Willys cj something?

I recently bought a Jeep that is stated to be a 1945 Ford GPW on the title. However it has a tubular front cross member so I'm guessing it's a cj of somekind. I can't find any numbers on the frame and it's got a repro body on it so I'm not entirely sure what I have.

It has a Buick 231, a T-14 tranny, a Dana 18TC and Dana 27 and 41 axles. It's not in bad shape but not great shape either. It's got some rust on the tub, the front cross member is cracked and the engine overheats and leaks oil from every gasket. I plan to fix the welds on the cross member, box the frame and replace the body with a cj-3a body.

So to my questions. I have built a few fuel injected Ford 302 race motors and I am much more comfortable with EFI. Would a 302 fit in my jeep? If not I would be o.k. with a 4.3L if that would bolt up better to what I already have. I also have someone who wants to sell me Dana 30 and 35 axles off of a 96 Wrangler (4 wheel disc) for $100 each. Will these axles hold up to 35" inch tires?

Obviousley I will have a lot of other mods I want to do but I don't want to do anything until I have it all planned out. My ultimate goal is to have a not too extreme rock crawler that is still driveable around town.

Thanks in advance!

 

The windshield suggests that you have a 3A already, but that could have been swapped out.

 

X2 on that. You could make the 302 work for it with some mods, but a 4.3 would be an easier swap. As for the axles, the diff locations are different. In the front on the YJ it is on the drivers side, the one you have is on the passenger side.

 

Yeah I figure the only original parts are the frame, the suspension and the axles. I want to replace the body due to the amount of rust, the excessive amount of extra holes that have been drilled and cut and I want the Willys stamps and a tailgate.

 

I have nothing to add except welcome and nice Jeep...

 

In my opinion, the dana 30 and 35 are are too weak in stock form for your drivetrain, considering you want to do rock crawling.

Regarding the rear 35 - you'd have to have the tubes changed to have it match up to the offset on your transfercase. For my money, I'd find an offset CJ 44 with one piece axle shafts for that swap. Hopefully, someone will chime in on what upgrades the 30 may need.

Oh, Welcome from VA

 

I would check the PCV system and give the 231 a tune up and fix that crossmember and run it for a while if nothing else was wrong. As far as the Wrangler axles they will not hold up to 35's for very long. You would be better off with a set of Wagoneer Dana 44's from a 76-79 with dyna trac, the rear is off-set for the spicer18 TC. You would just have to outboard springs on the front to make either the Wagoneer or Wrangler axles work.

 

Just looked at the pictures again, wasn't a Dana 41 full float in a gpw?

 

Main upgrade for the front 30 would have to be like I mentioned, the YJ has the diff on the opposite side so it wouldn't work. You'd be better off finding some axles out of a Chevy 4x4 or something.

 

Oh, almost forgot about that. X2

 

Thanks guys for the welcome and info. Too bad about the axles, cheap and with disc brakes would have been nice. I guess it's true what they say, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

 

I'd fix what you have and use it for awhile, you could make the later D30/D35 work, but you would need a later (NP231) tcase.
The only upgrade I would do for now is find an offset D44.

Welcome and please fill out your profile, never know you may be close to one of us on here.

 

If you want 4 wheel discs you can swap in a Dana 30 front out of a 76-81 CJ (bolt in).
http://www.earlycj5.com/tech/axle/lynn_model30.shtml
And make your own Full Floater using 76-77 6 bolt discs or chevy discs.

http://www.earlycj5.com/tech/axle/d44FFDIY/index.shtml

 

I really love and know the 302. I thought about mating it to a T18 tranny. Have you seen a 302 in a cj-3a? I wondered about the hood clearance among other things. Would I need to switch to a cj-3b to clear the hood?

 

I hear what your saying. It's a neat Jeep as it is and I've been driving it around town a bit. I can only drive it so much before it starts to overheat, especially where I live we have had many 100-115 degree days. I know it needs a radiator and not sure I want to spend the money if I'll have to change it again with an engine swap. Really just thinking ahead. I may start to tear it down once winter comes hear in a couple of months.

Thanks for the info

 

I haven't seen it or done it personally, but I am sure somebody somewhere has done it before. It would take some doing to get it adapted and mounted, but you could probably get by with the body you have and a little body lift.

 

I have seen 289 fords put into CJ3A's before and is not the best choice. The 231 V6 you have in there already is the perfect motor for a CJ, and in my opion anything else is going backwards in performance. As, for mating a T18 four speed behind the V6 thats not a problem and is what I am putting in my CJ3B. I would find a narrow track D30 for that Jeep and an off-set Dana 44 for the rear and run disc brakes on all fours. I would rebuild that 231 V6 if it needed it and use it. That picture sure does not show a body in that bad of shape, but only you know for sure!

 

Yeah the body isn't that bad but all the extra holes really bother me. Plus I would like to have the tailgate and the Willys stamps.

And point taken on the motor issue. I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do. Do they make a fuel injection kit for the 231?

 

If its an even fire 231 they do. If its an oddfire some of the guys here have been working on one. Its a Mega Squirt.