Flathead to Dauntless conversion

Hey Steve. Thats how my plan started out. I used my flatty radiator for a couple of years before trading it for a fiero radiator. It worked OK, except when crawling, but if it had a shroud it probably would have worked OK then too. My intent was to keep the tranny and everything in the same place to avoid driveline issues. that went out the window when I found the T-98. I bought motor mounts from NOVAK, but after looking at them, I don't know why. It would be easy to fab up the frame mounts and engine mounts, but for 100 bucks, it was worth the money. His kit came with some really thick rubber mounts that raised my engine up too much, so I took one of the rubber bumpers out and that gave me enough clearance for my hood. were I to do it all over again, I would have mounted the frame mounts lower and been OK. I was just worried about oilpan diff clearance. It really is a straight forward swap. the hardest part im my opinion would be getting the right bellhousing for you and thats not that hard. My dad just got finished putting a buick v6 in the '65. replacing a F4 that was in it. again, pretty easy. routing your exhaust around steering linkage can be a pain but with a saginaw you'll probably need rear dumping exhaust on the drivers side. HTH, and good luck.

 

Steve, I expect your mind is made up on the 225 V6. However, there are a few very nice inline 4 cylinders that might fit better and may provide a more modern engine design. From my armchair (or deskchair), I'd think the Jeep 2.5L would make a fine swap in a flattie. Available carbureted, TBI or MPI by choosing the year.

You understand how the GM adapter works - the long shaft provides enough length so that you can bolt up to any GM bellhousing. This gives a lot of flexibility, but I don't know if any of these engines allow you to keep the trans in it's stock location.

There's also the Chevy 3.0L (181) which is sold as a marine and industrial engine, and it's smaller cousin the 153 cid that came in Novas, postal Jeeps and apparently some pickup trucks (!).

Good luck - I hope tihs isn't just a diversion from your goal.

 

Steve,
I just finished my L-head 4 to 225 V6 swap in my 47 CJ2A. I got a donor '68 CJ5 and swapped in the motor/trans/transfer as a unit. The donor also supplied the motor mounts, which I cut from the '5 frame and welded into the 2A. I retained the stock 2A trans cross member, and it's in the stock location. I'm running the 3 core radiator that came in my 2A, but had to have the bottom outlet moved to the passenger side. The battery is still in the front passenger corner, so it's a tight fit with the battery/oil filter/radiator hose all in the same spot, but it's working for me so far. The 2G carb clears the hood, but I'm using a tiny aftermarket air filter that I hate. Maybe someone can advise of a better air filter. On my rig, I can see that excessive front end up-travel may cause the diff to contact the motor. The donor frame and front axel had a bump-stop on the passenger side for this reason, so I may be addressing this issue soon.
PM me and I'll get some pics for you if you'd like.

Thomas

 

I agree with what Thomas mentions here.
Using the factory frame motor mounts makes the job easier than the kit mounts, Novak, etc, in my opinion.
The battery and radiator can be reused in the stock location with the lower outlet mod being necc.
I couldn't agree more, as this is how I configured my swap as well.
I did use AA conversion headers for my exhaust; no fender skirt cutting and only a mod to one header tube which had to be made most likely due to my placement of the engine.
Lots of help for you Steve, when you get ready.

 

Hello, I have always used the stock V6 frame engine mounting brackets off of a Jeepster or Cj5 to mount the engine. It fits the frame rails perfect and off sets the engine to the drivers side where it needs to be. I also have used the stock radiator with no problems. And, I also have in my current CJ2A a chevy inline 4 (153 Cubic inch) engine that fits the engine bay better than any engine I have ever put in a Flat Fender Jeep. Next to the V6, I think it is the best engine to put in a Jeep. And, if you can find a boat Mercuriser engine of the same make, they have more cubic inches and a better head designe for 120 HP stock. They are bullit proof and will last a long time.

 

Steve - I don't think you'll ever be able to use the oil bath air cleaner that comes stock on the some of the 225's. Not unless you set the bottom pan on the front axle.

Thomas - I used an Edelbrock air cleaner like this one. I ordered it from my local Auto Zone.

 

I used one of those air cleaners on my Duster for years, wash them, oil them up and go.

 

The issue I have with air filters is that the choke arm hit the base of the air filter I got from NAPA (my donor didn't come with one). I know this is getting off Steve's thread topic, but I appreciate people weighing-in. I'll take a look at the Pro-Flo.

Steve, getting back to your isue at hand...Go for it! It's a pretty straight forward swap and completely do-able.

 

This was my plan for my flatty, it ended up easier and cheaper buying a 66CJ5 frame and moving the tub over to that, not many will ever know unless they are a die-hard jeeper.

I had issues with the below air cleaner, all the foam kept getting sucked into the carb.

 

yes, they are outsiders
I suppose I could have "massaged" the drivers fender a bunch to get them to fit, but I opted to cut 1" out of the rear most tube.
Had I purchased them before welding the mounts, it would have saved some hassle. The pass side hangs down a little more than I like, but the drivers side is tucked up nicley.
In my experience, the Hooker V6 CJ5 headers that I tried wouldn't fit, as
all the angles/lengths were wrong.
I don't play in the big boulders much, so really not an issue for me.
I don't know about the Hedmans mentioned in the 3B page article.

 

225 is excellent choice IMHO. Only thing better is the 231 odd-fire. Chevy Monza cross flow radiator cools without a shroud most days and add a 900 CFM pusher for the hotist days. I run a stock non oil bath air filter with 1" CJ5 eurathane body mounts. Also think about raising the drivetrain. I did and have a nearly flat belly pan. With a little planing you can end up with great ground clearnce under your rig and a low center of gravity by not lifting much.

 

dunno how different it would be in the actual flatty frame, but these outside the frame headers I have will require a pretty decent size chunk to be removed from the inner fender on the flatty

 

the Hooker CJ5 headers I tried first never had a chance to fit; almost everything about them was wrong for a flatty.
I think I paid $250 for the AA conversion headers...that was in 1983
The fit was almost perfect, and I wasn't willing to chop the fenders up.
They are worth the $$ IMO.