73' J4000 Build

73'J4000

Gear Grinder
Jan 31, 2014
23
Missouri
First Name
Dominic
Willys Model
  1. Pickup
Willys Year:
  1. Other
I am in the process of rebuilding a 73' J4000 that I got for $400. It's my first vehicle and I can't wait to get it on the road...and I'm sure it will see plenty of off road. Since late August I have done all of the body work and swapped the 258 with a 343 out of my dad's 67' AMC Ambassador. Now I'm looking for a T15 or T18 tranny to bolt up to the motor due to the T14 being too short. Also need a windshield, the seal, door seals, and exhaust. I'll post pics all through the build.

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And here the horse is with paint and a bed liner

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Also fabbed a rear bumper. It's one heavy son of a gun too. I'll post pics of it on the truck sometime soon
 
Nice truck. Did your Dad know you took the engine from his car ? LOL ! Who did all the work ?, Who painted it ?Is it done ?
 
Thanks. Yeah it was his idea to put his engine in it. We're fixing on putting a 401 in the car. The 343 is built up a little. I did all of the work with a little help from my grandpa. I did all the sanding and body work. My brother's friend painted it at my grandpas for 100 bucks. The truck isn't completely finished. I'm hoping i'll have it done in the early Spring. Need a not cheap windshield, windshield seal, a t15 or t18 tranny, and a few exhaust components. Should be getting the tranny shortly, they're just kinda hard to come by for the right price/condition. Nothing is too easy to find for these old Jeeps haha.
 
It's great that the family is involved, especially grandpa ! Keep on going, I wish my first vehicle was something like that! Good Luck !
 
Yeah my grandpa has a 71 J4000. We're Jeep people, especially old J-Trucks! I was actually gonna buy his off of him, but i found this one and now there are two J4000s in the family! I will keep up with the progress. Thanks guys!

Heres a pic of my grandpas.
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Yeah. I don't have too much farther to go on it. By the time I'm done, I should be able to make a good profit if I ever go to sell it. But I don't ever plan on selling it
 
Thanks Jeff, I thought it turned out pretty good myself. Nothing like bringing a classic back to life.
 
Dominic, that is a great looking FS Jeep - congrats! Makes me miss my '64 Gladiator.
Hey, what brand/size are those tires? They look perfect on there!

Congrats on building a great looking first rig. - Terry
 
Hey Terry, thanks! I love this truck. The tires are BfGoodrich Silvertown Extra Traction. 7.50-16LTs. They are about 31x7.50 on 16" wheels. Thanks
 
Nice truck, I love those things and always wanted one. Do you know what the difference is on the J-4000? I've only seen J-2000s around near me. Good job going AMC under the hood, I like seeing AMC motors go under the hood of AMC Jeeps!
 
Thank you. The J4000s are 3/4 tons (some say 1 tons) and have 132" wheelbases. The J2000s are 1/2 tons with 120" wheelbases. I can't wait to have it running, hopefully late March to early April. The engine has a little build up on it (280 duration/480 lift cam, Holley 650 Double Pumper, 360 heads, rocker arms, Edelbrock Performer AMC and we have a Torker AMC intake). I will also be getting headers soon, will be running duals with Flowmaster 10s or 40s. The truck also has 4.10 gears in it. It should be fun!
 
I learn something new every day. I'm not sure about the factory 343 exhaust manifolds, but I know the 360/401 factory manifolds flow very, very well. I was getting ready to go with full length headers on mine, but after talking to the AMC expert that built my motor, he said that if you're aiming for low end torque in a truck or other heavy vehicle, the aftermarket headers will rob you. Back when he had a big operation with a dyno they actually compared the factory manifolds with full length headers on a built 401. Being that you're in a full-size Jeep, I would recommend Hedman part 99250. These are "shorty" headers that should still develop good low-end torque. I was going to go with those, but they wouldn't fit between my frame rails so I opted to stick with the factory manifolds and just had them blasted and ceramic coated.
 
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