We did a complete rebuild of the original F-134 4 cylinder engine as part of our original restoration in 1976 (more details on this type of engine in the future). It turned out pretty well, providing us 53,000 miles of relatively trouble free performance over the next 36 years as we drove the Jeep station wagon over most of the eastern United States from Maryland to Mississippi.
In anticipation of the demands of this summer’s tour we decided that a fresh engine was in order. So as not to interrupt our use of the Jeep during the engine rebuild, we decided to search out and rebuild an engine with identical specifications to the original while keeping the car in driving condition. We had decided that the rebuild would as well done as possible, as we intended the engine to not only weather our upcoming 10,000 mile trek across the western USA, but also provide reliable service for the foreseeable life of the vehicle.
We located a candidate engine through a post on the WillysTech parts board. Mike Petersen, our trek pathfinder, and I drove to Staunton, Virginia to inspect and ultimately purchase the engine; bringing it home in the trunk of my Camry. The rebuild was thorough with final assembly in our work room.
In addition to the basic engine, the distributor and carburetor were rebuilt and all other components checked over. We are very pleased with the results. We have logged 5,000 miles on the engine as break-in for the trip and it has been performing very well. Of course, as any owner of an older car knows, we could always be surprised.
Our friend Lou and our grandson assist with removal of the original engine February 2012
Rebuilt engine being prepared for installation April 2011
Rebuilt engine installed May, 2012