WHATS THE BEST WAY TO SWAP A 3 SPEED OUT OF A 1978 CJ-5 , THATS HAS A 350 CHEVY ENGINE, WHAT TRANS. WOULD I NEED, AND HARDWARE TO DO THIS ? ANY HELP OUT THERE ? THANKS, HAPPYMAN    

There are many options. Do you want an auto? Perhaps you want a manual with a granny  gear? Maybe you are interested in a manual or automatic with an overdrive in order to save some $ on gas. Please tell us more....  

what i have is a T150 3 speed at  this time,looking to install an automatic, with over drive is something to think about , but how would that do climbing & etc.,etc., , so wife will be able to drive the jeep,think you for your reply . happyman  

A mid 80's TH700R4 before '87 will need update parts to fix some little bugs. '90-'92 was called a 4L60 but the same thing. Probably stay away from the '93 and later 4L60E since your not running a GM ECM engine.

If it's a 2x trans, it will need the 4x short shaft installed and the 2x tail housing removed.

Then, bolt it up to your 20 TC with an adapeter from Novak or Advance Adapters.

It has a great 1st gear ratio (3.07) and an overdrive (.70).

The biggest part of the job is hooking up the TC cable to the throttle. If the TC cable isn't tensioned properly or the throttle linkage isn't appropiate, it will burn up the tranny the first day. Take the TC cable seriously and do it right.

Don't forget about a cooler.

Throw on a console cable shifter and have fun.  

the throttle valve cable is very important.. it controls the shifting.

the 700 had problems spitting out the front pump seal untill 85, simply drilling a hole as instructed by a trans go shift kit will eliminate the problem and ensure the lock up works corecltly.
you'll need to add a cooler also,

one other thing to consider is the .7 OD ratio.
these trannies have a bad rap from towing and vehicles with large tires.. to fix the problem gears are the answer. for 33's tires 4.88's are a must for a daily driver, if yer building a dedicated rock/trail rig I'd run 5.13's or a 5.38 even with a 4.3 t-case and a doubler. the gears also add to the rigs ability on everything compared to all other auto's, none have a 3.07-.7 range like the 700r4

for 35" tires even 5.38 gears are not to low with the 700 for a daily driver.
be sure to do the math on ratio selection, the charts are for a 1-1 ratio which is third gear.

heres a ratio calculator, read the instructions first!
http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html  

He's probably got a D30 in the front and a AMC 20 in the rear.

I don't think you're going to get anything bigger than 4.88??  

TAHK YOU ALL FOR THE REPLIES , MORE WILL BE HELPFUL TOO,HAPPYMAN  

lol, that could be, just not for long with a strong 350 up front and large tires...