Overwhelmed and need help

have a 66 with a dauntless that was sitting for about 10 years, stripped it down to the frame, started to diassemble the motor and it is rusted beyond belief, have been soakig the cylinders in pb blaster for about 10 days have 3 out other 3 are stuck in there! I have opportunity to pick up a running chevy 350 for 300.00 but i did not see a kit for older jeeps on advanced adapters website,I am trying to see if I should stick with getting the v6 rebuilt or go for the v8. I am assuming I will need to put a different set of axels in as well if I go v8. Any and all advice is welcom and appreciated.

 

From your user name I presume you haven't done one of these before

Lots have jeeps have been converted to V8 power. But it's not a bolt-in job. And the V8 swaps have been eclipsed by V6 swaps - the V6s fit better in the short jeep engine compartment, and they are plentiful today. Another Buick V6 (likely a 231) would be a near drop-in for your 225. the 4.3L Chevy V6 is a very popular swap today, but less appealing for your Jeep, because you are already set up for the Buick.

Buick V6s are out in the wrecking yards - you just need to look for them. Also, just becasue your engine is stuck does not mean it's not salvageable. Put some oil in the spark plug holes and work it back and forth - you may be able to free it. Or ask a local machine shop for some help - they may end up knocking the pistons out and fitting new pistons, but your existing engine will likely still be a good starting point.

If it were mine, I'd do what's needed to fix and/or rebuild the factory engine. It's a great engine, and some weathering isn't going to ruin it.

 

X2, I agree on rebuilding the factory engine. I prefer having the original engine in any car, and trust me, a :v6: in a CJ5 is not underpowered.

 

What are your plans with the project? Daily Driver, dunes, rocks, field truck, ice cream fetcher...
post some pics of the engine, so we can get a better feel of the situation.
just upload to photobucket or flicker or the like,
there will be a link with your picture once it is uploaded that you copy and paste with the text of a post.

lots of options
I wanted to tow a trailer on the highway, plow snow, get decent fuel mileage, carb, and vac wipers for a vintage feel; while working for walmart and attending college.
so I wanted to go 85-86 4.3 for its carb and fuel pump boss, but couldn't find one at the time and took a precursor with the same architecture the 3.3 weaker but still good torque.
now I have an 85 4.3 waiting to be rebuilt with a Quadrajet, a 57 chevy vac/fuel pump, short water pump and... stuff should be fun

 

Yes, another Buick will likely be the cheapest route, even with a $300 350. That said, it will not put as big a grin on your face. If you do go with the 350, you will likely have a short life T86 trans that will also need replaced, and the stock radiator will not get it either, not to mention motor mounts and probably 100 other things. The 225 is a good engine and it does have sufficient poop to get up with traffic.

 

I drive my stock 225 infront of a T14 tranny on the interstate several times/week. The reason the v6's particularly the dauntless is popular is because of how well it fits with the CJ5, both in actual size and horsepower/torque. You have to remember, the Jeep only weighs 2200 +lbs. There are some UTV's made now that weigh that much and they run on a motorcycle engine. Those 160+ horses are more than enough to pull that jeep.

When I'm on interstate with my jeep, the only thing keeping from trying to go much over 65-70 is the weight of the jeep and it's aerodynamics. That engine keeps telling me it's got more to give, but the body of the Jeep is saying "whoa there fella" If I'm in a good headwind, it feels like I'm standing in the back of a truck holding a sheet of plywood going down interstate. With a 3.73 rear end, a 225 and T-14, it cruises all day long at 60-65mph. Even at that speed, I can pass someone and go faster if need be. It picks up a passing speed about the same as my Tundra with a V8.

Unless you are trying to compensate for things like Humongous tires, that 225 (or equivalent) is all you need.

 

CJ5 should have a curb weight of about +/- 2,665 pounds.

 

If you are going to rebuild the 225 you will want to get rid of the original cast pistons anyway, replace them with forged. If the cylinder walls are scored they can be sleeved, but it is not cheap.

The jeep will be easier to deal with on many levels if you stick with the stock engine.

 

FSM 66 w/v6 curb weight = 2351 lbs.

 

$300 for an SBC 350 is a good deal but there is no more common engine around than the SBC 350 so even if you don’t jump on this one there will be plenty of others available later on if you really want to make the swap.

 

sorry I don't agree 100%
forged pistons would require a greater clearance against the cylinder wall during assembly. they expand more at operating temp.
The extra clearance requires a longer warm up in the cold and will have more piston slap during warm up.

Try electrolysis?

 

I've never heard of electrolysis for this. There are lots of recipes on the net for freeing a stuck engine though - ATF, Marvel Mystery Oil, Coca Cola, etc etc.

It was my understanding that cast pistons are fine for a street/trail engine. Plus, pistons are expensive, and I believe forged pistons are very expensive.

 

electrolysis!
gotta believe in something.
heck it worked on Frankenstein

ya i couldn't find the page,
but from what i recalled they used it to remove the rust around the rings,
this one popped up on a quick look, he was gonna give it a try
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=84354.0
post 7
http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37950

 

Thanks for all of the posts and sorry for the slow response, double shifts at work have kept me far from the pc, I have since got all of the pistons out, but they fought a tough fight as they came out in pieces see pics below. I have restored several cars before but none that have sat as long as these gals have. A real challenge. We are trying to get a list of stuff to hunt for as we want to hit the salvage yards soon, we need to get power steering pu p and saganaw box, I would like to put disc breaks atleast up front and a different master cylinder, we are going to put a 1978 gas ank out back and I just picked up a decent m38 grill. 62 TUB is toast 66 remains to be seen. need to hit it with the sand blaster to see what we have to work with.
http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg492/jpalma1967/2012-03-20_17-49-15_225.jpg

http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg492/jpalma1967/2012-03-20_20-16-42_539.jpg

http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg492/jpalma1967/2012-03-05_08-12-07_684-1.jpg

http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg492/jpalma1967/2012-03-05_08-12-07_684-1.jpg

 

It will be less expensive and simpler to stay with stock. If you have a good handle on all things mechanical, time, and money you can re-engine with about anything. The V6 is a fun motor in the CJ.

 

I agree with keeping it stock the site for electrolysis is http://www.oldengine.org/members/orrin/rustdemo.htm If you have time and material give it a try couldn't hurt and it's cheep

 

If it is something that you want to keep forever then rebuild your motor if possible. It will cost a lot of money though to do so. I still find these motors in good shape for next to nothing all the time. A good machine shop that knows how to rebuild an old engine is very hard to come by these days. Most "rebuilt" motors probably only avererage about 10,000 miles before something blows up again due to poor machine work and assembly. I have found many times that a stock motor with 100,000 miles on it is actually in better shape then many $2000 rebuilds are. Of course many opinions vary on the topic, just stating what I have found after putting dozens of these motors into Jeeps over the past 30 years.

 

JB weld!

Find another 225 v6 or 231 and go from there...