Looking at a '46 CJ2A

1960willys350

1960willys350

Bigger Hammer
Apr 14, 2017
192
Oregon
First Name
Zack
Willys Model
  1. CJ
Willys Year:
  1. 1946
So I’m always browsing Craigslist for Jeeps as all jeepers do, and I stumbled on this 46. Sellers says the body is rough but solid minus some rust in the floor. Original drivetrain and running gear except for the Buick v6 that needs rebuilt. Tilt column swapped in but not hooked up. No interior or top on it. Asking price is $500 and seller has the original title for it.

It’s an obvious project needing lots of work which I’m not worried about. The price seems inconsequential but I’m most intrigued by the original title. Would be fun to get this one back on the road.

Anyway, here’s a photo from the Craigslist ad. Worth it or no?
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You can't go too far wrong at $500. The V6 is worth something even needing rebuild. The wheels (with 3? in the back) are about enough to cover the cost (unless they are rusted out which can still hold air in the tube as I found out on a rotted out 3a I recently bought). If you can get it home cheap (or better yet, free) get it.

Steve
 
Well I brought it home! Had to rent a trailer but that wasn’t to spendy. It needs a lot of work but I’m excited to bring it back. It got dark tonight before I could poke around much. Tomorrow should be fun:)


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looks like the windshield is bent back, and if there is a tilt column in it, then it has a steering box change. Look that over very carefully and check everything the previous owned did to make sure it was done well and is safe to drive.
Good luck!
diggerG
 
diggerG said:
looks like the windshield is bent back, and if there is a tilt column in it, then it has a steering box change. Look that over very carefully and check everything the previous owned did to make sure it was done well and is safe to drive.
Good luck!
diggerG
Click to expand...

The windshield has been hacked on - somebody cut the the frame, extended it 3-4”, and welded it back together. The steering column is just sitting there, not hooked up to anything.

The front floors need replaced, but the bed area is solid. Lots of cosmetic work. Probably needs a new wiring harness, lights, gauges, etc. Motor hasn’t turned in who knows how long. It has the original t90/d18 and original axles. Frame looks solid.

It’ll be a big project to get it back on the road but I’m excited and in no hurry.


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Pulled off the hood, fenders, and grill for some sanding. Then primed them for good measure.
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This is gonna be a down and dirty project. Nothing on this old cj is straight but I’ll do my best to get it roadworthy.


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Haven’t updated in awhile. I’ve been collecting parts while waiting for nicer weather. I opened up the little v6 the other day. It looks super clean inside but found 3 bent pushrods.
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Pulled the heads and didn’t see anything real suspicious there.
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The lifters have almost no wear on them and even have clean oil.
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Next up is to pull the pan and timing cover. Today I picked up a new windshield and tailgate for cheap.
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I’ve replaced the hacked in crossmember with an original one and added a battery tray. Also started putting the top end back together.
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I also scored an uncut, unrusted, unbent, grille loaded with headlights and chrome rings in exchange for a little manual labor.
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I need to sort out the oil filter because there is literally no clearance between it and the axle. I’ve seen some covers have the filter clocked out to the side - can the filter adaptor be adjusted or were some covers just made with the filter adaptor in a different position?


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skratch said:
Looking good Zack ! :) Great find ! How did the engine rebuild go ?

John
Click to expand...

Thanks John. I haven’t done a rebuild, really i just opened up the top end to see how things looks. I’m not wanting to spend a bunch of money on the motor yet so my plan is to just do tuneup stuff if I can get away with it and see if I can get it to run. I still need to pull the timing cover and oil pan to see what’s things look like there. Still not sure what caused the bent pushrods.


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Zack
I hope you won't have radiator fitment problems, that is probably why the crossmember was altered. The bent pushrods may be because of frozen valves. The battery tray was removed because the V6 alternator sits right there. Some of oregon is a very wet enviornment. That alone will stick valves.
Does the rest of the motor spin over? I've got a buckets of V6 parts if you need.
I would suggest getting rid of those 9" brakes immediately, You will learn that they don't stop the Jeep. And, with that Buick it will; be VERY fast. It would not be for teenagers to learn to drive in.
diggerG
 
diggerG said:
Zack
I hope you won't have radiator fitment problems, that is probably why the crossmember was altered. The bent pushrods may be because of frozen valves. The battery tray was removed because the V6 alternator sits right there. Some of oregon is a very wet enviornment. That alone will stick valves.
Does the rest of the motor spin over? I've got a buckets of V6 parts if you need.
I would suggest getting rid of those 9" brakes immediately, You will learn that they don't stop the Jeep. And, with that Buick it will; be VERY fast. It would not be for teenagers to learn to drive in.
diggerG
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I think you’re right on the crossmember issue. The mechanical fan had about a 4” spacer on it. I plan to either go with a much shorter spacer or convert to electric.

It’ll be interesting to see how the alternator will fit with the battery in the stock location. The motor didn’t have an alternator on it when I brought it home and I’m not familiar with the configuration. I did pick up a two piece alternator bracket - an aluminum piece and a long steel arm but haven’t put them on yet.

The motor wouldn’t turn with a breaker bar on the crank bolt. I sprayed some pb blaster in the cylinders a week or so ago but haven’t tried turning it since.

As for the brakes, I’m planning on an upgrade and may just go straight to later axles because these ones will need completely gone through.


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Haven’t updated in awhile. I got the motor to spin, just stuck rings. The cylinders look good though. I still need to go through the heads to see if I have any stuck valves. The motor is kind of on a back burner. The trans and tcase came out for inspection - trans had water in it so at best I’ve gotta wire wheel the gears and hope...

I started cutting out the rusty floors and cleaning up the seat frames I found.
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Oops missed the part where you got it to spin. I'm thinking you've found a bird nest on the ground with that one.
 
When I built my Jeep CJ5 with V6, I built my own motor mounts, which lifted the motor up a little, and put 2 1/2" lift springs on it. That solved the under space problem. I also changed out the front crossmember and used the V6 radiator.
I allso put in a T98, which gave me more wiggle room with the front driveshaft.
I fear that you are making more work for yourself by going at it backwards, going original with battery and crossmember, when the engine installation is nothing like original.
I think there is another oil filter bracket that is horizontal, yours doesn't look that to me. My under problem was the driveshaft hitting the starter. If you can you may want to look at losing those radiator brackets for a different radiator.
What are you using for steering? You should have that in and build around.
diggerG
 
diggerG said:
When I built my Jeep CJ5 with V6, I built my own motor mounts, which lifted the motor up a little, and put 2 1/2" lift springs on it. That solved the under space problem. I also changed out the front crossmember and used the V6 radiator.
I allso put in a T98, which gave me more wiggle room with the front driveshaft.
I fear that you are making more work for yourself by going at it backwards, going original with battery and crossmember, when the engine installation is nothing like original.
I think there is another oil filter bracket that is horizontal, yours doesn't look that to me. My under problem was the driveshaft hitting the starter. If you can you may want to look at losing those radiator brackets for a different radiator.
What are you using for steering? You should have that in and build around.
diggerG
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. This level of a project is definitely new territory for me. Mine definitely needs new springs which I figured will give a decent amount of clearance. The homemade motor mounts are also flush with the bottom of the frame. They need to be redone anyway because they weren’t made well so I’ll probably get some height from new mounts as well.

I’ve read posts on the cj2a forum about guys swapping in a v6 and keeping the engine bay original so I’m hopeful I’ll have the same luck.

Steering is nonexistent right now. The original Ross system was laying in the back when I got it. My plan is aftermarket tilt column, borgeson shaft, and Saginaw box. I’m not sure yet if I’ll build a mount at the front of the frame or go with the kit from Herm.


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