Engine rebuild

My F134 broke a crankshaft last summer. So after the last 6 months I am dying to get it running again. I need to either rebuild it myself or pay to have it done. I think I would rather pay to have it done right so I can have an engine that I can count on for a while. Anyone have suggestions as to who I might use around Colorado?

 

Walck's sells rebuilt engines. Don't know how much shipping would be.

 

I know advance auto sells rebuilt engines that my friend had two of. He had good luck with both of them(first one went down due to a girlfriend). They are suppose to be pretty good. They were the 4 cylinder for the wrangler. I know they can get 258's and I think 225's, maybe 134's? Though they did sell me a rebuilt carb with a leaky float...

 

might try Mile High Jeep in the denver area.

 

Kind of surprising that you broke a crank in the F134, considering it's forged steel and very strong.

Echoing what madizel wrote, I don't think it would be economical to repair an engine with a broken crank. I also expect that a rebuilding company would not accept that engine as a core.

If you really have a broken crank, I'd suggest you look around for a good used engine, and start from there.

 

I had my F134 rebuilt this summer and the shop found that my crankshaft was on its way to failure. The crack was about 50% through the shaft at the #1 connecting rod. This surprised me at the time, because the P.O. (father-in-law) remembered having a long block rebuild completed about two years before it was parked for the next 22 years. It was interesting to hear the shop owner tell me about the added cost ($175) and that he had to get four used crankshafts from his local Jeep surplus yard before he could find one without a crack. He said the surplus vendor was less than happy with him when it was all said and done. Don't know if my story is an uncommon one or not, but best of luck to you.

 

Thanks for the responses everyone.
What happened with mine was I was out on a sunday drive nice and slow 30mph on gravel road. went down through a gulley and on the way up the other side I applied some accelerator and all of a sudden a terrible racket and vibration started. Still kept running but hardly any power. Got her home and pulled the oil pan. You can see movement in the Crank at the #4 cylinder where the rod connects! so it's got to be a broken crank.

Fortunately I have in my possesion another F134 but it has broken valves and stuff but the crank shaft should be relatively ok. So I think between the two I should have a core.

There are small mechanic shops here that would rebuild for me but I just wonder about quality and warranty. I want this engine to last for a long time.
If I try the rebuild myself I think I'll be putting at least $1000 bucks in parts and machine shop work, and if I screw anything up at all, I'll have to spend another $1000 to do it over as opposed to buying one with a warranty.

 

Fortunately I have in my possesion another F134 but it has broken valves and stuff but the crank shaft should be relatively ok. So I think between the two I should have a core.

There are small mechanic shops here that would rebuild for me but I just wonder about quality and warranty. I want this engine to last for a long time.
If I try the rebuild myself I think I'll be putting at least $1000 bucks in parts and machine shop work, and if I screw anything up at all, I'll have to spend another $1000 to do it over as opposed to buying one with a warranty.[/QUOTE]

I think a rebuild kit runs about $450. Machine work can get pretty expensive, depending on what has to be done. Personally, I'd recommend tearing it down, having a shop do the block, head, crank etc. and put it back together yourself. You can save quite a bit of money that way, and learn a lot in the process. If you just take your time, it's not hard. Other than the kind of odd valvetrain, the F-head is a really simple motor. If you have the shop do the valves, you won't even have to worry about putting them back together. If you just take your time and double check everything, there really isn't much you can screw up. OTOH, the only warranty you'll have is probably on the parts. That's never been a big deal to me, but then again I've never had any problems with the engines I've built so it's never been an issue (yet...knock on wood).

If you think that's outside your skill/work space/etc. then you can certainly have a shop do it. It's always kind of exciting hearing a motor you've built run for the first time .

 

The following is a quote to rebuild a F134 from an outfit in Florida, but shipping would kill me!
It sounds all fancy and stuff, but my question is ... Is this anything more than your average local machine shop does? (In case I decide to rebuild it myself as Toolbox suggested.)

 

I would hold off and look for a local outfit that is familiar with older engines. Now is a lousy time to be searching ... I'd wait until next week and spend a few days at least, looking for and talking to local machine shops.

Try posting on 'the G' www.g503.com in the M38 forum. Your Jeep shares an engine with the M38A1, and these guys know the military stuff backwards and forwards. They might have some good leads for you. Also post on your local 4x4 and Jeep forums.

hth!

 

I don't think any of that is all that extraordinary...they do make it sound pretty fancy though. I'd agree with timgr on waiting until after the holidays, and then find a shop. If you're lucky you might find a place that still has someone familiar with the old F-head. When I had the Jetaway tranny rebuilt for my '60 Olds (an automatic tranny is the one thing I won't rebuild..BTDT, and it wasn't fun) I found a shop with an old guy who'd worked on them way back when. This tranny is a 4 speed auto (non-OD) that was only made for 4 years...I was really happy to have a guy who'd actually seen one before go through it . Of course, he told me he hadn't had one through his shop in 20 years, but still...at least he knew what it was .
If you decided not to do the rebuild yourself and have a shop do it, I would at least try to find one that's worked on the old Jeep motor before. If all they have to do is bore they cylinders, grind the crank, and do a valve job, that's all pretty standard stuff that any decent machine shop should be able to handle.