[PxTx]

If you are serious about rock climbing and stuff with the Jeep, don't mess with a small block. the 500 Caddy is your best bet. It makes beaucoup torque just off idle. A small block (especially newer, non TPI injected ones) will not make any torque until 2,800 rpm. Their real torque won't come in until about 3,800 rpm.

If you need to move your Jeep, you'll want to do it off idle. Those caddy mills make 550 ft lbs of torque. With 400 ft. pound at 1,500 rpm. Using torque at higher RPM will cause you to overheat the torque converter or clutch, because of the way the Jeep must be driven.

The caddy mill is not that heavy at all with an aluminum intake and headers.

I swung a 472 Caddy in a 78 Pontiac Le Mans. It had the Black GN theme and I used GTO 7.7 Litre emblems I custom made. Other than looks, the car was stock- suspension and all. The front end was lowered about 1" and the car handled very well (would have benefitted from headers and an aluminum intake). I would do it again. The 472 was from a 1973 vintage car and was bone stock with 209,000 miles. Would you believe it ran 13.4 in the quarter? Would you believe that was on street tires with a 2.14:1 gear in an open end 7.5 rear!

Go with the caddy- they can be found for cheap and no matter how old they are, they won't smoke. Drop it in and go!