Mike S.

Hello, first off, I just want to say thank you for thread. It has been very informative. Next, I'd like to ask has anything changed in the couple of years since this thread was written? By this I mean, have any other companies/manufactures come on boards with a C.A.R.B. compliant TBI system for the 80's AMC/Jeep 258? I live in a county in Nevada that requires a smog inspection to register your vehicle. While there are some legal ways around this, they limit you to the miles that you can drive your vehicle and also require you to carry special insurance. I am currently building a 1981 Jeep CJ8 Scrambler. It came from the factory as a "California Emissions Vehicle" with the air pump, solenoids mounted to the firewall, 10 miles of vacuum hoses, etc. I'm building this to be a daily driver and a capable off roader, so I definitely want to convert it to a TBI system for reliability and performance. As Bob95064 stated above, I really like the idea of keeping the original engine and adding the modern upgrades. I have searched the internet and found a couple of other options for TBI kits for this application other than Howell. They appear to have the same components as the Howell kits and in one case, is half the price. I spoke with the company that offers the kit for half the price to see if they knew if their kit would be legal in my county, they told me to contact the DMV for the requirements. I then spoke with the DMV and even showed them the other kit compared to the Howell kit. While the DMV agreed that the kits were nearly identical, they basically told me that because this kit didn't have the C.A.R.B. compliance sticker that stated "it was ok to remove the air pump' that it would not pass their inspection. My question is for Moses Ludel (because it appears in your avatar that you may live in the same county as me), are there any other options for a TBI kit or any other "legal" work arounds (for lack of better words) that you may be aware of? I am on a fairly tight budget as it is in the Restomod of this project and anywhere that I can save money, will definitely help me get this thing on the road sooner. Also, can I use an HEI distributor with a TBI kit? Thank you in advance any help that you can provide, Mike S.