Buying a '68 J3000 with intent to engine/trans swap - bad idea?

[gnupuncher]

Hey guys. I promise I've tried to do my own research but as you all probably know, finding info like this is very difficult.

I've been looking for a "classic" gladiator for ages and finally found one I may pursue. It has the AMC 327 and the 3-speed auto.

I looked at the Novak guide, but couldnt come to a solid conclusion on whether a manual swap would be possible or reasonable? I know anything is possible with enough fab work, but I dont want a simple manual swap to turn into a 6 month fabrication project.

I'm also considering, if the swap isnt possible, doing a full drivetrain swap. I saw that Jeep did a hellcrate swap, but they didnt publish any technical info about what they had to change. Does anyone have experience with anything similar to this?

Also, totally unrelated to the above: Are parts going to be hard to find for this truck?

My goal for the truck is as follows:
I cant weld. I cant fabricate. I cant do paint and/or bodywork. I can do mechanical work and thats it. I've always wanted to learn these things and I see this is a great opportunity.
I'd (sometimes) haul a boat and carry inventory to/from my house to my warehouse. I dont NEED a truck, its overkill for what I do, but it would be a nice to have and I've had ebay/craigslist alerts for years trying to find an older gladiator. I was just going to buy a diesel truck, but then this popped up.

[Herk]

A decent running 327 truck will probably serve your needs since you don't NEED a truck, especially if you don't plan to drive coast-to-coast at 80 MPH. If you want something a bit more modern start with a newer Jeep truck if it's the looks you're after. The early trucks were great for what they were, but aren't as well suited to bolt-on modifications like lift kits and such.

What you describe involves welding and fabricating, so lack of equipment and skills are major obstacles. So if you can't weld or fabricate you'll need to be able to write, as in a big check to a welder/fabricator. You're going to have somewhere between the cost of a decent used late model truck and a new truck when you're done if you're careful (more than the cost of a new truck if you hire it all done is quite possible).

[44bz]

Swapping to a manual trans is going to be challenging because the bell housing is unique to the 327. The T98 came factory behind it. There was a also a column shift manual trans available but I don’t remember which one.


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[rocklaurence]

An affordable option would be to buy a Later J10/J20 [1976-'87] and swap the body and bed from the J3000 onto the frame of the newer truck. Not much Fab' needed and the later trucks have a lot more parts support.