Might be cheaper just to buy two I3 engines and mount them end to end. Heck the 1.0L I3 Ecoboost makes 125 HP. Two of those are already more powerful than a 4.0 at half the displacement
How to resurrect an old engine design no longer made?
- Thread starter AOSJ
- Start date
Netgain 120 electric motors in a custom aluminum skid plate. Splined output to 1310 shafts exact where the transfer case is now.
Replace the engine and gas tank with batteries, charger and management.
-Mac
Good God why??? You're fond of GREAT weight (about 800 lbs for the 305) and REALLY poor economy? I didn't hold those engines in too high of esteem when they were new and they are absolutely close to the last thing I would ever want in a Jeep. The GMC V6's would have been way more appropriate for the 40's era. Sort of designed along with the same reasoning as the engine in my 1954 FWD, a straight six with a single barrel carb and 572 cid. Takes 5 gallons of gas just to start it.
As for the 4.0, on paper it looks a lot more anemic than a 3.6. But in my experience, the 4.0 wins hands down off road with some very usable low end torque which the 3.6 is entirely devoid of. I have no plans to mess with the 4.0 in my 06 TJ I acquired last September and immediately baptized on probably what is the most challenging trail in this state. It didn't come out of that unscathed but it did very well.
I too do not see anyone making an aftermarket version of the 4.0. An extremely limited market for that and it would no doubt be considerably more expensive than just swapping in a LS which would outperform it by the proverbial mile.
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Have semi-seriously considered converting to an EREV if the 4.0 ever grenades.
Just need maybe 20 kWh of batteries and a 25kW diesel or gasoline generator. Driving at 70 mph is only consuming about 40 horsepower-hours per hour so a 25 kW unit would let you run indefinitely if you took a rest stop once every 5 hours or so...
I see a huge potential for a EV wheeler where each wheel could be completely independently controlled. That said, I think we are still a long ways from making that actually practical. How many miles of low range wheeling would you get before you needed to plug it into the nonexistent charging station?
Sort of like this?
That is the block that resides in my CJ 3B but I stuck with the 9.325 deck version that you can get mostly off-the-shelf parts for. Probably sufficient torque.
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Even our 2000 Chevy Metro had a 996 c.c. I3 with 55 h.p. X 4 = 220h.p. and 232 lb. ft. Kinda sad .
More than the 210-240 miles I'm getting now.
I can run the Rubicon on a half tank of gas.
-Mac
Certainly was heavy, and drank fuel. Like I said, some modern upgrades to its design would (hopefully) give you an engine that would last forever, yet retain that wonderful low-end torque. Best light truck engine GMC ever made. It would be delightful in a Jeep from the torque aspect alone, but you're right - its too heavy for the Jeep and one would play Hell trying to beef the Jeep up enough to handle the weight.
I grew up with a '63 1 ton with that engine and the wonderful SM-420. I'll carry a torch for that truck to my dying day - 4th gear could be had at 15 MPH! It got 10 MPH, uphill or down, loaded or not. We towed a 29 foot fifth wheel with it, did fine. 5.14 gears.
Do understand: My absolute first and last consideration is reliability and longevity. Low end grunt is everything inbetween. That engine did that because that was the priority of its designers. Our I-6 isn't the GMC, but it too is a DAMN fine engine.
I mean, I'm a buyer for that. I love floating down the highway on a pillowy couch.
Seems a bit much for a CJ anything.What are those blocks selling for now?
$7368.00 for the 9.5 or 9.325 deck height .
I did just read that from your other post.
It wasn't that long ago those were like $5K.
I did just read that from your other post.
What's a new Chevy 4X4 truck cost now ?
What's a new Chevy 4X4 truck cost now ?
I usually hear the new prices about once a year when my dad decides he's "goin to buy a new truck". He has developed quite the pattern over the last few years. He sees all of the shinny new trucks running around in the spring and decides his 20+ year old Dodge isn't cutting it any more, so he stops by one of the local dealerships, looks at a truck or two, gets back in his old Dodge and drives to the car wash and calls me to bitch about the new truck prices. With everyone getting tax money, I should be getting a price update soon.
Last year he jumped out and looked at a Raptor thinking this is the one, then he staggered back light headed into his truck. 
Not to go back to the Toyota topic, but the new twin turbo V6 in the tundra aren't doing very hot. Active recall on 22-25 models for manufacturing debris, though most are thinking its a design flaw instead. Also hitting the new Lexus GX 550 and I believe the LX too.
Absolutely as it's long production span would indicate. Probably second only to the Gen I small block Chevy with its roots going back even farther. IMO, a better suited stock engine than any that have followed it in the Wrangler platform excepting the 392. At least for what I want to use a Wrangler for.
What I can't see is stroking it to the max and forced induction. That is a more modern equivalent of the ancient Jeep crowd camming, head shaving, Clifford headers/intake, and Webers on the 134's. Definitely the lipstick on the pig scenario in that case. A really limited return on the investment.
And despite my lack of love for the GMC 305, I do love low end torque for a CJ/Wrangler application. It was specifically what the Dart block build for my CJ 3B was all about. That engine is producing more than 400 ft-lbs at 1000 rpms and weighs 428 lbs fully dressed. And no forced induction. And yes, it wasn't cheap.
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