1973 Jeep CJ-5 6.6L Duramax

Jeep

1973

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Mods

2009 6.6 LMM Duramax, mostly stock, ~365hp/ 580 ft lbs, I do my own tuning with EFI Live for better throttle response and no smoke, modified oil pan, 230 amp alternator.\r
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Powerglide transmission, reverse pattern manual valve body, extra clutches, turbo spline input shaft, line pressure is set to around 230 psi, and a low stall Hughes torque converter with an anti-balloon plate.\r
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Dana 300 transfer case from a late 70s CJ-7 with a HD output shaft/ housing and mounted with an adapter from Advanced Adapters.\r
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Home built frame from 2x4 rectangular steel tubing, 3/16” wall, transmission cross member also acts as a skid plate.\r
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Wagoneer HD front springs with F-O-A coil over shocks and 125 lb/ inch springs, rear springs are HD Old Man Emu YJ 2" with RS9000 shocks, large torque arm to prevent rear axle wrap.\r
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Front and rear Dana 44 axles, 3.73 gears, Lock Right in the front and a Detroit Truetrac in the rear, I narrowed a 1978 J-10 front axle to fit.\r
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1978 IH Scout front disc brakes, rear disc brakes are '85 Caddy calipers/ modified '90s Ford discs, no power brakes, and a Jegs master cylinder.\r
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Exhaust is 3" with a Flowmaster muffler under the passenger side floor board, the exhaust runs through the roll cage frame mount to maintain ground clearance.\r
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Roll cage is 2" DOM tubing, front seats are mounted to the cage, and uses 5 point harnesses with the Summit Racing seats.\r
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Original body is heavily modified, rear bed area is raised 4” to improve fuel tank ground clearance, fire wall and center floor boards are modified to fit engine and trans.\r
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Air to water intercooler mounted under the dash with a Cobra Mustang water pump to a 12”x12” radiator in front of the engine radiator.\r
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Engine is cooled by an aluminum radiator from Novak Adapters. Trans is cooled by a larger tube oil cooler, with a separate small cooler for the power steering. \r
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Fuel tank is a 16 gallon aluminum from Summit Racing, with a return side fuel cooler.\r
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33x12.50-15 Bias Ply Super Swamper TSLs tires on black steel rims.\r
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Paint is rattle can Rustoleum flat black.\r
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Banks Performance iDash 1.8 2" gauge mounted to the roll bar to keep an eye on oil pressure, water temp, engine speed, vehicle speed, ECM voltage, and MAF air flow in lbs/ minute.\r
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Has minimal wiring for headlights, tail lights, and turn signals only and don't usually run a windshield or top.\r
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The curb weight is around 3400 lbs and has a 50/50 weight distribution with 600 lbs of passengers. \r
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Only original CJ-5 parts left are the body and rear axle.

Build story

My father bought the Jeep new in 1973, ran it around the mountains of Colorado till the engine blew in 1986. The Jeep sat till I finally got him to give it to me in 2007. I fixed it up from 2007 to 2009, drove it for a few months till the 6.2 diesel engine (gutless, but good fuel mileage) I swapped in started smoking badly. It once again sat till 2017 when I decided to swap in a 6.6 Duramax because the 6.2/ 6.5T diesels are gutless and as a diesel mechanic I don't care for gas engines. The Duramax was a tight fit and about 100 lbs heavier but has far more power, even stock, than a modified 6.2/6.5T or 4BT could make and still burn clean. I built it outside/ inside a 1 car garage in about a year.

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