Well now I’m developing the project vehicle itch.

[PBramble]

Scratching my project itch too. Picked up some mew to me trucks to go over and rebuild. 81 Yota needs a motor, I may have one in the shop. The flatbed on this thing will make it a great farm truck, for somebody. Then the IFS 4runner on 7 inches of lift that needs a drivetrain. I seem to have a 4.3 v6/700r4 combo with a toyota output that may be just the ticket.

 

[Jack Shootza 50]

Scratching my project itch too. Picked up some mew to me trucks to go over and rebuild. 81 Yota needs a motor, I may have one in the shop. The flatbed on this thing will make it a great farm truck, for somebody. Then the IFS 4runner on 7 inches of lift that needs a drivetrain. I seem to have a 4.3 v6/700r4 combo with a toyota output that may be just the ticket.

Them older (less complicated) Toy's were good little trucks, I had a 73 2wd work truck that I ran the living s__t out of and it never gave up.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

I’m a Cummins guy through and through. There are other good diesel options, but the 4BT, 6BT, and Big Cam 855 are motors that outdo all other diesels in their class. Bar none, end of conversation. But for a “compact” vehicle swap, after a lot of research on the topic for my own interests, I have to give my .02.

A 4BT, though an excellent engine, would lack real world application in a Jeep sized vehicle. Much too heavy... look the specs up, comparing to a same displacement gas engine, the weight just takes it out of consideration for me. Even in 6BT 1 ton pickup swaps, going into trucks made in the early 90s or earlier, people are having to box the frame to keep from causing damage. Also, the 4BT has become REALLY pricey lately, and unless you find a deal, you’ll pay more than you would for a 6BT, and there’s way less aftermarket swap support. The slight increase over a 6BT in MPG is overshadowed by the lack of power that it has compared to its big brother. They were great in industrial settings, being the power plant of most 90s Case equipment and outshining all competitors in cheap power, reliability, and longevity; their use for vehicle swaps just doesn’t impress me the way the 6BT does. For an engine bay too small to handle the 5.9, usually the frame and size of that vehicle will be in a class where a small, lightweight inline 6 gas burner would be a much more appropriate, if not simply safer and more reliable solution.

You’ll be hard pressed to beat the 4.0 6 cylinder Jeep made. Plenty of 350 swaps out there doing great but I’d still rather have the 4.0. The Ford 300 and Yota 2JZ are also exemplary inline 6 gasoline motors, but Jeeps 4.0 has a great reputation for a reason.

In the mid - 2000's Jeep was selling the Liberty with a VM Motori diesel.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

I think you should just go ahead and do one of those old bread trucks as your project! Not many folks would have one of those!!

Plus, no one would mess with ya if you were to park in a loading zone.

In the early 80's I worked for a company that had air-cooled diesel engine kits to repower the aluminum body walk-in vans (aka bread trucks). Those trucks have a 20 year design life. We were selling kits to Ford to use on their frames and then go to Grumman, Union City and Utilimaster.

 

[beardking]

Well, thanks to @Profreedomokie and his willingness to barter, I have a new project to work on. Not that I'm done with my 68 Mustang, but hey, this one fits in the garage better. :-)

 

[okcBob]

Well, thanks to @Profreedomokie and his willingness to barter, I have a new project to work on. Not that I'm done with my 68 Mustang, but hey, this one fits in the garage better. :-)

Awesome, drove one many years ago. Lots of fun to drive

 

[Profreedomokie]

I had not planned another car project ever but, a friend (?) suckered me into this one. It is a 1962 Jaguar Mark 2 sedan. The body is in very good shape as is the interior. It was running when parked inside 20 years ago. I don't know how but anyway I'm waist deep in it now. The head is in Wichita being rebuilt and the rest of the motor is scattered around my steady getting smaller garage. I guess what sold me on this old car was how special it was in its day. It was the first production car with four-wheel disc brakes. It was the fastest four door car in the world when it was new. It has the XKE aluminum hemi head double overhead cam straight six-cylinder motor with 220 hp and a 4-speed overdrive transmission. With almost 1 hp per cubic inch it had a 125-mph top end and an 8.9 second 0 to 60 mph. It was the first sports sedan. I hope to have it drivable by next fall.

 

[AceKEVLAR1911]

I think part of it is that I’m wanting to tinker and stuff, I have a good amount of free time on my hands when I’m taking a break from everything else, and need something productive to do.
So here’s my idea. I want something fun, simple, 2 doors, 4x4, manual transmission, and preferably something I can take the doors/top off of. Kind of an around the town fun vehicle combined with a off-road adventure/hunting/fishing vehicle. Initially I thought of a Suzuki Samurai. I’ve always loved them. But man, they’re up to jeep prices now, and in worse shape with way fewer of them in circulation. Also, with a max towing capacity of 1000lbs, and a 80” wheelbase, towing my 5x10, 1400ish pound camper that I’m in the planning stages on would be out of the question. Just the frame, axles, tires, and plywood would put me over that limit.
So, the obvious choice: a jeep. But I dislike the new ones both due to mechanical reliability, lack of simplicity, and price. BUT, a CJ7 fits all my requirements, has a better aftermarket (I think), and likely is a much safer platform to tow my little camper.
Thoughts? Anyone know of some good sources for parts/finding a decent CJ7?

next thing: I want to drop a diesel into it. I’m a fan of the 4BT to be honest. Backed by an NV4500. My guess is the best luck I will have is finding a bread truck. So I’m guessing that I’m looking for a graveyard/junk yard/whatever for UPS, FedEx, Wonderbread, Frito Lay, and other “bread trucks”. Really I’m just looking for a Cummins 4BT on the cheap. It can come out of a vibrator roller for all I care. Any ideas on graveyards for such vehicles or equipment in OK?

I got a 1964 f600 that’s runs/drives I am selling