Back in '64-67 I was turning wrenches for Uncle Sam in the 81st Maintenance Battalion in Germany our main mission at first was rebuilding the M-151 Jeeps.The engines were Ford's and the pistons and rods were the same as a 289,they had an aluminum head.We had a few code 8 vehicles (out of service) that we hopped up to run parts with,our machinist reground the cams milled the heads and did some port and polish on them.We had a salvage yard of cars that guys left behind when their tour was up that had dual sidedraft carbs and intakes that were heli-arced and modified to fit.They show up for sale like this one:http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=166352 These Jeeps would hall butt with the governors gone from them.
It would be ok, I guess & the head may be aluminum.... But It Ain't no Hemi... Here is are pics of the one you linked to...
I believe they are Continental or Hercules engines with all the valves in a row like a typical OHV wedge head ?
Um, yeahhhh... Those were either Continental or Hercules 4 bangers, rated at 55 to 70 hp depending on years & who you believe. Iron heads, and nothing interchanges with Ford. Ran great about 1800 rpm where they were rated for torque. Redline was 4,000 rpm. Perhaps the OP was thinking of something else. B.
I tore down a ton of them and the heads were aluminum,we had to have a guard on the salvage bins located by the back fence at Gerzewski Barracks in Karlsruhe,Germany to keep the scrappers out.Maybe you doubters should read this: http://www.surplusjeep.com/M151/M151_ Lead_ Page.htm "Developed and Produced by Ford" I was in error about the Hemi part(corrected) and after some research found later models did change to a cast iron head,we did junk a lot of the heads from the early 60's models as they warped ,also total engine weight was 358 pounds.These were the Hercules 151 cubic inch 4.00" bore X 3.00" stroke,the same bore & stroke as the '80-'83 CJ Jeeps "Iron Duke",are they related ?
Yes... and this shows us it is a inline valve (not hemi) 3-main bearing inline 4 cylinder industrial motor.
Not a simple swap in a Minor. A surprising number of in-line fours aren't. The Minor's engine bay was designed around a flat-four engine that didn't make it, so it's short and wide. It was even necessary to reprofile the box-section that connects the lever-arm dampers/upper control arms over the clutch to get the little BMC A-series in. Engines that do go in easily, like the Fiat twin-cam, are short for their size, and usually require shifting the radiator a bit. I hate to see Minors with the firewall hacked about to fit an inappropriate choice for engine, as it always involves chopping a bit out of the middle of the above box-section, which compromises both the structure and the concept of the car.
When i was in the Army we had Willys "F" head jeeps. But the new Ford OHV jeep was coming into service. Ford built. Swing axles. 4 speed trans. I think they had aluminum bodies. But I was gone before any got to the 41st Signal.
The M151A1 engine we had in 66 to 68 were similar to the Ford industrial 134 and 172 engine. Those little bangers are in a lot of construction and farm equipment. There was a time about twelve years ago when Y block lifters were hard to find. I bougt two sets of lifters for a 172 industrial engine and they are still in regular use in a 312.
I was in Europe when we got M151s. 1961 or 1962 as I recall. I was driving one in the ammo dump late one night and got a little hot on the throttle. Had to make a turn (or die) and that little sucker got loose and I almost went over. They were excellent off road but had to be driven with caution on the roads. When the Army started selling them they cut them in two. Virtually all of the operational M151s in civilian hands have been welded back together.