If nothing readily turns up online, try your local auto dismantlers. It shouldn't be hard to find a four-cylinder XJ, YJ, or TJ to nab a 2.5L from-they're all the same basic block and head. You may need to transfer some of your front accessory group or intake and exhaust manifolds over, depending on the year and model, but that's no big deal unless the chunk of engine block damaged the external components.
Finally, if the dismantlers aren't any help, I'd start looking for decent nonoperational vehicles that you could yank an engine from. Check the Web sites mentioned above for Jeeps with good running engines that are out of commission for reasons like rollovers, blown transmissions, rear-end collisions, and so on. Lots of people would rather just sell a vehicle for a few hundred dollars that they feel isn't worthy of a big repair bill.
Widget Funk Junk
I just put a set of Wrangler springs front and back on my '75 CJ-5. I'm also using the TeraFlex Revolver shackles front and rear. When I hit the trail, I noticed my tires keep contact with the trail more, but I also noticed the front tires are just touching and aren't giving me any traction. I have more flex, but the front end is always in the air. Could this be because there is less weight in the Wrangler springs compared with the CJ springs? Or is it because of the Revolver shackles? I do have a lot more wheelhop now than I used to. Any ideas on how to fix that? The springs I have are YJ Tuff Country 3.5-inch springs. Should I go back to a 4-inch CJ spring with Revolver shackles or change the shackles with something else?Josh FulwilerVia e-mail
Ditch the Revolvers. On the trail, they're not good for anything but axle chatter and spitting driveshafts. Just replace them with some Mountain Off Road Enterprises (www.mountainoffroad.com), Rubicon Express (www.rubiconexpress.com), or other manufacturers' 1-inch-lift boomerang shackles. That should solve your problem.
Actually, More Than One Question
I have a question. Can you put a CJ-2A body on a CJ-3B frame? How hard is it to do, and what modifications are required? I bought a CJ-3B to beat on, but the damn thing is so ugly that I'm thinking of buying a new tub to put on it. It has a Buick V-6, and I bought a SM420 to start my rebuild. Also, the Dana 30 out of a CJ-5 should bolt in without much modification, right? Spring-perch centers are close to the same, right? Would it be better to leave the rearend that came in it, or should I just bite the bullet and swap out the transfer case and rearend? Does anybody make a good radiator for the flatties? I have searched the Internet, but can't come up with anything. I really want this thing to run cool. And how hard would it be to put the Buick V-6 into a '47 flattie? I plan to use it for mostly hunting and trail riding.Mike RhodesVia e-mail
The 2A body on 3B frame-yes, you can. Among the few things Jeep changed were the hood, grille, cowl, and windshield height. The standard flattie body should bolt to the frame with little to no modifications.
The CJ-5 axle should also bolt right to the flattie springs. You'll need Dana 30 spring plates and U-bolts because the Dana 30 tubes are thicker than the Dana 25 and Dana 27 tubes. You'll just need to address the steering tie rods. The driveshaft should work as long as the flattie doesn't have the ultrasmall V-6 driveshaft U-joints used on the '66-'71 factory V-6 models. The Dana 30 should have 1310 U-joints.
The rear axle is going to be marginal if you go bigger than 31-inch tires. The shafts are small, coarse 10-spline shafts. A Dana 44 from a '7011/42-'71 CJ-5 or CJ-6 bolts in, has the right offset, and has the big 1.31-inch 30-spline shafts-but they're hard to find. You could also upgrade to a centered '72-'75 Dana 44 and swap T-cases to a centered Dana 20.
4WD Hardware (www.4wd.com) has a replacement two-core radiator for an early flattie. There may be a 2-4-week wait, depending on availability, but the company usually has them in stock. It goes under PN 640145 and should be plenty to cool a Buick 225. If you think you need more than that, you can order PN 98417, which is a three-core radiator for a '67-'71 V-6 CJ-5 or CJ-6. At 17x21-7/8x2 you should be able to make it fit the flattie grille.
Advance Adapters has motor mounts and bellhousing adapters to drop a 225 in a flattie. It's a good fit. The only clearance issue you'll run into is if you try to run power steering with the factory Jeep 225 exhaust manifolds. If you do want to run power steering, most guys install fenderwell headers with an exhaust that runs under the rockers and exits in front of the rear tires.
Got a tech question you're just itching to get answered? Send it on in to Jp Magazine, Your Jeep, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, or e-mail christian.hazel@primedia.com.
Considering An Axle Swap?
You may want to avoid the GM 14-bolt and early Dana 44s and 60s. The 14-bolt is heavy and hangs down too low, while the early Danas can have small axletubes that can bend easily with big tires and minor wheeling.