Studebaker 170 engine

[65riv]

Hello folks, I'm new here and have been hunting for a flat fender Jeep for a while. I currently drive a 1965 VW camper bus, but want a jeep to get a little deeper into the hills. I found a 2a in my area that seems to be pretty clean and straight, but at some point the engine was swapped for a Studebaker 170 flathead 6. From the little I can find online the engine bolts right up to the jeep transmission, and a small section must be cut out of the firewall, but otherwise I don't know what other mods I would have to undo to put a Go Devil back in. I assume radiator and motor mounts? Can you guys give me an idea what a good used engine would cost that isn't a smoker? I'm gathering info to make an offer to the owner. He seems pretty jazzed about the Studebaker engine, but I would much proffer the stock unit.

[bmorgil]

65riv, welcome! Take a lot of pictures of the modifications that you believe were made. We'll have a few "eyes" on it to see what needs to be undone. The engines can be found from time to time. Components are available now to totally put it back together. If you can't find a good running motor, there are not to bad of a cost to have them rebuilt. I think rebuilds are available also.

[LarrBeard]

I found a 2a in my area that seems to be pretty clean and straight, but at some point the engine was swapped for a Studebaker 170 flathead 6. From the little I can find online the engine bolts right up to the jeep transmission, and a small section must be cut out of the firewall, but otherwise I don't know what other mods I would have to undo to put a Go Devil back in. I assume radiator and motor mounts?

Welcome to the Forum. Don't worry about where the post ended up - we found it and you're OK.

Interesting, a Studebaker FH-6 in a CJ 2A. The fact that it bolted up to the CJ 2A transmission is neat - it probably points back to the fact that a lot of engines of that era trace their ancestry back to a Continental engine design in the 1930-period. All cousins kind of look alike and maybe the transmission interface was a family trait.

I'd agree you will have to relocate motor mounts as well as do something up front around the radiator. I'd take a long look at steering stuff as well; something might have been bent or torched to get clearance for something. Make sure there isn't some frame cut out somewhere.

The current owner might be jazzed about the Studebaker engine, but your counter point is that the Studbuster is a light passenger car engine meant to cruise at fairly lightly loaded highway conditions; the Go-Devil was meant to be whipped hard, often at high RPM, under heavy load conditions. It's not a great swap.

As for what a "good" used engine should cost - there is no good way to guess. As a rough guide, a full rebuild on a Go-Devil will run about $3K from a rebuilder, less depending on what you can do yourself. Check eWillys or some other forums.

Good luck, strike a good deal and post us some pictures if it ends up in your driveway.

[gmwillys]

Welcome 65riv!

The Studebaker was a common swap in its day. The torque gain from the 6 was an improvement over the 134, but the effort to shoe horn the 6 in place was more to prove that one could do it more than a performance mod. If I were to be real serious on performing an original engine swap back in, I would look to a couple of options. The first would be to look through http://www.ewillys.com/category/engine/

http://www.ewillys.com/2020/04/29/l-heads-f-heads-college-station-tx/

If you are more interested in having a "new" L134, I would look into the following;

https://www.kaiserwillys.com/new-4-cylinder-engine-bare-block-fits-41-53-jeep-willys-with-4-134-l-engine

These engines were sanctioned by an American investor to be an exact match to the original engine, but made from improved materials. The iron composition is of a higher strength then the original engines were made with. The weaknesses of the original blocks were around the distributor boss, and would often crack. A lot of the blocks offered for sale are cracked or have had a crack repair performed. The improved blocks are cast in China or India, ( I can't remember for sure) just for the simple fact of this being a low rate cast, and domestic foundries were way too expensive to produce the tooling and the molds for a low rate.

With all this being said, I would jump on the deal if it makes financial sense. If the bones are descent, all else can be fixed.

[65riv]

Thanks for the info all! On further research I think I'm better off just finding an unmodified Jeep. Being in a small southwestern town I'm bound to find an affordable project. In fact, I may have found one today. I'm a mail carrier and saw two 1949's behind a house. Not sure if they are 2A or 3A's. I stopped and talked to the guy who owns the place. Both have been parked for over 20 years and belong to his brother. He wants them off his property and is going to ask if he is ready to sell. One has some cheesy 1990's mods like fender flares and goofy rims, and I suspect an engine swap. The one I took a close look at is bone stock with a Koenig Iron Works hard top. It doesn't look to have any real body damage, looks pretty darn dry, and may have been originally owned by Uncle Sam as there is some olive drab under a bit of flaking paint. Hopefully I get a call!

[LarrBeard]

Thanks for the info all! On further research I think I'm better off just finding an unmodified Jeep. Being in a small southwestern town I'm bound to find an affordable project. In fact, I may have found one today. I'm a mail carrier and saw two 1949's behind a house. Not sure if they are 2A or 3A's. I stopped and talked to the guy who owns the place. Both have been parked for over 20 years and belong to his brother. He wants them off his property and is going to ask if he is ready to sell. One has some cheesy 1990's mods like fender flares and goofy rims, and I suspect an engine swap. The one I took a close look at is bone stock with a Koenig Iron Works hard top. It doesn't look to have any real body damage, looks pretty darn dry, and may have been originally owned by Uncle Sam as there is some olive drab under a bit of flaking paint. Hopefully I get a call!

Quick tell - if no one has "improved" them. 2A will have 2-piece windshield, no vent under windshield. 3A will have 1-piece windshield with a vent in the middle.

Take them both - lots of parts to trade...

The Koenig Iron Works top is a primo find.

[gmwillys]

Mail carriers and delivery drivers find all the good stuff!

[65riv]

I think they are both 3As. The stock one with the hard top has a vent below the windscreen, but a split window. I assume the split window is part of the hard top as it swings out from the bottom rather than down onto the hood from the top. We shall see if they actually want to sell. The land owner seems to want them gone. Fingers crossed.


Mail carriers and delivery drivers find all the good stuff!

I have a pretty good list of cars I want to stop and ask about that I see on my routes. There is a pretty amazing 1949 Ford F1 hidden away that I will badger the owner about at some point, but its well hidden, and I want a jeep first! I left a note about a super clean original 3A on another part of my route, but I haven't heard back, and I heard that the owner will sooner let it turn to dust than sell.

[5JeepsAz]

on another part of my route

love it. You are living the best life, seeing old treasures just waiting for restoration. God luck on the build!

[LarrBeard]

".. I heard that the owner will sooner let it turn to dust than sell...."

And the kids won't know what to do with it for "The Sale"

[gmwillys]

I knew a guy who delivered for Emery, (DHL these days) and he would constantly buy up cars that he found on his routes. I had access to a dealer's tag, so I would go pick out a car and drive it to let him know what was wrong with it....

Hopefully you'll be successful in your endeavor!