My ongoing Scratch Built Jeep project RUNS!

[W.R.Buchanan]

As some of you know I have been building a Jeep Scrambler with a 4 cylinder Cummins motor from scratch for several years now. This project has been in the way of many of my more complex gun projects for along time, and is progressing slowly.

Well,,, last night I hit a major milestone. I started the engine!

This was the last major step in the assembly of the rolling chassis, and now I can start working on finishing the body up and reinstalling it.

I had to run the engine to check for leaks in the drivetrain before installing the body since it is much easier to pull a transmission or gearbox from above with a crane than below with a floor jack.

No leaks were observed, and the engine started virtually first kick after setting for 8 years.

Pretty pumped about this and even though it is not gun related per se' , it is in my world, since this vehicle will be my "Proper Shooting Brake." for the rest of my life.

Here's pics of the rolling chassis.

Randy

[TheGrimReaper]

This will be awsome!!!

[jmort]

I like the Scramblers best of all Jeeps. I suppose there is a slight "penalty" for a stretched wheelbase, but not much considering the greater utility. Did you box that frame, or is it an aftermarket frame?

[crawfobj]

4BT? What did it come out of? I've been contemplating the same thing for my jeep. Torque/low rpms make it perfect for a jeep. Have never understood why they didn't offer the wrangler with the diesel they sold in the Liberty recently. Seems like a great combination to me.

What was your jeep when you started?

[seagiant]

Hey Randy,
You got a turbo on that puppy??? What's next,"Throttle in a Bottle?"

[pipehand]

Fantastic, Randy. What was the donor vehicle for the engine? Is the injector pump the P5100 or is it the rotary pump? Are you going to intercool it? Can't wait for pics of the finished project.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Ok guys to answer all of your questions.

The vehicle is built from scratch, the only Jeep part on it is the grill. I built the frame from 2x4 sq. tube. The engine is a Cummins 4BT which is the 4cyl version or basically 2/3 of a Cummins 6BT commonly used in Dodge trucks, the engine came out of Doritios Van. It is 105 hp. and 275 ft.lb. of torque. It has a turbo but doesn't have an intercooler at this time, although I may add one down the road. It uses the Bosch Rotary Injection Pump.

The tranny is a GM TH400, coupled to a US Gear Overdrive, and an Atlas 4.3 transfer case. It has a HP Dana 60 in the rear and an HP Dana 44 in the front with 4.10 gears and ARB locking diffs. Sitting on 37" Goodyear MTR's.

The body is completely aftermarket fiberglass from 4wd Hardware, and it has a full length fiberglass hardtop. Yukon Denali seats and an air conditioner.

If you are interested you can go to http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/showthread.php?5310-Here-s-the-Descrambler And see the whole build. If you sign up for the site (which takes about 3 minutes) you will be able to see all of the over 400 pics on the site that cover ever aspect of this build from beginning to where it is now. As of this time the thread as gotten nearly 75,000 hits and covers 22 long pages of my BS along with many comments from onlookers along the way. Currently 650 posts.

Randy

[Sweetpea]

Very cool...

You're gonna want the intercooler... may as well make it a part of your plans, not an afterthought.

Brandon

[W.R.Buchanan]

Brandon: It is a simple addition after I have wrung out the rest of the vehicle. It will be a water cooled one and probably the Cummins version.

There is a lot to do yet and changing as little as possible until the thing is reliable is the way to weed out issues. This isn't my first build and I have been involved with a bunch of serious Rock Crawlers over the years. This Jeep bridges the gap between a Rock Crawling Jeep and a Street Jeep. IE serious off road capabilities combined with creature comforts so you can stand to sit in the thing for long periods of time.

I am going on 6 years on the actual fabrication and 13 on the whole concept.

Randy

[Sweetpea]

Just wanted to make sure you had room...

I like the concept. I had a '68 IH Scout once... I want to have one again.

The capability of a Jeep, but with LEG ROOM!

Brandon

[seagiant]

Hi,
Nice Randy,I thought that was a turbo! I always wanted a Land/Range Rover...vintage of course!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Brandon: If you go to the website in the link above there are quite a few Scouts that have been converted. They make a very good platform for this engine.

Greg: I have even seen several LR Defender 90's 110's and even 130's with these Cummins engines in them. Not as many Range Rovers as they are packed pretty tight with all of their on road accoutrements, however they were available with a little 2.5L diesel as were the Defenders. In fact Diesels are what you see most everywhere in the world but in the US. Believe me the little 2.5L diesel that they come with is not comparable to a Cummins engine. My engine is comparable to a stock 350 Chevy engine as far as power goes. It is in the same "state of tune" that the Dodge engines are, and with just some minor tweaks I can get a very reliable 160HP/400FP out of it which is what my truck engine puts out.

That's why my Jeep is called the "DeScrambler." I am descrambling the myth of the diesel engine in the Jeep platform. Mind you they already make them in Toledo OH, they just ship them everywhere in the world but here. It irritated me enough to build my own.

They finally released the Grand Cherokee Diesel this year (4 years after they said they would) and it is nearly impossible to find one for sale cuz they sell instantly. They are also $47K to start. Try to find a used Liberty diesel, nobody is selling.

Here's pics of the assembled drivetrain goin' in. It pays to have a crane with two trollies on it with separate chain hoists. Drive train weighs about 1200 lbs complete.

Randy

[pipehand]

Randy, years ago there was a production line that made the Izuzu Rodeo here in the states. Those for domestic sales got the gas engine. Export versions got the diesel. You couldn't get a diesel here because of "emissions regulations". That's the lie they tell, anyway.

[merlin101]

Great looking build! I saw that tube frame and just went WOW! I've wanted to do one for years just for the sake of doing it.
I saw that open air intake and it brought back a memory so I'll let ya in on some free advice, dodn't do what I did! I was done for the day working on a 6.2L diesel and laid some blue paper shop towels across the heads so dirt didn't fall into the openings for the valves. A day or two later without thinking I fired her up and it sucked in one towel! I'm talking ALL THE WAY IN! It tapped and knocked andt then spit it out the exhaust.

[jmorris]

I like the concept. I had a '68 IH Scout once... I want to have one again.

Well, if you ever make it to TX, I'll make you a deal on one I have.

[woody13]

Im following this thread for sure. Man nice work really nice.....

[W.R.Buchanan]

Woody: go here to see the whole show. http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/showthread.php?5310-Here-s-the-Descrambler

Randy

[portlybowlofpigfat]

oooh clean and shiny ... much nicer then my rusty 62 dodge d300 with a 453t detroit .... i bet it is quieter to boot

[JesterGrin_1]

GREAT Job. :)

A very good and Cheap and Easy to find power plant for a Jeep C-2 to 5 would be a Kubota V2203DI with an added Turbo Charger. It will not make the power that the 4BT is capable of but it is dependable and has no electronics. They are being pulled from Carrier Reefer units due to emissions for California.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/KubotaV2203DI001_zps88020f96.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/KubotaV2203DI001_zps88020f96.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/KubotaV2203DI003_zps4ae2d9b8.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/KubotaV2203DI003_zps4ae2d9b8.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/KubotaV2203DI002_zps0535205c.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/KubotaV2203DI002_zps0535205c.jpg.html)

[W.R.Buchanan]

Yes there are several conversions using the Kubota motor with a turbo added at 4BTSWAPS.

It seems to be working out for some vehicles/ They are getting about 75HP out of them, but better torque than a comparable gas motor.

Another good swap is the VW 1.9 turbo diesel prior to the electronic current model. They are 90 hp and work well in Samurai's and light Jeeps. One especially cool one is a swap into a long wheel base Sami. I didn't even know they made such a thing, but apparently were imported to Canada, and this guy from Tennessee found a nice one without rust and did a great job converting it. It had a set of baby Swampers on it which looked really cool. The vehicle turned out to look like a miniature version of what I'm building. It runs 75 down the Interstate and gets 35MPG!


My Jeep when assembled looks like a large CJ7 due to the 37" tires.

Randy

[MBTcustom]

Absolutely bodacious! :bigsmyl2:

[W.R.Buchanan]

I haven't actually updated this thread for some time but I have been making progress slowly but surely.

I am now officially in the final assembly portion of this build.



I have temporarily shelved all my gun projects as it is difficult for me to concentrate on more than one project at a time and get good results. I really need to get this one up to the point where I can drive it as it has been 10 years since I started the project.

It is a "BIG" project to build a Jeep from scratch. Especially when you have to find every piece yourself. You have to pay for it too.

I have the body on the Jeep and am proceeding to attach all the piece parts to it in an order that won't require back tracking. This is somewhat time consuming as there is a lot of thought involved and I can also tell you that most of this thought has already occurred at one time or another during the last 10 years but has been forgotten. Got to remember all of it back and move forward.

Most recently I removed the leaking Injection Pump from the engine and sent it out for rebuild. When it comes back I will reinstall and re-fire the engine. Then it is a matter of bolting on previously mocked up parts and fabbing what is left.

Anyone wishing to see this whole build along with the pics can go here. I would put the pics up here but they only get dropped when I have to clean up my posts when I exceed my pic quota so they all get lost.

http://www.4btswaps.com/forum/showthread.php?5310-Here-s-the-Descrambler

This is a pretty long winded thread and covers my build from start to now along with literally hundreds of pictures.

You will have to sign up for the site which only takes a minute or so, in order to see the pics but I assure you it is worth it. Last I looked the Thread had nearly 118,000 views! The average time to read everything and fully understand what is going on is about 3 hours! I have detailed descriptions of all my fab and machine work, along with pics showing the whole process.

I wish this site would get rid of the picture restrictions as there is so much that can't be described with only words, but becomes clear for all to see with pictures.

Anyway all comments are welcome, but really, go look at the build. It is well beyond anything I have done here at Cast Boolits.

Randy

[comdiver]

Does the Kubota V2203DI engine bolt up to the clutch & tranny?

[FrankG]

Pics wont show unless registered .

[comdiver]

I will register and look. Thank you.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The engine is a Cummins 4BT3.9 at 105 hp. and 275 Ftlbs.

There have been a few guys on that site that have swapped in those little Kubota Reefer motors. I think someone makes and adapter to mate to a Jeep Trans/Flywheel. You want to adapt the engine to the Jeep flywheel so you could use the clutch and all the other Jeep piece parts.

I don't see the Kubota Motors being a viable swap for anything bigger than a Flat Fender. They are not turbo'd and that can limit performance greatly. There have been some guys who have even trubo'd them but this is a situation where if you just started with the right engine you wouldn't have to modify a marginal one to do something it wasn't designed to do.

I personally would use a VW Diesel in a Flatty. 90 Diesel HP would be fine in a light Jeep, and I have seen many Samurais with VW diesel conversions and they are pretty cool.

I am averaging 500+ hits a day on my thread at www.4BTSwaps.com (http://www.4BTSwaps.com) come on over and sign up and look. There is some pretty neat stuff happening there.

Randy

[ohland]

Those for domestic sales got the gas engine. Export versions got the diesel. You couldn't get a diesel here because of "emissions regulations".

The Afghan Army and Police had Ford Rangers with diesels, running boards (er, the 4" tube version) and a roll bar / weapons mount. Amazing how much overloading they would take. Massively beaten, but still ran. Of course, the mechanics supporting Afghan security forces (maybe contractors as well?) would pull good parts off, "repair" with (supposedly) a new part, then resell the serviceable part on the black market.

Supposedly that's one reason why we started fielding the HMMV to the ANSF, though after seeing the goat rope to get fuel for the Rangers made me wonder on how they would support the MUCH heavier HMMV. Ever see folks racing the HMMV and the Ranger?

[Petrol & Powder]

The Cummins 4BT is basically the 6BT with two cylinders missing! The 4BT is a fine choice for a Jeep and practically bulletproof.

[1911cherry]

Factory 6 cylinder engines in 80's cj5 and 7's only made 86hp and 127 lb ft of torque, its all about gear reduction ,that diesel engine should pull a jeep just fine.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Cherry:: the Jeep inline 6's, 1973 on, were originally from the AMC Pacer. They were 258 ci 118 hp and I don't know the torque but around 200 fp was close.

My engine was from a Doritos Delivery Van. It is a common version of the engine which is available in HP ratings from 48 to 250 HP. Mine is 105 hp/275 fp. vs. 160hp/400fp for the 6bt in my Dodge truck. It is exactly a 6BT with two less cylinders, it is also exactly 2/3 the power. This engine will move my Jeep faster than my truck moves and that will be more than enough. This is diesel HP!,, and this engine compares almost directly to a 350 Chevy engine for power.

goto the website link above and see the build. Sign up and you can see the 400+ pictures. Lots going on there.

Randy

[Just Duke]

:bigsmyl2: