Detroit Diesel In A Cj3b?

The most painstaking (and potentially expensive) builds are the ones you choose to do because you’re starting with the parts you currently have to work with. (Trust me.) Some are worth it, others start with nothing and end with a different pile of nothing. Make sure you have every detail figured out and accounted for before you even consider going down this road.

 

Hey!

 

this goes against my motto... fly by the seat of your plants

 

With the weight of that anchor, you are not going to be doing much flying whether by the seat of your pants or any other way.

 

I am with 47v6 on this,it just seems there are better diesel options out there. I know you already have the engine but all the mods needed could easily end up costing you more in money and especially more time than sourcing a smaller and more powerful diesel engine of some kind. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck with your decision.

 

Not to discourage youthful exuberance but that engine and that vehicle were not meant for each other even if it has been done before. Building a vehicle from scratch, weight and power are two major concerns. Starting with a heavy engine requires heavy chassis, axles and brakes. When it’s complete all you have is an over weight, under powered expensive something very few would want. IMHO. Again not trying to discourage and keep us posted with the progress.

 

As Glenn said, I have ridden in a 53 CJ3B for countless thousands of miles and the factory drive train was completely adequate, just not too fast.
But go for it if you like but as ITLKSEZ said plan,plan,plan first. every detail.

 

I agree completely, just didn't want to be discouraging. It would be expensive to do it right.

 

the original powertrain is out of the question. my dad pulled the motor about 20 years ago, pulled it apart, then left home. it's been sitting in pieces scattered across the farm, with no hope of resurrection. i just want something that can move under it's own power. also, finding something that goes to the same transmission and fits beside a willys motor is difficult. what that means is that i would have extremely limited options. i dont care if its done right or entirely wrong. there is no gama goat attached to the engine, so that's also out of the question.

 

And even if you think you have EVERY detail worked out, that very rarely turns out to be reality. In the big picture it all comes back to vehicle use and how long you expect to use it. Choosing some obtuse combination of components will be a huge pain in the posterior, say 10 years down the road, when you need to repair something. I'm a big proponent of using only popular parts that have large aftermarket support.

And I have no love of diesels. With the possible exception of a few recent offerings, almost all are much heavier than comparable gas engines. And those lighter modern versions are just as much or more maintenance than their gas counterparts. Even the older ones like the 617 Benz were a lot of maintenance-I had two different cars with that engine. They were both turbo's and when spooled up, did really well. The key word being "when". From a standing start, you just about needed to open the door and give a foot assist to get them moving. And out of the 4 diesel Benz's I had, NONE of them would start when the temp fell to around zero. I recall having to go out on my lunch hour and fire them up so they would start for the trip home. Yes, they usually get good economy and usually have good bottom end torque. But it's not difficult to put together a gas engine with a similar torque curve and one that lasts just as long-you just give up a little on the economy.

 

If you want it to be operational with minimal work then stick a f134 back in it. You can also adapt an sbc, sbf, or pinto engine to a t90. You'd be money ahead and could retain stock parts. If you have a gm transmission and transfer case already you just need an engine. Or stick that 353 into the gm truck you have.

 

I did my apprenticeship on Detroit Diesels back in the early 80s. Mainly 71s and 149s....

In my book any detroit Diesel is best used as a boat anchor

Richard

 

Just hanging around here, it seems to me that the 4.3L Chevy V6 is the least expensive alternative to the original F134 currently. I'd look around for a suitable donor - a used-up S-10 or Astro Van with a running engine - and pull what I needed until the project was complete, and scrap the carcass. I suspect in Nebraska you can find a few rusted-out examples for sale if you search. The adapter to the T-90 is available, and can be found on the used market occasionally if you really want to work to save money. I have the plate and shaft in my basement that I might be convinced to sell to the right buyer.

Re the 4.3L, they are a lot more plentiful today than the Buick V6s, and are popular for this purpose. You'd get a lot of support if you went that way. Some things are popular for good reason.

 

Ahhh but they were sort of the founding father of real forced induction------- A legacy still well and alive today.

 

I have had log skidders with 3-53 and 4-53 Detroit engines. I have had a tandem LN8000 Ford with a 6V53 and a few IH trucks with 6-71s. The Detroit is not a Jeep engine by any means. You have to run it wide open all the time, it will be 800 or 900 lbs of boat anchor over your steering. The Jeep will be unbalanced. I don't want to be negative but I just want to pass along information. If you yank a junkyard 350 Chevy, you can adapt that cheaper than about anything else. I like Detroit engines but like everything else, they have their place. There's a reason for the popularity of the smallblock Chevy. Cheap, light, cheap, and well documented as to what works. I love weird old engine combos but sometimes it's easier not to reinvent the wheel.

 

I see a trend emerging here.

What I know about Detroits is that my BIL had them in a skidder and a dump truck. I could hear either one from literally several miles away, and he wore ear protectors in the cab.

 

We still have a few fire engines with 6V92s. Insanely loud, sounds awesome but when youre pumping with them you basically need ear pro and verbal communications pretty much arent happening.

 

i have a saginaw box off of another truck for it