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Lost Biscuit Specs

• CATEGORIES: Biscuit This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This is a detailed list of the products, purchases, and decisions I’ve made. I’ve added links to posts which contain pictures or more information regarding the part. It will continue to be updated over time.

Frame: I’m using a 1973 CJ-5 Frame that was part of a running CJ-5 I purchased. I stripped and sold most of the parts, retaining mostly just the axles, frame, gas tank, and misc pieces. I stripped the frame of everything, including the shackles, cleaned it, then painted it. During the process I added permanent front and rear bumpers, a new front cross member, and a new engine mount system. The frame is plenty beefy for the V6, so I didn’t do any additional boxing in except for the area from the new cross member to the new front bumper. Here’s an overview of the changes to the front of the frame as well as images of the backend. Here’s the painted frame.

Front Axle: This is a stock Dana 30 from a 1973 CJ-5. Except for changing the spring pads, this is a stock Dana 30. I chose this because I had it. It is stronger than the Dana 27 and 25 and was easier for me to obtain than the Dana 44 for the front. The gears and seals were in good enough condition that I did not rebuild the pumpkin. I have not installed a locker or posi because I did not have one installed in my last jeep and never felt like I missed having it. So, for the time being it will remain open.

Front Brakes: I’m using the standard 1973 drum brakes, which are rebuilt.

Rear Brakes: I’m using the 11″ drum brakes from the ’73 CJ-5 I dismembered.

Power Brakes: I’m using the Power Brakes from a early 1990ish Cherokee. Along with that, I’m using the combonation valve from the same cherokee. Thus far, between the drums and the power braking system, the brakes have rocked.

Swing Pedal (brake): These swinging pedals came from a junked 1990ish cherokee. The nice thing about this setup is that I have both the clutch/brake setup and a wide brake (automatic tranny) setup. Therefore, swapping to a clutch, if necessary, will be simplified.

Rear Axle: This is a stock Dana 44 from a 1973 CJ-5. I purchased a locker off of craigslist. While installing the locker, I discovered the R&P was bad (broken teeth), so I found another R&P for cheap off of Craigslist and installed it and the locker. The rebuild kit for the rear-end was purchased off of Craigslist. Here’s a post discussing disassembly. Here I put it back together.

Front Springs: The front springs are 2 1/2 inch springs from the rear of a Wrangler that I purchased as part of another jeep. I Added an additional leaf from another left over spring set to beef them up slightly. I also redrilled the center hole on the main spring leaf, repositioning forward about 3 inches. I used stock wrangler springs so that I could easily update them with aftermarket wrangler springs in the future. The shackles are reversed. The front spring holder is homemade. The rear spring holder was purchased and welded to the bottom of the frame. The shackles are aftermarket that modified MB I purchased. I’ve used stock cherokee u-bolts and u-bolt plates. Here’s some pics. And, more pics.

Front Shocks and Shock Mounts: The shocks came from Bucks, a local 4 wheel drive store. The mounts I made myself. They ended up bigger than I would like, but they’ll do for now.

Rear Springs: The rear springs are 2 1/2 inch springs from a late 80s cherokee out of a junk yard. I redrilled the center hole of these springs. Again, I chose these as they’d be easy and inexpensive to replace. I purchased the rear shackles from summit, but they were too long (I misunderstood the description) and had to cut them down (the good news was that I could cute them to the exact length I wanted them). Here’s some pics.And, more pics.

Engine: The engine core is a 1980 buick V6 231. The block has not been bored. It has 9.1 Compression, Hypereutectic Pistons, 288 Duration Cam, unported heads, Aluminum Edelbrock Performer Intake 4 Barrel, Holley Aluminum Valve Covers, High Volume Oil Pump with an additional hardened steel plate and .015″ of extra gasket spacing, dual external oil filter, and chrome headers (well the top part is still chrome). The former engine owner believe this engine would likely put out 250hp given the updates, however I can’t verify that. Here are the engine mounts. I take apart the engine and discover a bad crankshaft. I found a good deal on a V6 that has a good crankshaft. Here, I find Cracks in the heads.

Remote Dual Oil Filters: I’ve got a dual remote oil filter system that came with the engine I purchased, so I decided to give it a try. I figured it would also act as a cooling system.

Oil Pump: I read enough information that I was strongly encouraged NOT to use a high volume pressure oil spring with my 1980 Buick V6. Here’s a little about the oil pump. The oil pressure runs about 60 PSI with the normal spring.

Carburetor: This is an old Carter Competition Series 500 CFM that I got as part of a engine trade. I tried bidding on a rebuild kit off of ebay, but after an unsuccessful bid offer, I turned to Summit (CRT-902317A) for the kit.

Transmission: I decided to go with a TH-350 transmission. It’s one of the shorter auto trannys, it’s cheap to maintain, parts are plentiful and it’s a strong tranny. I struggled mightly with the tranny decision, as I’ve always preferred a clutch. However, after extensive reading, I decided I’d give the automatic a try, as it would give me an excuse to learn more about them, as well as compare and contrast the differences. While TH-350s are pretty common in junkyards and on craigslist, finding a short shaft with the TH-350 adapter for a Dana 18/20 transfercase is much more difficult (the adapter alone is $500 new). After much searching and waiting, I finally located a tranny that had been rebuilt several years ago and only used a few times before the owner wrecked his jeep. I chose not to rebuild the tranny at this time; I’m gonna see how it runs and then make a decision on whether I can tolerate the auto in the jeep before I dump any money into a rebuild of it. I’m using a B&M shift assembly I obtained as part of my engine purchase. Here’s a discussion of the changes to the transmission shifting unit.

Tranny Cooler: I pulled one from the local junkyard.

Transfer Case: Because of the center pumpkin of the ’73 Dana 44 rear end, I went with a Dana 20 transfercase. As I’ve chronicled in the video below, I improved the Dana 20 gearing by using Dana 18 gears and obtaining a Rear sliding gear originally used in the early Bronco Dana 20 transfercases that I purchased from the Bronco Graveyard. Here’s a transfercase post, an overview of how the gears work, and a look out how I set up the dual shifte

Paint: I purchased the paint from an ebay power seller. I was supposed to receive the color Aqua Pearl, unfortunately, though I received a can labelled aqua pearl, it was actually a darker color (likely Teal Green). I didn’t realize how much darker until I started spraying it onto the body. This is one product I won’t purchase over the net anymore.

Body: I obtained a fiberglass body that was in horrible shape. I’ve nursed it back to health through a steady diet of fiberglass and resin. I believe I’ve got an older bobcat body, but I couldn’t say for sure. I prefer the body style with the look of its wider lip that encircles the interior of the body. While fiberglass bodies can be a little or a lot lighter (depending on the body style), they aren’t quite as tough as a metal body. Fiberglass bodies can still be found from time to time on craigslist. I will do my best to build a description of as many of them as I can. Here’s a number of pics of rebuilding the body. Here, I’m painting the body and part 2 of painting.

Fenders: Through craigslist I found a never used bobcat racing body that included fenders and a grille. I bought the entire package then resold everything but the fenders. I chose these fenders over new fenders because 1) they were cheaper and 2) the newer fiberglass fenders from places like JC-Whitney’s came with an extra lip in the front that I didn’t like. Once purchased, I had to cut and extend them, and then create the sections that wrapped around the headers. Here I start the extension process. Here I complete the process.

Grille: The grille is the only original part of the jeep left. My experience was that the fiberglass grilles just weren’t strong enough to hold up to daily wear and tear. So, I took the original 1949 grille and stripped it down pretty bare. Then, because I wanted to use the 5 1/2 inch rather than 7 inch headlights, I had to fiberglass down the headlight holes. I chronicle the grille here.

Headlights: I got my headlight housings from a local junkyard that has a huge inventory of cars from the 40s, 50s and 60s. The housings allow the use of a 5 1/2 inch rather than the standard 7 inch headlights, creating a different look. The housings are from an Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, which actually used two sets of these on each side. I discuss them here.

Hood: I created the hood out of fiberglass using a homemade mold. Due to the height of the intake manifold, I was later forced to add a scoop. I hope to redo the hood and make some minor improvements next time.

Radiator: The radiator was purchased through Doug Herbert High Performance Parts. Aluminum Radiator (GRI1-25241-X) was $179.99, the best price I found anywhere. The fit was perfect, 27 1/2″ x 15 3/8″ x 3″.

Fan: I found the fan through ebay seller North Coast Performance, a ProComp Dual 10″ combo with a thermostat switch. It was $60 plus shipping. It covers nearly all the radiator without sticking below the radiator. I chose to fiberglass the two fans together and then create an external mount to more firmly hold the fans in place. Between the two fans, each rated at 1250 CFM, and the aluminum radiator, I except to have no overheating problems. Here’s a little about my decision process regarding fans.

Wiring: I used a product called KICKZ, a product I won through an ebay bid of $143, which was one of the best prices I’ve come across. I was pleased with the ease of installation and organization of the wiring. The wire gauge was heavy and the wiring had some thick insulation. Nothing about the harness felt cheap to me. Here’s some posts about the wiring.. getting the wiring, installing it 1, installing it 2, installing it 3, installing it 4.

Gauges: I purchased brand new Equus gauges from schucks. Here’s what I did to install a transmission temp gauge (actually just an engine temp gauge) into the tranny line.

Wheels: I’ve purchased two sets of Aluminum Hurricane Rims, which are far rarer than I realized. You can view the first set here and the second set here.

Tires: I’ve got 7 old desert dogs which I will use for racing. I haven’t decided on what type of new tires I’ll purchase.

Roll Cage: The roll cage is 2″ diameter .12 thick CREW Tubing that is connected to the frame in six places. The tubing is mounted in 6 places. The front plates use 4 3/8″ grade 8 bolts at each plate. The middle plates use 4 1/2″ grade 5 bolts at each plate. The rear bolts use 2 3/8″ grade 8 bolts at each connection. The plates are 1/4″ thick plate. Here’s an overview of the final build and research related to my cage.

I built a bender to bending my tubing using plans from http://www.gottrikes.com.

Here’s an early mockup of the cage.

Seats: I used older fiberglass seats that I had to patch. I used these same seats in my last build and really liked them. I discuss the rebuild seats here. I show how they connect to the frame here. The seat covers are home made using about 2.5 yards of black leather-like vinyl.

Gas Tank: This is a stock CJ-5 gas tank from the 1973 CJ-5.

Gas Pedal: This is a custom pedal made out of a piece of aluminum and covered with some skateboard sand-paper-like covering. On the back, I’ve used a couple rollers so that the pedal rolls down gas pedal lever. I found this worked exceptionally well while racing and jeeping, as it kept the pedal from moving due to bumps.

Power Steering: I used a common saginaw hydraulic steering mechanism. I borrowed an idea from a friend to neatly connect the tubing from the pump to the steering unit. You can view what I’ve done to develop the idea and then what it looks like when it’s finished. Here’s a video on fixing a shaft leak on the powersteering housing.

Steering Column: The steering column came out of a late 80s cherokee. It seems to be a GM-type column to me, as all the wiring matches the GM columns. At first, I cut the steering housing down a couple inches, but then discovered I needed to the extra length (oops), so I welded back the extra length. I created a custom attachment to bold the column onto the fiberglass dashboard, connecting it to the brake housing to improve the strength.

Turn Signal Indicators: These are M-38 dash lights I re-purposed for indicators. You can see how I did this here.

 
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1960 CJ-3B Aurora, CO **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3B This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $2500.

This CJ-3B has seen a few miles. Maybe the compressor in the back comes with it?!  I can’t tell if the rust is surface rust or the more insidious body rot.

“original rebuilt motor, lift kit, big wheels,4 wheel drive,climbs just about any road”

 
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1951 CJ-3A San Francisco $8500

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3A This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

What I found interesting about this jeep was that it appears to be a standard wheel base running a chev 327 and TH-400. That's a pretty tight fit.  Must be a short rear driveline.  Note the driver's side fuel inlet in the back.  Looks like some good work all around.  I'd like to see some more pics of this jeep.

"$8500.00 OBO, Super clean, Fully restored, Rootbeer Brown Paint, Brown leather High bucket seats, 327 chevy corvet engine, Automatic Turbo 400 Transmission with over drive, 33 inch Dune tires custom wheels, tow winch and never been off road since restored, CD player plus extra's.  CALL DON 209-652-6193"

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/702949234.html 

 
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Builds — 1943 MB

• CATEGORIES: Features, MB This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Andrew McGraw (and friends) gave new life to a beat up 1943 MB (to the right is an 'after' pic).  The only before and after pics are of the engine compartment, but the differences in those two pics is pretty dramatic.

"The Willys MB project was a feat in that it was completed in about 2 months. Having been in my friend’s family for many years, they were looking to do a restoration/upgrade on it.

It had undergone so many repairs and body modifications over the years. That fact, combined with the cost and relative impracticality of a full authentic restoration led to the decision to rebuild and modify. If I were in charge of the finances, I would have at least upgraded the powertrain/drivetrain to that of a YJ, at the minimum. A fuel injected 5-speed MB would be awesome. However, I wasn’t in charge of the finances or major decisions…."

http://www.ckmcgraw.com/afmcgraw/MB.htm 

 
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2 Jeeps in Minden, NV **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3A, MB This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** was $3500

These two jeeps have been for sale for a few months, though they haven’t been listed in a while.  Both jeeps have full cages.  One jeep comes with a winch.  Both bodies appear in at least decent shape.  Unfortunately, Minden is a bit out of the way.  Given the price of gas, I doubt too many people are going to drag their haulers down to Minden unless the price drops further.”

 
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1959 FC-150 New Jersey **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: FC150-FC170-M677 This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $6500.

Someone has cared for this FC.

“This is a nice “59” Willys Jeep FC-150, It runs and looks good, I have more pic. just e-mail me. Asking 6,500. Feel free to e-mail offers and questions.”

 
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My Build — A couple cracks in the engine plan

• CATEGORIES: Biscuit, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Lyle from Bob's Mechanical called me today.  He left a message on my phone asking me to call back in a tone that made me wonder whether a relative of mine had died!  Turns out, the news was worse;  Both of my heads had one crack each between two valves. You can see one of these cracks in the picture to the right. 

Fortunately, my $50 engine had 2 good heads, though these heads weren't ported nor did they have their valve guides machined, they did have better seats.  Best $50 I've spent so far!  

 
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1951 CJ-3A Maryland eBay

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3A This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This sounds like a great jeeper.  It could probably use an overdrive, but otherwise sounds ready to hit the trails.

"225 V6 motor (runs good), t-90 3-speed transmission, Dana/spicer model 18 transfercase, dana 44 front axle, 4.88 gears, detroit locker, disc brakes, full-floating dana 44 rear axle, 4.88 gears, detroit locker, drum brakes, shackle reversal (front), spring-over conversion (with wide leaf springs) and more …."

View all the pics here 

 
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1953 CJ-3B Los Angeles, CA **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3B This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $6000. 

This looks to be a pretty rust free CJ-3B with a variety of good upgrades.

“All stock except for Chevy 4 cyl engine, Warn OD, 11″ brakes, Chevy steering, Rancho suspension, Bestop top, Toyota LC seats, Smittybuilt roll cage.”

 
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1951 CJ-3A Jamestown, NC eBay

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3A • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The bid is only at $610 as of Sunday morning.  The equipment could use some cleaning, but looks to be a complete package.  I haven't seen trenching equipment for sale that is in such good shape.

"1951 CJ3A Jeep A Trench with The Auburn Willys Overland authorized Trencher attachment.  Jeep is complete.  Has approx $2,000 worth of hard to find vintage options like Govenor, rear tractor box PTO, Hub PTO, etc…alone.  Jeep used until the motor failed, then parked, resulting in the Jeep staying complete.  Have owned for over 5 years and was bought from an off road equipment dealer.  Unique piece of Jeep Willys history for a collector…"

See all the pics on eBay 

 
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Stainless Steel Flatfender Camas, Wa ** Sold **

• CATEGORIES: CJ-2A, CJ-3A, Unique Jeeps This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This is probably being sold by a seller who has been trying to sell a couple other nicely finished jeeps and stainless jeep parts.

“Stainless steel willys jeep very rare call for details.will trade for muscle car,hotrod,pro street car,nice lifted rubicon wrangler rockcrawler,beach property. *** SOLD***”


 
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1953 CJ-3B Nampa, Idaho **SOLD*

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3B • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE:  Price dropped to $3250 **SOLD**  I saw this driving around the other day in fact!

This CJ-3B has been for sale for a couple of months. Nampa is a suburb of Boise.

“53 willys. strong running 307 v8.(small block chevy) light and quick.fun to drive.3 speed trans.dual exhaust.sounds good.looks good.runs great.nice bikini top,new windshield and seal,modern bucket seats. “

 
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Are Sand Dunes a favorite for Jeeping?

• CATEGORIES: Features, Website This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The American Sand Association operates a nice website with plenty of information about sand dunes across the United States. Here’s their bulletin board.

The mission of the American Sand Association is simple: “Unite, Inform and Mobilize: We accomplish that mission throught the use of the volunteers. We believe in responsible resource management for the people. The American Sand Assotiation supports a national cooperation of local and regonal sand sport organization and shares with them ideas and infomration to help them Unite, Inform and Mobilize.”

 
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Builds – 1942 GPW

• CATEGORIES: Builds, MB This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This 1942 GPW has been extensively rebuilt into a rock climber.  No hack job here as the builder documents his efforts through a series of words and pictures.  The builder writes that the jeep was featured in the December 2006 issue of 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine; however, I couldn't locate the article nor the builder's name.  

 "I stripped the Jeep down to the bare frame and started work. The frame was a stock GPW frame that had some previous 'fixes' done to it and it had a few cracks. I completely boxed and strapped the top and bottom of the frame. If I were to do it again I would definitely make my own frame from scratch using 2"x4" box tube. To strap the frame I used 2"x1/4" steel and stitch welded it along the length of the frame. I made cardboard templates of the sections to be boxed and then cut them out of some plate steel."

Learn more about the details of this rebuild here. He also details how he turned a Pro Tools 105 HD bender into a hydraulic bender.

 
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Crankshaft Update – Success

• CATEGORIES: Biscuit This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I've got my crankshaft problem solved 🙂

Yesterday I drove out to Caldwell to meet Terry Zabel and checkout a $50 buick v6.  This craigslist find was my least expensive crankshaft option, so I had low expectations, but high hopes.  The engine came without an intake, rocker arms and a few misc pieces, but one useful item they did include for me (thanks to his brother Tony) was an even-fired flywheel, which I had been seeking (but couldn't find) in case I wanted to move back to a manual tranny.  As soon as I saw the flywheel, I figured the crankshaft was gravy, so I told them I would take it.

Back home, I quickly pulled it apart (which wasn't too difficult as most of the timing chain bolts and oil pan bolts were missing anyway).  When I finally got to the crankshaft and pulled off the first rod, I was relieved to see virtually no wear.  It didn't take long to pull out the crankshaft and see that it had been turned .010 and was in excellent shape … whew!  So, I took it to Bob's today and Lyle mic'd it, confirming my assumptions and telling me the same thing, "much better than the other one".  Also, the block itself looks to be in great shape, though it's been bored .030 already.  So, I'll save this block and use it as the base for a backup v6 for future use.

 
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1945 MB Los Angeles, eBay — the last MB produced? (link now works)

• CATEGORIES: MB This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE:  Oops, that was programmer (and QA control) error .. now check out the pics — thanks Mitch! Note the bid price, already at $15k.

With a starting bid of $10k, this is one restored jeep whose price might just rise beyond the $10k bid.  The seller makes a strong argument that this was the VERY LAST WWII jeep to be made. It comes equipped with all kinds of extras and its pictures are worth browsing.

"Let me start by saying that this is the finest World War Two Jeep on the planet!!This 1945 Willys jeep is the last know jeep delivered in World War Two,if you look at the picture of the original dash plaque it is dated 8/20/1945.This is the last day of delivery and the last jeep KNOWN built that day!!!!So lets get past the early historic aspect of this jeep and lets look a little more at its more recent history.This Jeep belonged to Hillcrest Cadillac in Beverly Hills…."

View more pics on eBay 

 
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1952 Sand Rail Yuma, AZ **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Racing, Unique Jeeps • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

This is a 2wd Sand Rail.  I suspect the body is fiberglass.  Looks well built.

“This is a two wheel drive, sand drag,off road dune jeep.  Here is a partial list of features it has:  a Narrowed 9 inch Posi Rear; Turbo 350 rebuilt transmission with a 3500 stall converter; 4 bolt main 400 HP Chevy 350 with Vortec angle plug heads; big hydraulic cam; 850 Holley double pumper carb; MSD ignition; 200 HP Edelbrock NO2 system.  The Jeep has been lengthened about 10 inches in the front.”

 
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Bad Engine News … Anyone have an extra v6 crankshaft?

• CATEGORIES: Biscuit This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Last October, I bought a 1980 buick v6 with approx 50k miles that had been built to put out approx 250hp. The engine details included:  "9.1 Compression, Hypereutectic Pistons, Balanced, 288 Duration Cam, Head is Ported with 174-150 Stainless Valves, Aluminum Edelbrock Performer Intake 4 Barrel, Holley Aluminum Valve Covers,High Volume Oil Pump".  Those are the kind of v6 specs I wanted, so it sounded ideal.

The guy I purchased it from (off craigslist of course) said it would likely need new rings and cam bearings, but everything else should be good to go.  So, I've been looking forward to the engine rebuild as I figured it would be pretty straight forward.

So, yesterday I started taking apart the engine.  Everything looked as expected until I pulled off the heads.  Inside number 1 & 2 chambers were some rust, thick carbon deposits and dust (see upper right pick — it's not horrible, but dirtier than I expected).  At that point, I decided the entire engine needed an inspection, so I pulled everything out.  When I got to the crankshaft, I could see there was definitely some wear — I would need to take it to a machine shop and have them review it.

This morning, I did just that.  First we discovered it had already been turned 010 and, after pulling out his micrometer, he determined that we'd have to go at least to 030, but he wasn't sure there was enough metal left to make that work.

So, I'm on the hunt for a cheap v6 with a good crank, or find a crank by itself (perhaps at a junkyard?), or buy a new one — approx $500 that I didn't intend to spend.

Stay tuned … 

 
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1963 M170 Ambulance Gig Harbor, Wa $2500 obo

• CATEGORIES: M-170 This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I’ve never heard of this type of jeep (this is becoming an all to familiar statement!). Here’s some more info on this jeep from the Olive-drab.com website

“I am moving and need to get rid on this project, its a military ambulance. It comes with a fuel injected 4.3 with NV 3500 and NV 231 case, Wiring harness and computer, steering column, peddle assembly, Ford 9″ with Strange 31 spline shafts, HP Dana 30, the original top and doors (brand new), tailgate, windshield frame, hood, grill, gas tank, fenders. The frame already has YJ leafs mounted to it and they have been out boarded for a better ride. The jeep just needs to be put together. Have title. 2500 obo”

Here is a pic of the M-170.  Note the extra wide entrance on the passenger side vs.  the normal looking CJ-5 looking entrance on driver’s side.

 
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Builds — Chris Olson

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This is a build done by Chris Olson that I found at the BC4x4 website.  He found a beat up '48 CJ-2A, made a variety of mods, and ended up with a highly modified, but ordinary looking, CJ-2A.

"At first glance, Chris Olson's 1948 CJ2A Willys looks rather plain next to his brother's LJ80 Suzuki. Your first impression would be that it's another flat fender Jeep with big tires and a spring-over-axle conversion. But like his brother's Suzuki, Chris' Jeep isn't what it appears to be. In fact, it is more Toyota than Jeep. This flat fender reflects Chris' pragmatic attitude toward building a 4×4. Choices were made due to cost, availability and functionality. He has no loyalty to any make or model of vehicle and because of that, he has ended up with a very unique vehicle.

When Chris first set eyes upon the Willys in 1997, it was sitting in a backyard, partially hidden by knee-height grass. It had a seized engine, the front axle housing was gutted, all four tires were useless, the interior was a rat home, and it sported a rollbar made of old driveshafts (including the yokes!). The important thing to Chris was that the body was in pretty good condition, especially for a vehicle built half a century earlier. For $400, it was his."

Read more at the BC4x4.com website

 
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My Build — Fixing a Power Steering Leak

• CATEGORIES: Biscuit, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

One of the minor fixes on my list of things to repair (a never ending list it seems) was to replace the seals on the input shaft of my power steering unit to stop a small fluid leak.  At $15 (from my local NAPA dealer) for replacement seals this is an inexpensive fix. So, to make the fix more interesting, I taped my efforts for your viewing amusement and edification.

 
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1960 DJ-3A South Paris, ME **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: DJ-3A • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

” Condition –  Used.  Good condition.  “Jeep C” is painted in script of the door.  Repairable approx 2″ tear in Willys roof.  Visor hem is loose. Roof is Cerulean and white stripes. Fringe, seats, roll down/up windows are in good condition.  Expected paint wear on pedals.   Hub caps are cerulean blue with “W” in the chrome.  Has spare tire with cover.  Stored in self-contained Car-Mate (PA)  It has a side door, roof window and ramp.  Car-Mate is included in the price to tow your surrey.  Important:  Gallery picture is generic.  My Willys has black side steps, not blue!

Features:  All original as far as I am aware.  Windows, braces, visor, steps and keys are in the vehicle.  Frame and serial numbers match.  Plate is on fire wall.  NOTE:  Historical records on surreys are sketchy.  According to hand written notes from factory 1959-1960 start and end numbers are 16643-19367…..”

 
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Builds: Brian’s CJ-3B resurrection cont.

• CATEGORIES: Builds This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Brian from Michigan sent me some updated pics from his efforts to bring his CJ-3B body back from the dead. Here are several body pics (some I’ve posted before).  Below the body pics you’ll see his latest unexpected issue, the engine he’s dropped into the jeep has an oil pan that hangs too low — a problem seeking a solution (note his clever use of some plastic pipe in place of a yet to procured front drive line).  Finally, he shows a picture of his unabashed stripping of a parts Blazer.

 
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1956 CJ-3B Olympia, Wa $1000 **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3B This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE:  This sold quickly …

This looks to be a great price.  This jeep should go quickly.  The tires and rim are worth probably $500 themselves.

“I have a 1956 Willys CJ3B for sale. I bought it in Europe when I was stationed there. It was owned by the Swiss Army in its previous life. I planned on restoring it but the project has ground to a halt. The F-134 engine does not run but all of the pieces are there and when it did run there were no mechanical problems. It also had the T-90 and Spicer 18. The axles are Dana 27 in the front and Dana 44 in the rear. The body is in rough but fairly solid shape. It has rusted through in a few areas but the rust was stopped when I had it sandblasted and coated with POR-15 paint. A Google search will show you this is really amazing (and expensive) stuff. It also has the ventilating windshield, a not too common option.”

 
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Mb-4 JEEP? $3500

• CATEGORIES: MB This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Anyone know what the -4 designation means on the MB?  I'm thinking $3500 is way outside the ball park unless there's something I'm missing.

"This Jeep needs total restoration. It ran when parked a few years ago. fenders are missing. Clear title. this is an Mb-4 JEEP not a CJ2a. call 509-258-4542"

http://spokane.craigslist.org/car/661754192.html