55 cj5 wont stay running And axle ?

i just got a rad for my newly ebuilt f134 and got t runnung last nite. took it out for its for trip around the parking lot. good oil pressure, good engine temp. has a brand new solex carb, so i was happy. when out today after work and started and moved into the garage. t cut off on me goin thru the parking lot. started back fne. once in the garage i pulled the valve cover and retoqued the cyl. head. tried restarting and it fired up ran 30 sec and cut off. wouldnt restart. kept retrying and sometimes it would hit then shut back off. i have good spark, good compression, all valve train components moving, when it runns it sound fine at idle but it has no throttle response now.( before it dies). spark plug looks dry when pulled out. have an electric fuel pump w/ a pres.regulator. i know fuel is making it to the carb. im kinda baffled. any advice would be great.
Secondly, this is a toy jeep for me, so im looking to do some rock crawling w/ it. ive got 33's on it now w/ stock axles and gears(5.38). it seems to have lost its low end pull. im looking to swap axles anyways b/c i have full width 44's outa a wagoneer. my troubles are 1. i can only find geas up to 5.89 for the 44's and i dont know if that will be low enough. 2. i hve band new 5-5.5 wheels that wont fit the 6 ug pattern. i want ton know what options i have other than getting diffeent wheels.
if anyone has done a swap w/ full width 44's please shoot me an email Myz28u@aol.com

 

Possably crap in the fuel filter? How's your tank, could be junk broke loose and clogged a fuel line some. You have 5:38's that's pretty low, if you want lower go for a 4 speed with granny gear, stock t98 is one of your only opptions at present with the :hurrican:. Could also put in lower gears in your transfercase. Your stock axles should hold up fine behind the 4cyl. Wheel it first before you swap out axles you might be suprised how well they hold up.

 

Has your distributor turned or is it loose?

 

Can't help you much with the engine but the axle swap I know a little about.

As stated above, if you want to stay with f-head, the t98 is the way to go. A 3.15 low range for the Xfer is out there but you will have to find a 66 or newer 18/20 case for it to work.

The axles aren't just a bolt in either. The spring spacing is different by about 4" and requires the front to be outboarded. There are a few companies that make kits, BTF (Blue Torch Fab) comes to mind but there are others or it can be yourself if you have the skill. This swap is also going to probably require a spring change too. This also bring up spring over, draglinks, tierods, highsteer and other problems.
Unless you need the benefits of a Waggy 44, think about a pre-76 D30, it's close to a bolt in. Even the 76-83 would be an easier swap being the only difference is spring width.

5.89 have a very small pinion, with the power your pushing probably won't be a problem but don't expect to do over about 40mph on the road.

I'm also getting the feeling you haven't wheeled much and have been doing to much webwheeling. Since you have a complete running Jeep, go out and use it before you start modifying it, you will be surprised at what it will do. After you have been out for a while and see what yours will do, then think about what you want to change.

I'm actually building a Jeep with Waggy 44s, here is a link to the build if you want to see what needs to be done. http://www.peakputters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=295