What do you think this is worth

[Grimtas]

vwnate, I know what you mean about fuel consumption it's the main reason I finally got rid of my last jeep. At one point my daily commute was so long I was filling the 19 gal tank daily.

Ok so then the 194 will be toast, I was not able to find much in the way of any good reason to try to boast the engine. This makes my overall choice much simpler, find the doner vette and swap in the suspension and powertrain. Heck the stock ZR1 405 HP engine got 26 MPG on the hwy, the modest 300+ got around 28 MPG I believe. So If I'm lucky in finding a reasonably priced salvage titled 93-96 ZR1 or any 84-96 (suspension width's changed in 88-89) the powerplant and suspension will be going into this truck.

 

[50 Chevy LS3]

This makes my overall choice much simpler, find the doner vette and swap in the suspension and powertrain. Heck the stock ZR1 405 HP engine got 26 MPG on the hwy, the modest 300+ got around 28 MPG I believe. So If I'm lucky in finding a reasonably priced salvage titled 93-96 ZR1 or any 84-96 (suspension width's changed in 88-89) the powerplant and suspension will be going into this truck.

Now your speaking my language again!

That 6-popper would make a good door-stop.

 

[vwnate1]

Engine Choices

Grimtas (izzat your name ?) ;

You'll never meet a more Die Hard InLine 6-Banger guy than I however , that 194 C.I. mill GM foisted upon us in 1963 , really is worthless unless you have some low HP , medium RPM use for it like an Ag Pump .

I understand you're love of the fuel injected V8 but there are other ways to go ~ it's very difficult to beat the driving pleasure of a sharply tuned i6 engine , the V8's give useless bragging rights and you can shred the tires but if you really want to _drive_ the darn thing , think hard before making the change .

Looking back , almost every old car that's been changed to a V8 , gets sold a couple years after .

I drive 800 + miles every 7 days , often in dense traffic so driveability is paramount followed by fuel economy .

Reliability is nice too but I rarely ever wear anything out because I like to maintain and tune them .

 

[Grimtas]

Grimtas (izzat your name ?) ;

You'll never meet a more Die Hard InLine 6-Banger guy than I however , that 194 C.I. mill GM foisted upon us in 1963 , really is worthless unless you have some low HP , medium RPM use for it like an Ag Pump .

I understand you're love of the fuel injected V8 but there are other ways to go ~ it's very difficult to beat the driving pleasure of a sharply tuned i6 engine , the V8's give useless bragging rights and you can shred the tires but if you really want to _drive_ the darn thing , think hard before making the change .

Looking back , almost every old car that's been changed to a V8 , gets sold a couple years after .

I drive 800 + miles every 7 days , often in dense traffic so driveability is paramount followed by fuel economy .

Reliability is nice too but I rarely ever wear anything out because I like to maintain and tune them .

vwnate, my name is Troy, I'm very comfortable with carborated engines, infact more so then the TPI and injected engines. I work with computers for a living (20+ years) and don't really relish the thought of putting one in my truck. I'm a very long way away from making any powerplant decisions right now.

My first steps are putting the truck back together as is to get an inventory of whats missing (nuts/bolts/etc) from the previous owner partial tear down. Once I've put it back together I intend to take it apart one portion at a time and restore the parts prior to shelving them. Once I get the complete body straightned (dents removed etc) and in primer off the frame, then I'll begin the task of what suspension / power plant I'll go with.

It's easy to dream of a 500+ HP engine in a hot rod and would be a heck of a lot of fun to drive providing I can keep tires on the dang thing, is it practical? probably not I don't drag race anymore and don't really want to build a pro-street truck.

I do no this I'll be keeping the original frame (providing it's straight) and all original body panels, however to make it a safe reliable weekend driver I will be upgrading suspension, brakes, and most likely the power plant.

Which power plant I6 or V8 is yet to be determined.

Troy

 

[vwnate1]

Project

Troy (cool famous name BTW !) ;

If you have the time and inclination , get it running and driving then rebuild it as you go , there's always a market for anything you take off it .

DO expect to find the frame tweaked if not bent , they're not impossible to straighten and if you can weld , boxing it greatly helps the road manners .

Read up on Russ' various posts , he like me prefers the stock front axle , it's very easy to make one handle very well indeed .

Carbys are o.K. , I still run them on my Motos and my Chevy but anytime you're up grading the engine , might as well go with the F.I. system ~ either stock of mega - Squirt etc. , they don't need to be wild to be a vast improvement over any carby ever made as far as daily driving and fuel economy .

 

[1951 chevy blue]

Nate
If You wanted to tow a camper trailer, what motor and automatic trans combination would you suggest? Also what weight trailer?
Mike

 

[50 Chevy LS3]

I finally got rid of my last jeep.

WHAT, you live in Colorado, and you "got rid" of your JEEP?!!

I drag one on a trailer all the way from Indiana to Colorado to play with it.

 

[vwnate1]

Trailer

Nate
If You wanted to tow a camper trailer, what motor and automatic trans combination would you suggest? Also what weight trailer?
Mike

I'm the wrong man to ask as I only have a super light tear drop trailer , I'm planning to drag it with a 292 C.I.D. i6 coupled to a TH350-C slushbox , that's the one with a lock up torque converter .

As long as you choose a sturdy tranny like a TH350 or TH400 and add a good tranny cooler you should be fine .

Others here should be able to give better towing advice , me , I prefer the surge brakes , many prefer the electric trailer brakes .

 

[Grimtas]

WHAT, you live in Colorado, and you "got rid" of your JEEP?!!

I drag one on a trailer all the way from Indiana to Colorado to play with it.

heh I downsized, bought a 1000cc quad instead to play with, Truth be told I wasn't using my jeep enough to justify it taking up room on my driveway any longer. The last Jeep I had from new for 12 years before I sold her.

I'll have to grab a photo off my computer at home later tonight.

 

[Grimtas]

Darn't I forgot to post the pic of my jeep. Going camping this weekend so no more playing around with the 49.

Nate,
My thoughts on rebuild vs restoration. This project unfortunately will have to be a restoration as a rebuild at this point would be nearly the same amount of effort and funding as a restoration.

I would love to just get her running and drive her around while I plan out the rest of the rebuild, the main issues with this truck are many:

1) wiring harness completely useless, speaker wire used to patch some of the runs
2) 194 I6 in place, suspect motor mounts, someones hack job, not secure, not complete. It has compression and turns but needs alot of love to begin breathing again, it's going into the swap pile of parts
3) no idea of the state of the trans it does shift, swap pile parts
4) considerable structural sheet metal repairs on the cab, the usual cab corners in the rear and the front cowl assemblies from inner to outer. Portions of the front floor board under closer inspection reveal pin holes (may need to replace or fab new floor patches, I'll know for sure once I media blast it), toe board damage may be repairable, most likely replace or fab new.
5) brakes have been reworked by an inexperienced person, I don't trust the work will need an overhaul
6) would at a minimum need to buy a new windshield, didn't come with one, and all new rubber to reinstall all the windows, honestly I only want to do that task once

So I've made my decision this will be a restoration not a rebuild as the list above is only a small portion of the minimums required to make it somewhat drivable. I would prefer safe and drivable.

Progress thus far, I've removed all small parts from the cab and firewall and have them cataloged and boxed for now. I've removed all non-original parts from the truck (Rear bumper, tire carrier, etc). I've got an order placed for all sheet metal mounting hardware, as alot of it is missing.

Next steps, the bulk of the frame and body will go back on the trailer later next week and return to storage for a while so I can finish some projects I have on my honey due list. The idea for now I'll go through all the smalls and clean, repair, restore, polish, etc and at least get them back in primer where necessary then individually wrapped and repacked in cataloged boxes so they are ready for paint or refit/test fit when the time comes.

Now for the better news my better half wants me to have a bigger workshop then my current 2+ car garage, so the honey due list of completions on the home upgrade projects I've been working on take priority right now so we can get the house on the market. Once sold we'll find a bigger property of which I'll be focused on the out buildings, barns, shop, etc. With any luck will will be in a new location within the next year.

I've stated prior in this thread I'm in no rush and will not rush the resto, right now I've given my self a short term goal of 5 years to have her back on the road but I expect it will most likely take longer.

I'll take photos along the way and keep a journal of where I stand and will at a later date start a new build thread from start to current status. I don't post much, but read lots so I will be back often.

 

[Guest5979]

Welcome

Welcome Grimtas
Great project truck tons of info and a ton of replacement parts online as well truck shop our host lmc chevs of the 40s and on
I see Your truck had a hood emblem and a spot light a buddy paid $125 to have those 3 spot light holes drilled hope those part came with your truck.
Get her running and keep the pics coming again welcome aboard.
Robert

 

[vwnate1]

Planning

O.K. ;

It's always good to have a plan .

Me , I prefer to drive the darn thing as I sort out the issues so I do a make run then address the safety issues then drive it as I go along , this keeps my interest from flagging .

FWIW , I was chatting else where about the thinwall i6 engines and a fellow told me he uses the 194 heads on his 292 to raise up the compression ratio , a thing I never do as I run them far too hard . I imagine this makes an uncracked 194 head valuable.....

 

[Grimtas]

ok dumb question, how does one remove the drivers cowl vent door?

The manuals have nothing on the drivers vent only the top vent. I've removed the two screws attaching the handle, and the two screws attaching it to the hinge, I just cant seem to get the door free. With the rust I have to repair on that corner I wanted to remove the door to make sure nothing happened to it.

Thoughts?

 

[coilover]

I like that you're no all hot to trot on jumping into a new project. The ones that do often burn out and end up abandoning projects. As one that has been messing with old rides for around 65 years I have observed several things that apply to AD's. Not going to jump in on the engine and trans issue but here are a few things that make driving a bunch more enjoyable. GOOD STEERING: if you end up keeping the factory unit send it to Lare's in Minnesota for a rebuild. GOOD BRAKES: I use power drum brakes which are actually better than disc in NORMAL conditions. Bad weather, heavy traffic, pulling or hauling heavy loads, or anything that will get brakes really hot calls for disc brake consideration. Many kits available. BEAR CLAW LATCHES: the factory ones are not only a lousy design they are downright dangerous with a little wear. SWAY BARS: The AD panel trucks came from the factory with them but with the high stance of the pickup one cannot believe how much better the braking and handling they have with the bars. RADIAL TIRES: enough said. Don't set unreasonable expectations: these trucks will ALWAYS have wind noise at speeds over sixty and even lower speeds unless dedicated effort is made to cut it down. Don't expect it to drive/handle/sound like a new truck but enjoy it for what it is. They can be a ball.

 

[littlebuddie]

ok dumb question, how does one remove the drivers cowl vent door?

The manuals have nothing on the drivers vent only the top vent. I've removed the two screws attaching the handle, and the two screws attaching it to the hinge, I just cant seem to get the door free. With the rust I have to repair on that corner I wanted to remove the door to make sure nothing happened to it.

Thoughts?

I just went out and removed mine - took about 1 minute - took pic to show you that once the 4 screws are removed, rotate the door so the springs pass the cowl and it will come right out.

 

[Grimtas]

littlebuddie, thanks for the photo. One would think it should be very simple.

Here's a photo of mine, note this is as far as I can pull it out. I'm not sure if it's different from yours or if the DPO installed it with the hinge flipped around.

 

[50 Chevy LS3]

I know, it's a Chevy truck forum.....

heh I downsized, bought a 1000cc quad instead to play with, Truth be told I wasn't using my jeep enough to justify it taking up room on my driveway any longer. The last Jeep I had from new for 12 years before I sold her.

I'll have to grab a photo off my computer at home later tonight.

I'm still waitin' on that Jeep pic.
Since I'm not bashful, I'll show mine...

It has "evolved" a lot over the years. Purchased bone stock, First added a Pro-Comp 4" spring lift. Way too stiff, no flex at all. Bucking, rough riding and just generally uncomfortable. Stripped it out and went back to stock springs with a S.O.A. flip. Way better, and resulted in about 5" lift. Same time as the flip, I swapped in a Ford 8.8, 4:10 geared rear with disc brakes and trac-lock. JB Conversions, super short slip-yoke eliminator, 6-pinion planetary, wide chain kit, 1350 series driveline. Stock, Dana 30 high-pinion front with 4X4 posi-loc.

One more, taken awhile back near Ouray.

 

[Grimtas]

Touche' 50 Chevy,

I did promise to post pics of my Jeep and completely forgot.

Nice looking rig you have there, after selling my old CJ5 when I got transferred to Europe from Colorado, when I came back an old wheeling buddy had just purchased a TJ with the coil springs and control arms, he let me have a test drive off road and the next day I bought one.

This was stock

This was just after the lift, D30 Front, D44 Rear, Ox Lockers both diffs, Atlas 4.3:1 trans case, woodys cv driveshaft, custom rocker guards, and a whole bunch of other mods by the time I sold her.

 

[50 Chevy LS3]

Very nice!

I think Jeep TJ's are the best Jeep ever designed. Excellent trail Jeeps, and wonderful street manners. The new JK's are nice also, but, wider and a definite step, in my view, towards comfort drivers in suburbia. They are still solid axles, and capable, just, bigger.
I was asked today to help a friend sell an old CJ5, and find a nice TJ.
I thought along time about buying an Atlas T-case, but, thought 4.3:1 would be too low for what I do. The Rubicon Rock-Trac is super low also. I like mine, with standard reduction, yet super-duty beef-up.
I hope to get away from work, and come out there before the weather closes the window on Jeeping. Probably Chaffee County, but, would like to go on to the San Juans.

 

[Grimtas]

Wow, has it really been 5 years? I think I did state I was not in any rush on this project. Minor updates to date, I still have the truck with the entire Firewall forward removed, banged metal for around 6 months on the fenders and such up front than it all got put away for the move. We ended up in central Colorado at 9500' elevation but on a 35 acre property with a small 24x36 barn that over the last three years has been on the back burner to convert to my shop. I've also been waiting on a family member to finally get tired of his 94 c4 corvette. Last month I made a run to GA from CO to swap an old TJ I had on the property for the Vette, We both are happy with the trade. In the last month I've been busy stripping the vette down to sellable parts, nearly finished that part. Winter is nearly here and until I get the barn to shop conversion (Mainly a concrete floor) and Heat, I'll be delayed until the spring. For now I'm amassing parts for the frame/suspension build. I decided to use the Flat-Out Engineering Front and rear cross members to mount up the IRS/IFS suspension from the Vette. Still debating on if I'm going to keep the LT1 out of the Vette with all it's optispark issues etc, all can be overcome, just how much $$$ do I want to through at this. Don't ask what my current parts bill is, lets just say it's not cheap. I look at it this way You only Live once and can't take it with you so might as well have some fun.

Stay Tuned, I'm taking photos along the way and will start a build thread, just be patient I work at a snails pace lol... Geez 5 years already I've been slacking...


Grim