My New 73 Has A Bad Engine. Now What??

Well, I took a gamble and got burned Recently purchased my first Jeep. A 73 with a great body. No rust, solid. I had it towed to my mechanic. I was very excited to get it running. Buyer had it parked for a year due to his leg injury. I trusted what he told me was true. I paid $3900.00 Already have put $1500 in it. My mechanic told me the engine is no good (original 304), and possibly the transmission. Again, the frame, body is excellent. The rebuilt will be $2500-$3000. Tranny ? $2500. By the time I’m done It will be a solid 73 CJ at $12000-$1300. I think it’s worth it, otherwise sell for maybe $4000.00 and start over. Thoughts? Thank you all for helping the Newbie.

Carlos
Gainesville,Fl

 

Do you trust your mechanic?

 

Very much so. He was going to call me later to discuss. I would plan to keep the Jeep till I go into a home! All the Jeeps I seen before all had plenty of rust.

 

Depending on what is wrong with the engine, you can rebuild it for not much time and just a little effort. I am 95% done with my 232 rebuild.

Places here in TX have quoted me $800 to rebuild a transmission if you bring it in and do all installation yourself. Rebuild kit is $200 with good parts.

How handy are you?

 

If the body is in good shape I would fix it . That's just My opinion . New engine or what ever it needs.

 

Thanks. Unfortunately I am not handy. Hopefully the mechanic can quote me a reasonable price. In the end if I keep it I might break even. “The devil u know is better than the one u dont”

 

Thanks. Thats my thought. Solid rust free are bodies are hard to find. Plus I’d hold it. I need to stop trusting people....

 

Welcome to our world. Time to buy a bigger tool box and a bunch of tools. Harbor Freight is your friend. Try to tackle ONE PROJECT AS A TIME. If you take the whole thing apart you'll be selling it for $700 a year from now. Good luck.

 

Something doesn't add up here.
Only parked for a year and engine/ trans are bad?
Does is run at all? Was is stored outside without a top and transmission is rusty inside?

 

More data needed. What exactly is wrong with the motor and transmission? Bad doesn't mean anything.

 

Follow your heart. If you really like the jeep spend the money and get it mech. sound. I would rather start with a solid body and frame and build on that.BTDT.
My first was a new 1973 cj5 so a little partial but I say go for it. mike

 

Have you owned a Jeep before? What do you want to have when you are done? Why this Jeep? If you were hoping to get into it cheap, looks like you chose poorly and that's not going to happen.

It's hard to own a hobby car (which these Jeeps are) without being able to work on them yourself. You also should realize that any old car carries with it some risk of unexpected problems and failures. That goes double for Jeeps, since they have twice as many drivetrain parts (4WD) and they often suffer hard use or abuse. People sell cars for a reason.

Up to you. A lot depends on your means - how important is the money to you? If there's nothing special about this year and model to you, cut your losses and sell. Lesson learned. If it's the Jeep you want because of what it is, spend the money and enjoy.

 

Post up some pics. How does the mechanic know the trans is bad if the jeep is not running? The t15 should not cost that much to rebuild. You can probably pick up a 360 that runs for $750 or less.

 

Me? I'd find a good 4 speed with a DEEEEp granny gear and install it. Rebuild the 304 and wheel it. Crate engines are ~3k.

 

The monetary difference between a so-so jeep, or a really great jeep is not so much.

After a short time, having the jeep you want will make the money easy to forget.

 

Same here....but the OP is in Florida, I'd bet he doesn't need a super low first gear. The T15 is a pretty stout trans for a three speed, nothing wrong with that if a 3:1 first gear is adequate for your use.

 

$2500 seems wildly expensive to replace that transmission. R&R should be like 60/90 minutes for a pro - easy in a Jeep. And if the engine is coming out, it's even easier. Herm sells them for $800 exchange, $1000 outright. T-15 Transmission | Herm The Overdrive Guy I recall he has some clever way to ship these that does not cost a lot.

 

I my opinion, your mechanic's engine rebuild quote is way higher than what it should be. Is your block cracked from freezing? Likewise, what is wrong with the transmission, filled with water? You need to find out what is specifically "no good" with both. Yes, a 360 can be found pretty cheap, and will drop in if you can't find or rebuild your 304.
-Donny

 

Sorry for the late reply guys. No doubt hobby cars or any hobby is expensive. I’m currently selling my Triumph TR 6 for that reason. You think Jeeps are co$tly. Yikes! The Jeep was keep outside in the elements. I‘Ve decided to keep it and rebuild the engine. Will know soon about the transmission. The mechanic was speculating if might be bad but not necessarily. I spoke to a Jeep enthusiast yesterday that felt with the solid body, Rare Ramsay Winch it would be worth it. Thanks for the feedback and knowledge. Having fun learning.



Carlos

 

Reached out to Herm. Thanks for the lead. The beauty of these forums especially for Newbies.

Carlos