Anybody else want a small USEABLE 4X4?

D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
My wife has a Ford Escape with the Eco-boost it is a rocket up to about 85 mph. I told her one night while she was sleeping I was going to put it in my CJ7. Would be quite a difference from the 112 horsepower 4.2 liter.

Snag one from a Mustang or Ranger. They have forged internals and a beefy block, both designed to take a massive amount of abuse.
 

roving1

Well-known member
Volkswagen Iltis is what I'm after next.. Old enough to import one from Canada to US w/out much trouble, street legal and I can bolt an ALH TDI motor into it in about a weekend.. its narrow enough to fit up the 65in wide ramp on my InTech toy hauler.. oah and they are cheap.

Cool AF. As long as you like driving less than 55MPH everywhere. ;) Don't know if the diesel swap fixes that or not?
 
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85_Ranger4x4

Well-known member
Snag one from a Mustang or Ranger. They have forged internals and a beefy block, both designed to take a massive amount of abuse.

Older 2.3 Duratec Ranger shares the bellhousing if you want a manual trans. Can piece together a trans (output shaft, extension housing etc) from a different engine truck to come up with a 4wd.

Cool AF. As long as you like driving less than 55MPH everywhere. ;) Don't know if the diesel swap fixes that or not?

I have a hunch you probably don't want to drive that much faster than 55 anyway... sometimes there are things that limit speed more than horsepower.
 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
It'll be a trailer queen, so 55mph will be plenty.. the engine I got for it been upgraded a bit, it should be somewhere ~150hp/275tq... I might be able to find a taller 5th gear to slap into it that would let it go a decent clip without being all wound up.. probably need to upgrade the clutch a lil bit for the extra torque but the drivetrain should be fine w/it.. should all be standard stuff for 4cyl vw/audi and easy to find here.

Its more for going where I dont dare take my Q7, I like my dirt bikes but it makes my wife feel left out since she cant ride one.. it'll be idling mostly everywhere, except for maby a few ice cream stops at any villages we come across.

Just needs a winch and I'll take it down any trail I run across.. not even that big of a winch given how light it is.. I'll ditch the soft top/doors, keep the roll bar and windshield, install a 2 way radio into it, air compressor, some mud tires, then patch up any rust and run it like that.
 
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Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
Volkswagen Iltis is what I'm after next.. Old enough to import one from Canada to US w/out much trouble, street legal and I can bolt an ALH TDI motor into it in about a weekend.. its narrow enough to fit up the 65in wide ramp on my InTech toy hauler.. oah and they are cheap.

Somewhere in my files at home I think I have a photo of the time I took a ride in a CH-47 in Afghanistan and there was an Iltis in the back. I think it was being used by the German Special Forces unit that was there.
 

Peter_n_Margaret

Adventurer
That thing is so frikken cool! Is it a baby pinz? While absolutely nothing like what I should be buying that would fulfill my need for a little errand runner, and do it with so much cool factor!
Hafflinger.
Austrian mountain vehicle. 2 cylinder air cooled (half a Porsche), front and rear diff locks can be applied on the run. Will easily drive up a flight of stairs.
Cheers,
Peter
 

billiebob

Well-known member
With the recent Wrangler-killer thread about GMC's no-go SUV and the thread about the new Dakota I'm back thinking what I have been thinking for a LONG time. Who else besides me wants a true small truck (not mid-size) that is built well. My dream would be something along the lines of 4cyl(+ for TD option), 5or6spd manual available, vinyl seats and rubber floors, manual windows would be fine with me, Hi-Lo transfer case. utilizing common diffs for easy tailoring of gears/lockers would be awesome! To really top it off give us a steering box(not rack and pinion) and reasonably strong drive line. Basically I'm asking for a 80's-90's truck to still be available with more modern engine controls and efficiency .
Diesel is on the way out. What you want is an old CJ. A perfect restoration sells for $20K, less that any sidebyside
AND STREET LEGAL ANYWHERE
 

billiebob

Well-known member
Jeep showed a two-door version of the Gladiator at Easter Jeep Safari. Like it or not, if made available that's as close as anyone is going to get. Personally, I think there is a large market for a "white" work version with 2WD as a replacement for all of the dying small pickups out there.View attachment 540087
IF they built that with a 4 cylinder engine, a clutch, NO FLARES, skinny tires... I'd buy one.
Heres my dream truck
UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_mini_1d31d.jpg

OR
55 willis pu 02.jpeg

But no one will ever come close in North America.
 

Peter_n_Margaret

Adventurer
My son owned this 5 speed FJ40 Toyota for many years. Roof, doors & walls were removable for summer.:)
This one was petrol, but they also made them as diesel.

1997-03-29 Dig tree road 2cE.jpg
Cheers,
Peter
 

shade

Well-known member
the headache of trying to keep them running without an easily accessible parts stream.
Makes sense. It might be one of those cases where a prime vehicle is supported by harvesting parts from a junker or two. Not for me, but that works fine for some people.
 

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