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Thinking about putting a 4 cylinder back in

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by Welderr, Dec 29, 2015.

  1. Dec 29, 2015
    Welderr

    Welderr Member

    NW New Jersey
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    I inherited my Dad's 62 its relatively stock except a Buick V6 was swapped in but never finished no exhaust no clutch linkage,etc. The engine appears to be a junkyard motor complete with yellow paint pen on the valve cover that says runs. My Dad got it 25 years ago from a friend of mine who started the v6 conversion and never got around to it. A buddy of mine offered me a similar vintage cj5 all stock with an ohv 4 cylinder that was rebuilt approx 8,000 miles ago it was used mainly for plowing snow & pulling hay wagons and other farm duties it supposedly runs like a top but is severely rusted out. I have an SM420 trans that would be great with the v6 but I am thinking of taking every thing I need off of the rusted Jeep and getting mine back on the road , I could always keep the extra chassis and build it up on the side with the V6 if I decide to go that route but I am a creepy crawly trail driver now not a balls out mud bigger any more , I just enjoy poking along on the back roads and in the woods and don't have the extra coin right now to finish all the mods anyway. I think I might actually be pretty happy with the 4 banger. Thanks T.J.
     
  2. Dec 29, 2015
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    Based on your usage description I'll bet you probably will be happy with the 4 cylinder. If the other one is all stock I'm sure it must have an F-head. Have you got a picture of the possible donor engine?
     
  3. Dec 29, 2015
    duffer

    duffer Rodent Power

    Bozeman, MT
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    IMO, only if it never sees a paved road and even then, the 225 has it beat in every way. Not least of which is in mileage which in my experience is at least 2 mpg better and usually more. Personally, I wouldn't be thinking more than a nano second about installing the V6. It was the single best thing Kaiser ever did with the platform inherited from Willys Overland.
     
  4. Dec 29, 2015
    oddfirejeeper

    oddfirejeeper Active Member

    Hamilton, MI
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    i agree with john. the v6 is by far the best thing jeep did as far as power plant goes. i have both and love the v6 way better.
     
  5. Dec 29, 2015
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Kinda sounds like the 225 is sitting in the chassis. First I would evaluate the 225. Does it have a flywheel? If you want to run it as-is, I think you have to run it before you commit to installing it. Check the compression and the oil pressure, and listen for any terrible noises.

    If the engine is sitting on mounts in the chassis, the hard work is done. Also, you would need to do some work to change it back so that the F134 4-cylinder will fit ... mounts, cooling, plumbing, trans input shaft ... from your description, changing back is going to be as much work as finishing the V6 swap. I'm not a F134 hater, but I agree with John and John - run the 225 if you have the choice.
     
  6. Dec 29, 2015
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    :D I'm so surprised at the responses. ;) Maybe since I'm in Florida I have a hard time understanding how poking around at maybe 5 or 10 mph is any better with a V6 than a F-head. :confused:
     
  7. Dec 29, 2015
    Twin2

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    Torque when you need it . can't beat the V6 . now I really don't have anything against 4 cylinders in jeep . if I were to buy one that way . it would be fine with me
     
  8. Dec 29, 2015
    Patrick

    Patrick Super Moderator Staff Member

    Los Alamos, NM
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    I love my V6 Jeeps, always have. That being said, I really enjoy driving the L-head around town, and off road. The F-head too, for that matter..:)
     
  9. Dec 29, 2015
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    No argument from me about having enough torque available being a good thing. ;) My point is that a lot of people tend to automatically say more power is needed, when in reality that is not necessarily the case. I have never needed more power than the F-head has in my times out in the woods. Nobody loves powerful and heavy duty vehicles more than I do, so I totally get the reason behind responses. :)
     
  10. Dec 29, 2015
    Daryl

    Daryl Sponsor

    Bonney Lake, WA
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    I am for whatever is most likely to get the Jeep back on the road. If you have a complete, running chassis that can be up and running in a weekend I would go that way. If it will take another 25 years to put it back on the road with a different combo then that is not a great option.
     
    Glenn likes this.
  11. Dec 29, 2015
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    I love the V6 too, it's a totally different experience driving a V6 versus the 4 cyl. I drove several different ones in the late '60s and thought they were awesome. ;)
     
  12. Dec 29, 2015
    Welderr

    Welderr Member

    NW New Jersey
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    Well, I have been a mechanic for a little over 30 years now, and one thing I don't like is junkyard engines if I didn't see it run before it was pulled I don't trust it, I've seen to many people get burned, plus my buddy was probably about 16 when he put the engine in, he is one of the best wrenches I know but that is with 30 years experience under his belt too. The 134 is a known quantity I know who rebuilt and maintained it, the guy who has it bought it thinking about putting a fiberglass tub on it but ended up getting a killer deal on a Unimog and forgot about the cj its been sitting a few years. I like V6's I grew up in a Jeepster Commando on the farm and liked it a lot I will never forget the sound of the starter cranking nothing else sounds like it and it could push some snow , the only problem was rust and the front shaft carrier bearings. I will have to take a good look at the other Jeep might be quicker just to put the good tub from mine on it for now and then take my time going through the v6 chassis and getting it all set up the way I want it.
     
  13. Dec 29, 2015
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    I love the V6 as much as anyone, but that F-head is a great little engine. I racked up a ton of abusive race miles - and road miles on an F-head (with 3.73s and 33s), and it still pulls my stumps and plows my snow. It starts easier and more reliably than anything I've ever owned. Milage was fantastic when geared and tuned right.

    In the span of 8 days, I raced it in a brutal 3 hour off-road race (the final 45 mins. with zero water in the engine), then the following weekend drove from PA to MA for an all-Willys trail ride.

    If you know its limitations and gear it accordingly (preferably with a granny 4-spd), it is fantastic.

    Just my $.02.

    I've abused them enough to find out if you jump them high enough and land them hard enough, the opposing-diagonal design of the engine mounts spread the frame rails apart and shear the engine mount rubber, dropping the engine through the hole. o_O :D
     
  14. Dec 29, 2015
    uncamonkey

    uncamonkey Member

    Greeley CO
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    I put a 198 V6 in my MB around 1971. As said, better mileage, much easier to drive even in town and it is a bit lighter than the 134. Iwould not go back to a 134 unless I was doing a restroration.
     
  15. Dec 29, 2015
    PeteL

    PeteL If it wasn't for physics, and law enforcement... 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Hills of NH
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    I'm willing to believe the V6 was an improvement, though I've never owned one. I did once have a 258 straight-six CJ5 and often felt it was overpowered on the trail, too 'pushy' for crawling.

    On the other hand - I've been driving F-heads for 50 years, and the only time I feel they are outclassed is on paved roads at more than 45-50 mph, or possibly in snow more than a foot deep. (Assuming your trail riding is based on skilled exploration more than mud blasting power.)
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2015
  16. Dec 29, 2015
    PeteL

    PeteL If it wasn't for physics, and law enforcement... 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Hills of NH
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    :shock::shock::shock:
     
  17. Dec 29, 2015
    Patrick

    Patrick Super Moderator Staff Member

    Los Alamos, NM
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    A V6 in my flatty would be fun, no doubt, but for me, it would take away one of the aspects of the Jeep that makes it what it is. Most folks are surprised it still has the flat head. They expect that it should have a V6 or V8, especially since I drive it so much. It was my daily driver for a year, until I got the Tux. I put about 6K miles on the flatty last year.
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2015
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  18. Dec 29, 2015
    Welderr

    Welderr Member

    NW New Jersey
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    I forgot to explain I want to get it mobile and past being the old red Jeep with a ton of stuff piled high on it, if the Mrs. saw it being useful she wouldn't mind me spending a little on it, if I could lash the kayaks on it and head to the reservoir with it on a nice spring day she would be hooked. :)
     
  19. Dec 29, 2015
    colojeepguy

    colojeepguy Colorado Springs

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    You could possibly get away with driving a 4 cylinder CJ strictly off road...but how many of us live at the trail head?
    Traffic on modern roads is so fast that even my v6 Jeep can't keep up...I can't imagine driving around town with 75hp....forget about getting on a highway.
     
  20. Jan 4, 2016
    Welderr

    Welderr Member

    NW New Jersey
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    Well I have been climbing over and under both Jeeps and taking stock of what I need and One thing I noticed is that older 3.8's are not as common as they used to be, 3800's are everywhere but they won't help me, I want to convert it eventually to power steering so my wife will have an easier time driving it gotta hit the scrap yard soon and find some brackets before they all get melted down in China. Part of me is thinking a 4.3 might be easier to deal with at this point, but the 3.8 fits so nice, then again a 60° 3.4 would fit pretty good too . T.J.
     
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