Barn Find----Sort-of

Well, keeping it stock is the overwhelming comment so that is what I will endeavor to do. The first step I believe is to make sure that the motor is original. The Jeep serial number, 57548 143665 indicates a 1962 but I cannot interpret the engine code, 4J316050 according to the chart.. I will be grateful to anyone who can help me here.
Thanks to everyone who responded.
I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions.

 

johnsotd-

did u read all the replys? i gave you the number off my 62 block. they seem to be very close. yours was probably made just a little after mine. also, when restoring something look at the evidence. what i see in the pic is an old, dirty, rusty, crappy lookin engine, just what i want to see! unless there is evidence of a swap, it is the original motor. i can't remember where i did my research online to determine that mine was original, but it's out there. took me about half an hour of perusing online.

 

Thanks for the reply. The main reason for asking the question about this motor is because it is painted red which, I believe, is not a stock color.
Tommy

 

hmmm....red? i guess someone got crazy with some spray paint at one time. you're right though. red is not a stock engine color (not that i've ever seen). they came in blue, black, or yellow... depending on compression.

 

Have you scratched some of that red paint off to see which enginge you might have?

 

Do some more investigation on the engine color. They used a red lead based primer on the bare blocks. Possible the original top coat flaked off. Mine was like that.

 

I have begun the disassembly process and so far the initial impression on keeping everything stock is that it is going to be difficult especially in the electrical department. Part sources for the generator seem to be scarce or even non existent.
I will endeavor to persevere and start a build thread when I get further into things.
Tommy

 

Well, stock within reason. New wiring and swapping the generator for an alternator won't hurt, and would make it more reliable anyway. I mean, my '56 is going to be "stock" in appearance, but it has 11" brakes, a D30 front axle, a V6 Ross steering gearbox, 12v electrics, all new wiring harness, alternator, and will likely get a Pertronix electronic ignition too.

 

i voted for stock, but now i'm leaning towards resto-mod. as i get into mine more, i find that as long as everything that i change and upgrade from stock can be unbolted and put back to stock, i feel pretty good.

 

Well, things look a little better today. Stock may still be my best option. I found a place (ACC Rebuilders) in Memphis about 40 miles from my house that still does generators. Some of the flaps guys didn't even know what a generator was. I popped the top on the transmission after I pulled the engine and initial inspection looks like most of the gears will be usable even though I did drain some water from the bottom of the case.
Thanks for the comments.
Tommy

 

Rebuild it to original with the caveat of upgrading things that make sense. Unless you're going to enter it in competitions the color of the engine is moot but people love the old Jeep look. People call out to me at traffic lights, in parking lots, and even on the freeway. The classic jeep with the tire on the right rear is iconic you can get a 1990-something for a pittance with power and cut-chop-and super mod it easily. Restore it just enough to go have fun with it. I won't go on trails that will probably bash the sheet metal but I do enjoy doing everything the folks with big tires, V8 engines, and a ton of high performance toys do. I'm tired and rambeling. bye bye.

 

I vote for stock with reasonable updates to make it more driveable and safer unless going for period correct. All the time I get people looking at the '59 '5 which is far from stock but appears stock. They ask what year it is and when I tell them '59 they generally say something like, "that is cool, didn't know there were any around this area that old".

 

What I'm finding as I get more into the disassembly is not so much wear as poor maintenance, neglect, and hard use. I intend to go with stock unless I run into safety and performance issues such as brakes and steering. As I get further into restoration if I find parts that are damaged or worn to the point of needing replacement an upgrade will need to be considered.
ECJ5's that don't have a lot of modification are getting harder and harder to find.
Thanks for the help.
Tommy