willys built for DD usage????

Chuckman

Chuckman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Location
Huntersville
ok, so with the gas prices, parks closing, and well; just the want for something new, Im considering a new project. Suppose a fella took a CJ3A body (cause they're plain sexy) and made a reasonable DD or weekend driver out of it. Id make a frame and get a new body, but everything else would be the 'best' pick for the job. Fuel injected 4cyl, 5 speed, modern axles (cut down to width) and so on. Heater perhaps, but no AC. Low back seats (but good ones), small tires (30" max) and street legal of course. I have a beater 3A, but think it would be just plain badass to have one to drive. Heres the thing. What motor would I use to get most mileage? No wheeling planned, so no lockers and descent gear ratios. If thats the case, could a man get 25+ mpg out of something like this? Id like to be able to jump in it and drive it 3 hours or so on highway and not think twice about it. Id like to be able to pull a small trailer or my jon boat with it, but not 100mph. What driveline combos, axles and gear ratios would anyone suggest? :beer::beer:
 
That is what I am doing. Suzuki sidekick motor, sidekick 5 speed, samurai tcase, willys axles with disc brakes and rear 11inch drums. Not positive i will DD it but i wanted something that is a bit modern but still looks the willys part. :)
 
lax17 said:
A Willy's with a Toyota drivetrain is blasphemy
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there's like a special place in hell for ...
I would come closer to 4.3tbi chevy engine/tranny/transfercase and early 70s centered reaqr dana44/front 30 out of a cj5 but bring the gearing up to a 3.23.That is if you want to keep it 4wd. Be different and do 2wd with a selectible locker in the rear.

You had a set gas mileadge set at 25mpg.I can get that now with my Lhead but only if I'm going 15mph!With 5.38 gears in the axles,it kills the mpg's but I wonder what that 2.2 could pull if it was geared higher and say the tranny had good numbered lower gears and overdrive.
 
Chuckman, in my opinion you would be much better off in the long run to find a running late model chassis with everything you are looking for and do a body swap. Less fab, better components and all designed to work together in the first place. A friend of mine converted a Suburban over to a dodge Cummins and spent $$$$$$ and time wasted! I asked him why didn't just swap the sub onto a dodge and the light bulb hit him with a deer in the headlights look! Just something you might consider.
 
Personally, I'd keep the stock axles or at worst, swap in Samurai axles to keep the passenger side drop and offset rear like a stock Willy's was. Then go with a Sidekick/Tracker 1.6 liter fuel injected with a 5 speed and Samurai case. You should be able to get similar milage to a Sidekick with this setup since the gearing should be similar. Weight will be what kills you - Willys iron is HEAVY compared to Sidekick tin.

Ironically, you will be putting Japanese parts into a vehicle that was primarily used to destroy Japan during WWII.....
 
3800 super charged with a 700r4. You keep the lower 1st gear so you can run a better gear for milage in the axles with od should help with overall fuel milage also. or for that fact a 3400 or 3800 na would also work, you just have to use a 7004r from a 2.8 blazer....
 
Someone on here had a Willys body on a TJ frame/drivetrain for sale a couple years ago. It looked like a pretty nice build.
 
cj5walt said:
All yota drivetrain engine trans tcase would be too long for the wheelbase
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4spd yota tranny, electric fan on 22re, mild lift and go ahead and link it to stretch wheelbase and you could offend everyone
 
ajbirken said:
VW diesel?
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I got it..... The Axis and Allies build....

Willys MB body and chassis.
Range Rover axles
VW Motor tied to a Peugot transmission to a Samurai t-case
Fiat Bertone seats
Steering wheel from a Lada 2101.....

Ironically -

- The American chassis is overweight but rugged
- The Range Rover axles are snooty and over-priced
- The VW motor is strong when left alone, but prone to failure when abused causing major reparations to other components
- The Peugot transmission is noisy and unreliable and expensive to rebuild
- The Samurai case is tiny but very strong for it's size, but once rebuilt, it's way stronger than original
- The Fiat Bertone seats are comfortable once you are in them but annoying to get in and out of
- and the Lada steering wheel is harsh and outdated.

Political commentary and gear-head talk all wrapped up in one.
 
VW diesel will get you the mpg's with plenty of torque. Not sure how to mate it up to anything, but would be super cool.
 
The big thing to keep in mind is matching gear ratios to the power band of whatever engine you use. Just throwing in an overdrive tranny and tall rearend gears isnt going to net the mpg's if the engine isnt running in its peak torque range. A person could spend days studying power graphs and inputting gear combinations into calculators.

One proven combination is the Mercedes deisil om416a, AX15, 4.56 gears and 31-33" tires, it puts the engine turning between 2700-3000 rpm at 65-70. But many guys report 25-30mpg in YJ's. They get those numbers because that combination puts it in its peak power band at those RPM, even though they sound high. Down side is you have to lift about 2 inches for oil pan to clear unless you modify the oil pan. Given the short wheelbase Im sure you could mate it to a 4-speed (to save some length), i would go with a granny geared version of something. Then you could run a taller rear gear maybe, something close to a stock ratio 3.54-3.73, since you wouldnt have the over drive.
 
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