1957 cj-6

Hello, this is my first post to the forums and first wanted to thank everyone here for all the help that they provide. Last month I bought a 1957 CJ-6 from my father as a project and the information on this site has been invaluable to me thus far.

A little background on me is that I am 40 years old and my mechanical abilities are almost non-existent. I am long on theory but short on experience. So I understand the concepts of internal combustion engines and all the engineering that entails, I just don’t have any real practical experience repairing vehicles. I joined the US Navy right out of high school and became a Mk 86 Gun Fire Control technician (or FC). I fired the big 5-inch guns you see on destroyers and cruisers. But in addition to that, I also repaired all the electronic and mechanical (synchros and servos) units that went into controlling those systems. The reason I bring up this up is that I am very good with technical publications and troubleshooting problems and I am hoping this will help me out with this project.

So the Jeep I bought has been sitting in my father’s yard for 7-8 years and was last started up about a year ago. I believe most of the mechanical units are original (Engine, Transmission, transfer case) but there have been some of what I call “Redneck MacGyver” modifications done by my father and previous owners.

My goal with this jeep is for it to primarily be a weekend toy but for it to be an emergency 3rd car if one of our others breaks down. I want to take it out on the trails here in AZ but I don’t want to have to tow it out to the trails. My father said the top speed on the jeep was about 35 MPH and that just isn’t going to cut it.

My plan is to buy a running S-10 (pick-up or blazer) and switch out the F134 for the 4.3L. In theory I would like to keep as many of the original parts as I can but I will need to upgrade for safety. For starters I know I want to install disc brakes and power steering (I believe it has the original Ross steering system). I also plan to strip the jeep down to its frame, my family will be riding in the Jeep and I need to make sure it is safe from the wheels up (my father already told me there was a small crack in the frame but hopefully it is repairable). I want to do as much work myself as I can (with help from my father, wife, brother, and children) as this is a family project that I am hoping we can all bond over. However, having said that I am not too proud or too stupid to know when I need professional help, on the Novak site they make a good point about having someone who knows what they are doing install the steering system because loss of steering is sure way to ruin your day.

Ok, so here are a few pictures of my project, I know I will be back periodically to ask some questions and give updates.

 

welcome. I like the gauges that sweep from the top. If you get a chance post a close up of the data plate on the dash.

 

That data plate is one of my dad's "Redneck MacGyver" moves. He painted over it in black paint to 'Protect" it. Can't read a thing on it until I take some paint cleaner to it. I asked him if he thought about just clear coating it or something so that you could still read it... he didn't.

Oh, and the red paint, it is canned spray paint. My father is from the 'just make it work' school of thought.

 

First off welcome from va . looks like you have a good start there . but before I would get in to it too much . I would think .I would try and get what you have there running . then consider what other options from there . Brakes & Steering always first

 

Why change out the F134 they are strong running little engines once they are dialed in good. I can get mine up to 40-45 mph and 50 mph on flat level ground. But I prefer to stay down around 35-40 mph because of the short wheel base and high center of gravity.

 

Looks like you have a great start.

We have a thread here about the Saginaw steering conversion. http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?17911-Saginaw-power-steering-(pics)-please-add-yours!! This is in the "Builds" forum here. Realize that this is not a trivial upgrade, that you need to weld a new bracket for the steering gear,and you need to make the steering gear work with your springs, knuckles and tie rods. Look through the steering thread and ask questions. I'd also suggest that you look through some of the build threads to see what others have done.

Better brakes and better steering are both very popular upgrades. You really can't go wrong with either. You can keep your engine and have manual Saginaw steering, and that will be a major upgrade over the Ross steering. And, it's an easy change to a power steering gear if you want to install that with your 4.3L engine swap.

Disk brakes are a definite upgrade, but so are 11" Bendix drum brakes. The Bendix brakes are a very popular upgrade.

There is danger in taking on too much at once. If you can stage your upgrades so that you still have a running, driving Jeep after each step, you will be way ahead in the game. So, for example, I would make the 11" drum upgrade. Then the Saginaw manual steering upgrade. Maybe some body/paint/appearance upgrades. And eventually, an engine upgrade to the 4.3L V6. Hydroboost and power steering using the 4.3L PS pump. Then disk brakes if you get this far, but you may not - you can stop at any point along the way and have a running/driving Jeep.

 

Welcome!
That is a pretty solid looking CJ-6. That black painted plaque on the dash by the glovebox looks like a US Government data plate indicating this Jeep started out likely a a Border Patrol or Park Service vehicle. There should be a smaller aluminum tag on the firewall near the heater box with the factory serial number.
I would wait and get the Jeep running and stopping, then consider larger brakes and possibly the steering mods you mentioned. These can actually run 55mph pretty easily if the stock steering and brakes are in good shape. 11" front drums with 10 or 11 rears are more than adequate for most purposes, and can be a lot simpler to install.
-Donny

 

Welcome aboard with your new to you CJ6........I agree with just about everything Tim has mentioned above......except adding the Manual Saginaw steering gear in route to a later change over to power. It is true that it can be installed with your 4-banger. But judging from the tire size and dished wheels in your photo's the Manual Saginaw in my opinion is barely any upgrade at all in the category of force required to steer..........I know because I tried it once and the difference between the two in force was hardly any difference at all.............not withstanding the overall size of the Power Saginaw gear box , it's mounting location on the chassis in relationship to the tie rod , drag link and spindles, the input shaft size , sector shaft size's as well as the Pittman Arm are all different as compared to the Manual gear box which means if you were to swap to a power gear box at some later date , most if not all of that work and parts would need to be replaced a second time.

Also in order to reuse the old steering column the internal shaft has to be cut away from the old worm gear within the old Ross steering box , then shortened and a new bearing or bushing installed in the tube at its base along with a new mount built on the floor to locate the old column.............

All things that have been done by many here before. A weekend or more project with all the correct parts sitting on the bench.

 

The biggest reason to change it out is that even at 40-45 it is going to take me forever to get anywhere. I want to ride the trails, but I live in the city (well the suburbs) so will need to take the freeway to get out in the wild (and like I said, i don't want to have to tow it out to the trails). I don't need to do 75, but I would like to do 60-65 comfortably.

To be honest this is something that I have thought on myself, but this is a project vehicle, not a daily driver, so I am under no real time constraints (just cash constraints). The Jeep is still at my father’s place because he has all the tools to work on it, he lives a little over an hour away from me, so it will be a weekend project (and there may be a break during the middle of summer, it hits 120+ and we are working outside).

We went over this weekend to my dad’s house and cleaned up the yard and moved a bunch of stuff he had around the Jeep so now we have a good place to work. Our next step is to get a shed set up and some storage containers so we can store and label everything as it comes off the Jeep. After that we will strip it down to the frame and see where we stand. I expect all of that to take 1-2 months. During that time I will be looking for the donor engine.

I am hoping that this project with my family’s help will take about a year to finish up. I don’t know if that is realistic or not, but like I said, I am not in a hurry. Plus, I am looking at this as a great learning experience. While I am not doing a full on restoration, I do want to restore the Jeep as much as I can while still doing the modifications I need.

From what I understand it was with the border patrol. The other tag is on the inside firewall, but once again painted over and I couldn’t make out any of the numbers.

 

"but I would like to do 60-65 comfortably."

Well, it will always be a Jeep. Comfort doesn't come into it.

And with the aerodynamics of a brick, even my '88 YJ has trouble maintaining 65mph. But that is my daily driver and has been for years... I just don't expect the 'normal' luxuries. It is a Jeep!

Good luck, have fun, and like the others say - one thing at a time.

 

The first vehicle I ever owned was a 92 wrangler and I always described it as box on wheels.

When I said comfortably, I really meant for the engine to do it comfortably. I don’t want it redlined and screaming down the road at 50mph.

Thanks for the well wishes, I am excited to get started and see where this goes.

 

You are quite lucky to find a cj 6 in that condition. I'm working on a 56 cj 6 myself, not even close to that good in body dept. I'm opting for a 225 dauntless for mine. good luck.

 

I echo Tim.

Unless you're experienced at tearing down project vehicles, I highly recommend doing it piece by piece.

Sure, it takes longer. But when its torn apart, it gets incredibly frustrating, and can become hard to justify.

Doing it piece by piece, you can at least say to yourself "After I finish my brakes I can drive it again."

Just speaking from my experience.

 

YOU GOT A ((((((((((((((((((6))))))))))))))))))))))Thats outstanding!!!!
>>>>Welcome to this sight<<<<<<<
Good luck with your build!!!looking forward to watching it take shape....dont muck it up....

 

Here's another option to consider. Leave your 6 in one piece, get it running, steering and stopping safely, buy or rent a trailer to haul it to your riding area and have some fun with it. This is our '56 CJ6. It's not much to look at but it's great for putting around on the back roads or using on the farm. It's due for some steering repair this spring.
We all understand your excitement over tearing it apart, but those projects have a way of expanding. For me, a good rule of thumb is to figure out how much time I think the project's going to take (and how much it's going to cost), then multiply that by 3 or 4, and that will get you closer to the actual time/cost involved. Other's results may vary.

Best wishes on whatever you decide to do. You've come to the right place. There are good people here with the info you need to succeed.

 

I swapped out the stock 9 inch brakes and found a set of 11" Bendix brakes off a 70 FSJ. I think the whole set up cost me $100 including good used drums. The 11" brakes made a tremendous difference in braking.

 

Ok, so I finally got started on this project. Last weekend I got the hood, front fenders, grill and radiator off. I ended up having to grind only one bolt off, so I am happy with that. A few things I came to realize during the tear down. One, WD40 is a miracle compound and two, I am going to have to replace ALL the wiring. While we don’t get a lot of rust on cars here in AZ, the heat is murder on everything. Every bit of insulation on the wiring just dissolved like ash when I touched it.

The donor engine that I ended up getting is a 4.3L from a 1989 S-10 blazer. It is a 4x4 with a blown auto transmission. It does have some miles on it but the engine sounds and runs good. I got the entire rig for $400 and have already sold what will be left for $150, so I feel it was a good deal.

This weekend I plan to start taking the F134 and T90 out of my CJ6.

I do need to prep (buy stuff) for when I put the 4.3L in though. From my understanding I will need new motor mounts and an adapter from the 4.3L to the T90. That is about all I understand. I do have some questions for those of you more knowledgeable that I.

Will I need a new bell housing?

Besides the base adapter kit from Novak or advanced adapters for the engine to trans, will I need other items? Remember this is my first time even working on an engine. So any kind of itemized list would be greatly appreciated.

I know I need a new clutch, is there a specific one any of you would recommend?

I have to admit that I am nervous about wiring up the engine. Anyone have a good walkthrough on this I can read?

I understand that some of these may not be able to be answered without more info, but thanks for what you can tell me.

As an aside, my speedometer is pretty sun damaged and I am thinking I may need to replace it. I don’t know whether it is an original part of if someone replaced it within the last 60 years. Does anyone have a picture of an original speedometer from a 1957 Cj-5/6? I have a pretty clear pic of mine up in my 1st post.

Thanks everyone!

 

That is an original Speedometer, I think correct for your year.

 

Thank you. I will try to restore it instead of replacing it.

 

Can’t believe I started this thread a year ago. As most people have stated, these projects can take a while to do. Around the same time I bought the Jeep I was diagnosed with heart failure and this project got put on hold as I had to take care of myself and get some health and energy back.

In November I moved the Jeep from my dad’s house to my garage, but because of Christmas and all the crap my wife threw in the garage I wasn’t able to get started on the project.

I have been working on it for the last few months on the weekends, ran into a bit of rust. The driver’s side has the original gas tank. Under that was a thin sheet of aluminum that had been screwed down to the metal and under that, well, you can see below what was under that.



Passenger side isn’t any better. I cut out most of the tool box hoping that I could patch it up, but now I realize I am just going to cut out and replace everything. I may have to replace the riser as well, but will know more after media blasting.

This last weekend my brother came over and we got the body and frame separated.





The frame actually looks like it is in decent shape. Although up by the Engine/trans everything is covered in about ½ inch to an inch of grease and oil, so until I get all that cleaned up won’t know for sure.

This is a family project with my daughter, son, and my wife (occasionally) helping out. Here is one of the best moments I have had in my life.

This is my 8 yr/old son. I got all the bolts out of the dash, but he spent the entire day disconnection all the wires and cables. He didn’t complain, didn’t whine, and only asked for a bit of help when he couldn’t figure out what tool to use for something.



My goal for this weekend is to get the engine out, but we will see.