Offthebeatenpath
Bigger Hammer
Hello everyone!
I'm new to the OWF, but hopefully I can contribute some small fraction of what I've learned from this site.
I found OWF while looking for info on rebuilding the Tornado 230 that's in my '65 Jeep J200. I know it's not a true Willys Overland rig, but it has the heartbeat of one, which is where it really counts.
I bought my truck a year and a half ago, drove it home, and it hasn't moved since. I'm not new to Jeeps, the first rig I owned was an '85 CJ7, and my wife and I have had a bit of everything over the years. I'm not a mechanic by trade, but I enjoy the process. We've got four kiddos and a house to work on, so the 'ol Gladiator hasn't been a big priority of late, but we're making traction.
I pulled the motor just over a year ago, knowing it had to be rebuilt, and that's where things got dicey. I decided the best path forward for me was to remove and replace the OG Tornado, rather than head down the slippery slope of engine swaps. I had no idea what I was signing up for...
I'm in Montana, which, if you're not familiar with the map of the US, isn't close to anywhere. Except the Big Sky. Parts are hard to come by, apparently so are good machine shops. After quite a bit of digging, I found a local machinist who was the right man for the job. I initially took him my cylinder head, and he knew exactly what it was when he saw it. That's when I knew Wes was my guy.
To make a long story short, my block is currently standard bore, but worn. Wes recommended .020" over pistons. I searched high and low, I chased down every lead I had. Here's what I learned:
-Egge Machine in CA would make me custom pistons, for a small fortune. $1400 for the set, plus rings. I know that this truck is going to cost me some cash, but I don't have that kind of coin to put into this.
-The website for Willys America says they have pistons, but it's a lie. Kanter Auto in NJ could get me new pistons, but only in .060" over, for about $600.
-There's a forum member on here @Hiki in South Africa, who has offered to ship pistons from there to here, but we've been unable to get specs on them.
-After a year of looking, I purchased a set of .040" over pistons and rings from "nos4jeeps" on eBay for $300. When I got them, my suspicions were confirmed, they are in fact the low compression pistons, I assume 7.5:1, instead of the stock 8.5:1.
After Wes and I talked, he was pretty confident that we could perhaps get a half point of compression back by shaving the block or the head, and I'm not going to race this truck anyway, so I'm good with that. It's still going to be less than the $1400 pistons from Egge.
So that brings me up to today...
I've been doing my reading, making notes from the Service Bulletin data in the OWF Library...
I've been taking notes from the fantastic @Ken Parkman thread on OWF...
And hopefully I can add to the "Save the Tornados" movement and get one back on the road!
I'm new to the OWF, but hopefully I can contribute some small fraction of what I've learned from this site.
I found OWF while looking for info on rebuilding the Tornado 230 that's in my '65 Jeep J200. I know it's not a true Willys Overland rig, but it has the heartbeat of one, which is where it really counts.
I bought my truck a year and a half ago, drove it home, and it hasn't moved since. I'm not new to Jeeps, the first rig I owned was an '85 CJ7, and my wife and I have had a bit of everything over the years. I'm not a mechanic by trade, but I enjoy the process. We've got four kiddos and a house to work on, so the 'ol Gladiator hasn't been a big priority of late, but we're making traction.
I pulled the motor just over a year ago, knowing it had to be rebuilt, and that's where things got dicey. I decided the best path forward for me was to remove and replace the OG Tornado, rather than head down the slippery slope of engine swaps. I had no idea what I was signing up for...
I'm in Montana, which, if you're not familiar with the map of the US, isn't close to anywhere. Except the Big Sky. Parts are hard to come by, apparently so are good machine shops. After quite a bit of digging, I found a local machinist who was the right man for the job. I initially took him my cylinder head, and he knew exactly what it was when he saw it. That's when I knew Wes was my guy.
To make a long story short, my block is currently standard bore, but worn. Wes recommended .020" over pistons. I searched high and low, I chased down every lead I had. Here's what I learned:
-Egge Machine in CA would make me custom pistons, for a small fortune. $1400 for the set, plus rings. I know that this truck is going to cost me some cash, but I don't have that kind of coin to put into this.
-The website for Willys America says they have pistons, but it's a lie. Kanter Auto in NJ could get me new pistons, but only in .060" over, for about $600.
-There's a forum member on here @Hiki in South Africa, who has offered to ship pistons from there to here, but we've been unable to get specs on them.
-After a year of looking, I purchased a set of .040" over pistons and rings from "nos4jeeps" on eBay for $300. When I got them, my suspicions were confirmed, they are in fact the low compression pistons, I assume 7.5:1, instead of the stock 8.5:1.
After Wes and I talked, he was pretty confident that we could perhaps get a half point of compression back by shaving the block or the head, and I'm not going to race this truck anyway, so I'm good with that. It's still going to be less than the $1400 pistons from Egge.
So that brings me up to today...
I've been doing my reading, making notes from the Service Bulletin data in the OWF Library...
I've been taking notes from the fantastic @Ken Parkman thread on OWF...
And hopefully I can add to the "Save the Tornados" movement and get one back on the road!