1947 Jeep CJ resto?

[haminawag]

Howdy, My buddy in Albuquerque has a 1947 CJ his dad gave to him, it's completely rust free and original except for a few key things: The 4 cyl. engine was replaced with a Chevy 350 / Muncie 4 speed back in the early 1970s, not sure if the TC was left in it or not, it has its original radiator so it overheats very quickly with the V-8. The big engine ate up all the under-hood space so the battery tray got welded to the front bumper, and lastly the spare tire was relocated from the right rear side to the back of the tailgate which is currently welded shut. Otherwise it's sitting in his garage in stock form, it's even sitting on its original 1947 tires! And three are holding air !!

My questions are: Are there any original L134 "Go Devil" engines left out there or are they museum pieces nowadays?

What are the best choices for a 4 cyl. / stick shift tranny retrofit? Are there any off-the-shelf parts available for a modification like this?

He says this Jeep was made by Ford, but I thought Willys had sole production rights after the end of WW II? The title just says "1947 Jeep".

Based on the titles lack of info. and what I've read online about the history of these Jeeps I figure it should be a CJ-2B, does this sound right?

He has need of the V-8 & 4 spd. for his Chevy 1/2 ton, so what is the current value of something in this condition minus an engine and tranny?

Any and all info. will be helpful to us, we both want to see this little flatty made useful again, (hopefully in MY driveway.)

 

[Peanut Butter]

Can't help much, but Ford made a ton of WWII Jeeps since Willys could not produce the numbers needed. Not sure how long after the war they were still made. Somebody on here should know though. Good Luck. Rod

 

[Sasquach]

If it's Ford it's not a CJ but an MB military jeep. My early jeep skills are Limited and a but rusty but you might have something here.
Try the http://g503.com/site for info
or the TheCJ2Apage.com everything about the Willys CJ2A Jeep
FYI never heard of a CJ-2b
All parts are available for these at a price.

 

[johnnyreb]

we need pics!!!

 

[Posi]

The L-134's are out there but I would swap that 350 out for a 225 Buick and keep the 420 4 speed.

If the Jeep is a 47 it wasn't made by Ford, Ford = GPW 1942-45, Willys = MB 1941-45

Again, if it's a 47 it would be a 2a

Post up the vin or what you have and I'll try to pin point a year. There should be a vin tag on the passenger side firewall and inside the driver side frame horn.

 

[haminawag]

Pics and VIN I'm waiting on, it's hard to get him off his butt to do much of anything but he said he'd send 'em to me. What he knows about cars / trucks in general is very Limited , seems to think I'm something of a supernatural priest because I can fix cars, unfortunately I never had much experience with early Jeeps.

I was thinking of doing something like rebuilding an older Ford 4-banger and dropping it in, fabbing up some motor mounts, but the whole Transfer Case question is keeping me in the dark, I'm not even sure if it's still in the CJ, AND I would have to buy the Jeep before I could do anything to it. So.....