I am looking to work up a Willys L134 for my Jeep. Jeep is a stock 1952 M38 without the origional motor. I want to hotrod the motor and am looking for Ideas. Scott
Scott, I have been wrenchin' on Jeeps since I was a boy and that 134ci is a boat anchor. Watch eGay or scour Carlisle for a Ford Flathead V-8 to Jeep T-90 adapter. Your fun and $$$ will go a lot further roddin' a Ford flattie than messing with that old 4 banger...not to mention adding a cool period V-8 upgrade (and maybe a bit more HAMB friendly?). Go to a later model T-90 full syncro or T-18 4 speed while you have it apart...a Warn Overdrive is a highly recommended bolt-in for a driveability, especially if you decide to keep the 4 banger. My $.02... www.EarlyCJ5.com and go quickly before they start throwin' stones... Fs-n-Fs
Hi Scott21, the willys four cylinder is an extremely hot-rodable little engine. Although often out shined by the more popular Ford counterparts (T, A and B) the willys engine is fantastic except for its capacity. It was first offered during the final days of the Model T and was considered technically advanced when compared to it. It had full pressure oiling, adjustable tappets and a modern style distributor. one of the best things about it was that it was developed from its beginning in the 20's to its final days in the 60's. This means that alot of the stronger parts like alloy pistons and counter balanced crank can be retro fitted to the eariler blocks (a cheap way to build a really strong engine, not so for the model a engines), but this sort of info only applies if you into pre-war hot-rodding. Try this site http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/wocv/willywilly/willywilly.htm look under the Racing Willys photos on the side, i know thew guy with the salt lake racers, his next Willys project is supercharged! While these engines aren't as popular as the fords they have a lot of potential as they were very well designed for the time, plus their cheap too
I don't know that you'd ever find one, but a company named "Hickey" made an aluminum high compression head for Willys flathead fours in the early '50s.
A couple of pictures of a job I did for a guy. The original intake manifold turned upside down and the heat riser opened up to accept a four barrel or two twos or what ever. Also needs an adapter plate/header flange. Also a side cover I made for him. Kaiser "Supersonic" head.
There are also the Alexander and DuVall head conversions for the Willys L134 and Burns made a 2-1 intake for this engine. All of this stuff is hens teeth rare. I have a couple of Hickey heads and a Willy Willy head with a 2-1 Burns intake on a 1933 Model 77 Willys L134.
I think you can put the later F head on the old flathead block but I don't know that for sure. The F head, while being kinda quirky, nevertheless was a performance improvement over the flathead.
I have a Hickey head that I really want to keep but have someone that wants to buy it. Does anybody have an idea of what they are worth?
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