So theres a guy with the willys jeepster 3spd 2wd tranny for sale locally. I figure ill pick it up. Maybe mate it to a willys flat four or such. It would be cute for a track car. Especially as speed equipment is still available. So anyone know about these trannies? Were they decent?
I have a 3 or 4 speed on the ground, but it is out of a 4x4, and has a transfer case attatched, not sure if it could be used as a 2wd or not...but I think I am kinda far away from you.
They are not very robust units,no matter which model it is.Then there is the age issue.Eventually MOST of those little Borg Warner transmissions start to wear the hole in the front of the case where the countershaft goes though.Chances are just as good the 1-2 -Reverse slider is worn fairly good too.Count on at least disassembly and changing the sycro rings and bearings.
Rebuilt several 4wd units, guys run small v8s in front of those, but they would not be my first choice. As stated above, most likely it won't stay in second and will at least need syncros
Are you just wanting to know if they are worth buying?? We have a 50 W/O Jeepster and it's trans has an O/D. If it is from Jeepster most likely it will have that O/D unit. Does this person have a extra F-Head eng?? Looking for one. The trans in the 2wd Jeepster is 3 on the tree=side shift. I don't have the ratios,but you can find em online. The one that we have seem to be just fine and we've the Jeepster nearly 5yrs and no probs. I'm looking to put a F-Head into our T-ster P/U with that type or a top shift trans if I can find one?
I think these are pretty cool little engines and transmissions. I bought this one for my old "A" Coupe. The 4 banger is an upgrade to a stock Model A and to have an OD, man that's what I dig. This setup would have been real nice in my coupe. I do have this for sale if interested. BloodyKnuckles
yes, its a 3 speed side shift. Id just like to run a flat four and heck, theres tons of these old willys bangers hanging around, as every idiot yanks them for small blocks. I can find a good runner willys banger for around 300, sounds a heck of a lot better than finding a model A mill and rebuilding it. Well its unknown how the tranny itself is, what condition. the jeepster it was in didnt have the motor. But if its just synchros..well it shouldnt be that tough to do.
never used a 2wd. but i have 2 or 3 of the 4wd ones. i have not had any issues. but i am thinking of going to a 4spd
Might depend what year jeepster it is, they made them for a long time (30 years?). Later ones had the T90 As mentioned, if it's 4x4 then you'll have fun trying to put it in a car
Got you PM, Thank you for the info, What I need is the 50 Willys/Overland 4 banger F-Head version, so if ya see one of those let me know.
actually they only made the jeepster between 1946 and 52? or 51. The last year was just unsold ones being sold as new. The jeepster looks like a jeep, but extended. They later came out with the commando, which was very jeepster like in the late 60s, from about 68-72. I just like the idea this tranny will bolt up to a willys 4 banger. The top speed was listed at 65 and eh.. im sure with some modifications to the motor and a light track or speedster body, good rearend, it could go 90.
Had a 46 CJ2A and it also had the T90. Simple, bulletproof little box but weighed a ton like everything else on those things. Probably would hold up for what you're looking to do.
They been yankin' em for small blocks since the '50s. The four won't pull an old sick woman off a bed pan. You need as much grunt as you can muster when you got 4 wheels churnin' in the mud. That said they do make a hell of a sweet mill in a light bodied car and the 3 speed should hold up just fine behind one. Someone noted that it will probably need syncros, I would certainly give it a close look before I used it. For the 4WD tranny you can get the tail shaft and housing from a 2WD Willys pickup to convert it to 2WD.
My 1933 Willys roadster - stock as a rock was running 73-74 mph down the freeway to Famoso and still had some in reserve according to the driver of the car following with a digital speedo. The Willys L head has more hp power stock than a Model A (40hp) banger out of less cubes and with speed equipment can be made to fly in a lightweight car. The 1933-1939 version has 48 hp but the later insert bearing 1939 Overland and up has 63 hp (1939 Overland has 61hp) I have an aluminum head and 2-1 intake on mine with plans for dual Reece Fish 1bbl carbs to replace the Carter YFs in the photo. Full flow filtration system is now on the engine too. Personally I would like to see a T5 adapted to the Willys engine and that is what I have been planning, using a 1937 up Willys bellhousing....
Weasel I would have to dig through some info to give you a solid answer but I believe that the banger they put in the pickups ans jeeps in the '50s and '60s was about 60 HP, the six cylinder wasn't much more as I recall. The jeep guys stated using small blocks as soon as some made adapters (the one in mine is a craiger unit). There have got to be a ton of them not being used out there somewhere. The banger in the W/O was the same one as used in the willys car wasn't it?
This is Willys trans 101 sent to me by a good friend who knows more about Willys than anyone I have ever met: The T96 was never used in a 4wd vehicle and if overdrive version never it never came with a cane shifter on top as it interferes with the overdrive housing (unless some deft milling machine work is done . All 48>51 Jeepsters were 2wd and used the column shift T96R10 overdrive box behind both the 134 cube 4 banger and the 148 & 161 six banger. Ditto for the 2wd IFS equipped station wagons. The T90 was never used in these 2wd Jeepsters or station wagons with IFS. Willys/Jeep used the T90 in both 2wd and 4wd versions in trucks, Jeeps and the Utility wagons. Earlier Willys and Jeeps used the T84 in 2wd or 4wd as well as with stick or column shift depending on the application. The first 4wd Jeeps were column shift. The trans to bellhousing bolt pattern is the same for T84, T96 and T90. The bellhousing to engine block bolt pattern is the same across the range of Willys designed 4 and 6 cylinder engines so all bellhousings will interchange if swapped over complete with matching engine separator plate, flywheel and starter motor. This does not include the Kaiser designed L226 six.
I recall a friend/mentor used to use the Studebaker champion 6 cyl. flatty to repower old 4x4 Jeeps. Seems that all was needed was a spacer/adaptor that was used between the stude bellhousing and the Jeep box, you might look to some of the older champions for an OD 3 spd.. I do know some of those t-84 boxes had weak interlock aasemblies .
Not that it helps this thread, but were can I find a stick shifter? I need one for a T-96 I have. I've heard CJ2, CJ3 and jeepsters used them, but so far I have not been able to verify this. Thanks, Magnus
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