Ecj5 V6 Swap Via Jeepster Commando C101

Hi Folks! For those of you looking to swap a Dauntless V6 into your 4cyl Early CJ5, don’t hesitate to acquire that inexpensive Jeepster Commando (C101) with body far beyond repair in your area. I recently went down this road, and found my donor had plenty of good and usable organs. The front section of my ‘69 C101 seems to have the same basic measurements as the CJ5 frame. After confirming with some other members here that the engine mounts are in fact the same as CJ5 V6 mounts, I removed them via grinder. (I had already removed the factory battery tray and engine mounts from the CJ5). After measuring twice (or more), I welded the V6 mounts to the frame. With the help of my trusty chain fall, I dropped the engine with T14 trans and D20 transfer case into my CJ frame (tub removed in my case). Engine mounts lined up perfectly. I then bolted the cross member to the frame and T-case in factory location. I then bolted up the “Y” pipe from the C101 that was in good shape saving me a few dollars. I ran into an issue with the 4 cylinder drag link. I couldn’t get full left turn due to contact with the bell housing. The C101 link is even longer. Member Wheelie was kind enough to sell me a V6 drag link (that is an inch shorter behind the pitman arm). This resolved my problem. Obviously a non issue if you go with a Saginaw steering swap. Where my rear axle was toast from a hard life of plowing, I swapped in the Dana 27 front and rear Dana 30 axles with 3.73s (yes, unfortunately my C101 didn’t have a rear Dana 44). This gave me the highway ratio I was looking for. It is worth noting that the Dana 27 was an inch wider than the CJ5 front axle. The tie rods on the C101 axle run from the bell crank down to the right side knuckle, and from the right outer tie rod end (at knuckle) to the left knuckle. This is improved from the two short tie rods found on early CJs. The rear axle needed new spring perches as the Jeepster’s rear springs are mounted outside of the frame rails. I acquired the ten spline input gear for the original Dana 18, as well as the hard to find Bronco Dana 20 gear. This way I could make a large hole D18 that can mount to the T14 if I rebuild my offset D44, or make a lower ratio D20 if I keep a centered rear axle. The brakes on the C101 are 10” vs the CJ’s 9”. My donor came with new in box drums and shoes front and rear with spring kits. This allowed me to save money while I begin to source parts for a later disk brake upgrade. I used the Jeepster Commando grille by drilling out and removing the marker light “wings”. Mine had 7 spot welds on one side and 8 on the other. Once that is done, the grille looks like a CJ with the shroud for the larger V6 radiator. My C101 radiator was almost new, but I understand that others have swapped Mustang radiators into their stock CJ grilles. For those wanting a custom look, you could use the stock Jeepster grille and hood. The only modification would be to move the fender mounted hood hold downs outward as found on the Jeepster fenders. (The fenders on C101 have a minor difference at the bottom to match the rockers. With a little work, they could be made to work on the CJ5). This has been a great and rewarding project so far. The feedback from fellow members has been helpful. Remember to always use the correct Personal Protection Equipment. Happy Trails!

 

Pics?

 

V6 Jeepster Commando frame

 

CJ5 with C101 V6 mounts welded in. Dauntless in its new home.

 

Jeepster Commando grille with “wings” removed.

 

Top, C101 V6 drag link. Middle, 4cyl drag link. Bottom, CJ5 V6 drag link.

 

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing your real world experiences thus far. Keep us posted as you move forward.

 

Pics are set to private?

 

I just switched the album from members to public. Please let me know if unable to view photos. Sorry for the hassle, this is my first time posting photos. Thank you!

 

nice. i can see them.

 

The Commando is also a good donor for a frame, factory boxed, way more rigid, virtually the same dimensions as a CJ6, and can be shortened for a CJ5. Win-Win! YMMV Good luck!

 

While I don’t want to get too distracted until the CJ5 is done; I’ve been scheming a HD 2a build.

 

I like that grill idea. The commando grills seem easy to find in my area.