I'm new and just got a 55 CJ5 and have some dumb build questions....

Just traded an old 70 F250 Hi-Boy for this thing, originally thinking it was a 53 M38A1.....nope, it isn't! Oh well!

Anyway, I don't muchly care for original restorations or full on competition buggies, but have some plans.....I have a rebuilt 0 miles ~300hp 318, 727 w/ heavy duty plates and shift kit, and NP203 with new seals and chain...And they are all going into this. Also from the Ramcharger project gone wrong I have 4 new 4" lift Rough Country leaf springs, and a set of D44F and 9.25 rear with 4.56's and a limited slip....

And here's the dilemma....For some reason I love painted steelies and tall cookie cutter tires (IDK why), and would absolutely leave these stock rims and axles *IF* the could handle 34" LTB's....A guy I work with has them on a newer jeep and loves them, and I like them cause they're tall and skinny. Should add now that I'm older I have learned that A: going mudding and having to wash a vehicle after isn't fun anymore, and B: My friends have smaller vehicles than I so I'm on my own when I get stuck.....so nothing too extreme save for old logging and camp roads...I don't do rocks or anything like that. Snow and dirt, and cruising the big city life, LOL.

If not, in Maine, I could prolly fool someone and register this as a "street rod", (1950 or older...close enough) throw tire width and coverings out the window (like a T bucket has no fenders...), and run some big ~38" ish rubber on it, with the wide 1/2 tons.

I've read a lot on here so far, and this Jeep actually came with a bellhousing and adapter for a Buick V6, but I'm def. going with my little Mopar drivetrain.

But the first step is to get rid of the head gear, strip it down and fix some rust!!

And thanks for any insight on axles/tires, etc!!

Oh yes, there is also an Arctic Top for it somewhere that should be coming maybe this weekend....And I'm already in love with the flip up and take off hood, fold down windsheild, manaul pass. side wiper, and snorkel cut-out....How cool is all that?

 

Hey Waynaferd, I have had my 1960 cj5 for over a year, all ready you are ahead of me on rebuild. Mine is still outside waiting for more parts, before it can move into garage.

 

Looks like a good project! BUT...I think if you take a tape measure to the Mopar drivetrain combo you have, you'll probably find it's way too big to fit comfortably in a CJ5.

 

x2

 

Yep. Too long and too wide. A pickup truck drivetrain won't leave any room for a rear driveshaft, and the NP203 likely has too much offset to be centered between the frame rails.

The CJ-7 got the TF999 behind the AMC engines, with the Dana 300 transfer case. BUT the CJ-7 has a 13" longer wheelbase than your CJ-5. The 727 with a D20 or D300 can be done, but it's not going to be easy. Forget using the 203: it's more than 20" long!

People put V8s in these back in the 60s, but not so much today. Today the GM V6s (Buick and Chevrolet) are cheap and available, and fit in the short engine compartment much more easily.

The PO was on the right track with the V6.

Sorry to be so negative ... just trying to share some experience.

 

nice jeep looks alot better than when i first got mine ....where in maine do you live?

 

Yep, you may keep the 318 and notch your firewall for the distributor, but as said you can kiss that 727 and NP203 good by, your driveshaft will be a negative number and hte np203 won't fit in the frame properly. You could adapt an np435 (4 speed) and dana 20 and have it fit though. The stock rear dana 44 will handle the 34" tires, the front will also if you do a knuckle stud conversion and take it easy. Otherwise swap in a CJ dana 30 and then you can run them fine. If you keep the stock rear axle you can keep the dana 18 transfercase and use it with the 4 speed I mentioned and the 318.

 

Wow, you guys sure do know how to ruin a fella's day, LOL!!

I never once thought about how long that combo is....I guess I shoulda known.

Oh well, this takes up a lot less room then the F-250 I swapped for it, and suprisingly seems to need less work, bodywise. The susp, and brakes are shot, and there's no motor, but thats fine! I'm happy!

Mainejeep, I'm up in lincoln, and traded the truck with a guy from edingburg (below howland...below me), and he had to get the jeep in bucksport. He showed me pics at first and said it was a '53, so everything I found on the internet with the round fenders that year was the m38a1, but soon as it arrived it looked like a cj and the numbers on the firewall said 55 once I did some decoding. I originally found an old 40-sumthin flatfender in uncle henry's for $800, and reaaaaaally wanted it, but I got to chatting with the junk man and here we are!!

Mcruff, thanks for all the info!! I spent a good bit on the motor and have all the receipts for the parts and machine work, but I'm just a random guy with some tools in a garage, and don't know many people who would buy a motor for a couple G's with no guarantee or warranty, and a dodge 318 really isn't a "hot commodity", so indeed I need a home for it.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

wow i didnt think id ever see another person from maine on here lol...i live in kenduskeag ( born and raised in millinocket ) i do know a couple of places to get parts if u are interested. and there is one guy i knw in lincoln that mite part with a v6, he looked at a cj3b i had at one point. also a guy in mattawamkeag has a few cj2a's, that all have motors mostly f heads and L heads tho. pm me if you wanna talk more

 

X3 The 727 is just way to long to fit in a short jeep your tranny is over 27" without the t case.

but you do have a good looking old jeep there. i had a friend who ran the 34x9.50's on his old 5 and had no problems with them. and it looked pretty good

 

The 318 will just barely fit if you cut the radiator supports off, mount the radiator right up against the grill, and notch the headlight buckets for the larger radiator. My friend has a 318 in that vintage of CJ5, but man it was a tight fit and he had to do a lot of fabrication work. He didn't have to cut the firewall, but he had to lengthen the rods that run from the radiator supports to the firewall, make his own motor mounts and move the transfercase back. This of course meant that he had to have both driveline lengths changed. You will also run into steering box clearance issues. He already had a Saginaw conversion, but he did have to re-route his steering column from the firewall to the gearbox. Personally I would consider one of three engines, Chevy 4.3, Buick V6, or a Chevy small block V8 if I already had one.

I'm a fan of tall and skinny tires as well. Around here they work better than big fat ones. My Jeep is a '55 CJ5 as well. I love that old thing. It can take a beating and it is simple enough that it is actually fun to wrench on.

 

Well I've been doing some googling, and came across that damned pirate4x4 and have a ton of prolly not to bright ideas Mainly stretching the tub ~6" in the door opening and adding a few inches of 3x2 steel tubing to both ends of the frame and stretching the wheel base a bit ......IDK about that yet, but I did get the bumper/plow rigging off! And apparantly welding alot makes up for a lack of skill!!

And crawling underneath was an adventure....Is 1" boards original support brackets? LOL

Anyways....






Mainejeep, I have an aunt Rosalyn that lives somewhere in Kenduskeag...just not sure where....

The front end was off the jeep when I got it, so there aren't any radiator supports to worry about And I did see that the original steering set up leaves a bit to be desired as well.....

 

Oh no don't tell me you went to pirate and said I'm "new"
They'll eat you alive:dead horse:
LMAO

 

Nice Jeep. Currently working on one myself. I second the V6 approach, as I have just struggled thru the decision making process. I found the Buick stuff drying up rapidly where I am, so I suggest some reccon work to find whats available. Do your homework on adaptors etc. Sounds like its not your first rodeo. Have fun, Jeeps are great and a true American icon

Added: With forcasts of $5 a gallon I might concider a 4cyl.

 

Yeah, I've been searching out an electric powerplant myself, LOL.

Actually people with newer wranglers and such say the 4cyl gets as bad of mileage as the 6 's, with less power of course!!

 

Big weight difference between a Wrangler and a cj5.

 

I swapped a 198 V6 into my MB in the early '70's
My neighbor swapped a 250 Chevy into his '63 Scout in the Late '70's
We both ended up with more driveable 4X4's and both got noteably better mileage.
My brother had a bluprinted 327 in his 3a. He was happy to get 10 MPG.
(the 327 was fun to drive but the stopping every 50 miles for gas was a bit of a pain.)
The motor needs to fit in some sort of balance to the vehicle.
If you want to drop a 500 hp motor in, go for it, I'm not paying the gas bill.

 

I figured the seasonal driving and mildness of the lil 318 would cost not much more than riding the snowseld or ATV.....I have a little dodge neon for a DD.

I did have a 4x Ford with a built 390, back in the $1/gallon days....no way I could run that nowadays!!

 

If you are set on keeping the 318, I think Mike has the best idea here.

 

I think so too!! I've been looking for a different T-case adapter/tailshaft/mount, but I guess none were ever made, as this one takes up some length....And my T-case is a NP208, *not* a NP203, so a lil smaller I believe.....