Car
Jeep Cj5
The Jeep CJ is an older Jeep model built for off-road use. The podcast mentions a CJ5, which is one version of the CJ line, and focuses on someone trying to fix it. People talk about these because they’re tough and often kept running by enthusiasts.
Car
Wrangler Rubicon
The Wrangler is an off-road SUV made by Jeep. The podcast talks about using it on a trail, which is what it’s designed for. It’s popular because it can handle rough roads better than many regular cars.
Term
8-speed transmission
An 8-speed transmission is an automatic gear box with eight different gear ratios. It helps the engine stay in the right “power or efficiency” range, and it matters when you’re trying to fit the drivetrain together with adapters.
Car
Ram 1500
The Ram 1500 is a popular full-size pickup truck. Here, they’re discussing how to connect an 8-speed transmission to the truck using an adapter.
Car
JTs
“JT” is the code name for the Jeep Gladiator generation. They’re mentioning it because it uses the same kind of transmission setup they’re discussing for the adapter.
Term
adapter
An adapter is a connector part that makes two components fit together. If you’re mixing an engine and transmission that weren’t originally meant to work as a set, the adapter helps them bolt up and function correctly.
Term
short wheelbase
“Short wheel base” means the Jeep’s wheels are closer together front-to-back. That can make it easier to turn and handle on tight trails, because the Jeep is shorter overall.
Term
TJ, YJ
TJ and YJ are two different generations of Jeep Wrangler. They’re different model years, so some parts and fitment details won’t be the same between them.
Term
LJ customers
“LJ” is shorthand for the longer Wrangler (Unlimited). Since it’s longer, some parts and setups won’t match the shorter Wrangler versions without changes.
Term
transfer case
The transfer case is the part that sends power to both the front and rear wheels on a 4x4 Jeep. It also helps provide “low gear” for crawling over rocks or steep trails.
Term
one-barrel carburetors
A “one-barrel” carburetor has one main opening that controls how much air/fuel gets into the engine. It’s generally simpler than a “two-barrel” carb.
Term
two-barrel carburetors
A “two-barrel” carburetor has two main openings for air/fuel. That can help the engine breathe better when you accelerate.
Company
AMC
AMC was an automaker that made vehicles and engines that Jeep used or shared. Here, they’re pointing out the engine came out under AMC before Jeep put it into its lineup.
Car
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an old car that was made in very large numbers. The podcast mentions it because later cars used related engine designs. It’s important because it helped make cars more common for everyday people.
Term
bell housing
The bell housing is the “connector” between the engine and the transmission. If it doesn’t match the engine and transmission, you can’t bolt them together easily—so it matters a lot for swaps.
Term
straight sixes
A straight six is an engine with six cylinders in a straight line. The important part here is that the engine’s connection to the transmission can be different, which changes what swaps will fit.
Term
transmission swapping
Transmission swapping means putting a different transmission into the car. It’s not just “bolt it in”—the engine-to-transmission connection has to match, or the swap won’t work.
Term
V8
A “V8” is an engine with eight cylinders. The cylinders are arranged in a V shape, and it’s known for strong pulling power.
Car
258
“258” is shorthand for a Jeep inline-six engine around 4.2 liters. The host is saying this engine shows up across Jeep models, including the YJ.
Car
Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is Jeep’s famous off-road SUV. In this part, they’re talking about which Jeep people would choose and why.
Car
XJ
XJ is a Jeep Cherokee model generation. The hosts are saying that this Cherokee came out around the mid-1980s and that they weren’t happy with the engine.
Car
Jaguar Xjs
The Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury sports coupe made by Jaguar. It’s the kind of car people choose for comfortable long-distance driving and a sporty feel. The podcast brings it up in relation to other Jaguar models to explain where it fits in their lineup.
Term
direct fuel injection
Fuel injection is how a car delivers fuel to the engine. In this story, Chrysler looked at a fuel-injection setup that came from a French source, but they didn’t think it fit well with how their cars were already designed. So it became a compatibility problem.
Term
AW4
AW4 is the name of a specific 4-speed automatic transmission. It’s basically the gearbox inside the car, and different cars can use the same transmission model. Here, they’re saying they used the AW4 behind their engine during that era.
Car
Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a sports car made by Toyota. It’s built for quick acceleration and fun driving, and the podcast mentions the transmission because that’s how the engine’s power gets to the wheels. People talk about it a lot because it’s a well-known performance model.
Term
32RH
32RH is a specific Chrysler transmission model code. It’s like a part number for the gearbox, and it’s related to older Chrysler transmission designs. The point is that it’s not a random unit—it comes from a known family.
Term
lock-up converter
In an automatic transmission, a torque converter uses fluid to transfer power. A “lock-up” feature lets the engine and transmission connect more directly, which usually makes the car more efficient and less wasteful at steady speeds.
Brand
Chrysler Mopar
Chrysler is the car company. Mopar is the company’s name for its official parts and service—so “Chrysler Mopar computer” means the factory engine computer Chrysler used.
Term
OBD-1 technology
OBD-1 is an early “self-check” system in cars. It can detect some problems, but it’s simpler than modern systems that also watch emissions in a lot more detail.
Term
speed density computer control
Speed density is how the engine computer decides how much fuel to inject. It uses engine speed and air information (like pressure/temperature) to figure out what the engine needs.
Term
computer control tractor engine
They’re basically saying the engine is meant to work reliably and do its job, not to be a race engine. The computer helps it run smoothly and consistently.
Term
OBD2
OBD-2 is the standardized computer system in your car that watches the engine and emissions. If there’s a problem, it stores a code that a mechanic can read with a scan tool.
Term
government restriction of 96
The host is talking about a rule or deadline from around 1996. They’re suggesting Jeep used those regulations as a reason to stop making the YJ Wrangler.
Term
air bags
Airbags are safety devices that pop out during a crash to help protect your body. The host is saying that meeting airbag requirements had a big impact on the YJ Wrangler.
Term
40s
“4-0” is shorthand for a 4.0-liter engine. The host is saying the YJ Wrangler finally got that newer engine before it was discontinued.
Term
coil packs
Coil packs are part of the ignition system that create the electrical spark the engine needs to run. If they get updated, it can affect how reliably the engine starts and runs.
Term
tuppy head
A “head” is the top part of the engine where the valves and combustion happen. The hosts are hinting at a specific cylinder-head issue they want to explain later.
Part
intake manifold
The intake manifold is the part that delivers air to the engine. If it’s redesigned to flow better, the engine can breathe easier and may make more power while using less fuel.
Term
fuel economy
Fuel economy means how far you can drive on a gallon of gas (or how much fuel you use). Better engine breathing can improve it.
Term
inline-6
“In line 6” means an engine with six cylinders lined up in a row. Because it’s a long engine design, it can be harder to fit in a tight engine bay.
Term
4.0
“4.0” means the engine is about 4.0 liters in size. That’s a way of identifying which engine family people are talking about.
Term
360s
“360” is an engine size number. It usually means a V8 that’s about 360 cubic inches (roughly 5.9 liters).
Term
3.18
“3.18” means the engine is about 3.18 liters. They’re comparing different older engine sizes in the lineup.
Term
3.8
“3.8” means the engine is about 3.8 liters. They’re saying it’s an older engine compared to what they’re trying to do with the “4.0.”
Car
Jeep Wagoneer
The Jeep Wagoneer is a larger SUV made by Jeep. The podcast mentions a newer version and how it’s meant to follow the “Wagoneer” style. It’s discussed because it’s designed to be comfortable for everyday driving while still being capable.
Car
Jeep Recon
The Jeep Recon is a Jeep model name that was mentioned as being teased or coming out soon. The podcast is talking about it as a future product idea rather than a long-established vehicle. It’s brought up because people are curious what Jeep might build next.
Term
V6
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders. The cylinders are arranged in two groups that make a V shape, which helps the engine fit in a car while still making decent power.
Term
penistar line
This sounds like the plan for building a certain engine. The speaker is saying Jeep hadn’t fully figured out that engine’s development before they designed the vehicle around it.
Term
straight 6
A “Straight 6” is an engine with six cylinders in a single row. It can be longer than other engine types, so fitting it depends heavily on how much space the engine bay has.
Concept
manufacturing facilities
“Manufacturing facilities” just means the factories where the vehicles and engines are built. The point here is that Jeep couldn’t easily change plans because the factories weren’t ready for the new setup.
Term
overheat
Overheating means the engine gets too hot. If the cooling system isn’t keeping up—like with a leak—heat can build up fast and cause serious damage.
Term
pull the heads off
“Pull the head off” means removing the top part of the engine (the cylinder head). It’s a big repair job, and the host is warning that it can create complications if you’re not doing the follow-up work correctly.
Term
straight six technology
A “straight six” is an engine with six cylinders lined up in a single row. The host is saying that this engine design has certain mechanical characteristics that can affect how reliably it runs over time.
Term
long Heavy rotating Crank
The crankshaft is the main rotating shaft inside the engine. The host is saying the inline-six’s crank is long and heavy, which can make the engine work harder and potentially run hotter if something isn’t right.
Term
stoker motors
A stroker motor is an engine build where the crank moves the pistons farther than stock. That usually makes the engine feel stronger at low speeds, because it can make more torque without needing to rev as high. People do this with special crank and piston parts.
Term
crank assembly
The crank assembly is the engine’s rotating bottom end—mainly the crankshaft and the parts connected to it. In some builds, those parts are heavier so the engine can handle the extra forces. That can affect how the engine feels when you accelerate.
Term
torque
Torque is the engine’s twisting force—the “pull” you feel when you accelerate. Higher torque usually means the car can get moving more easily, especially without revving high. It’s different from horsepower, which is more about how fast you can keep making power as RPM rises.
Term
inline six architecture
An inline-six engine has all six cylinders in a straight line. Many people like this layout because it tends to run smoothly and can make strong low-speed power. The host is saying that cylinder layout helps the engine feel torquey at the bottom end.
Concept
low-end grunt
“Low end grunt” means the engine feels strong at low RPM—like it pulls well when you’re not revving high. It’s the kind of power you notice when you start moving or accelerate gently. The host is using it to compare engine character.
Term
overhead cam technology
Overhead cam means the camshaft that controls the valves sits up in the cylinder head. That can change how the engine controls the valves and how it behaves under different conditions. The host is comparing this design to another engine’s layout and how it affects problems like leaks.
Term
push rod V8
A pushrod V8 is a type of V8 engine where the camshaft uses rods to open the engine’s valves. It’s a classic design used in a lot of American V8s.
Car
350
“350” is shorthand for a very common Chevrolet V8 engine size (350 cubic inches). The point is that Chevrolet kept using this familiar engine for a long time.
Car
ZR1
ZR1 is a performance version of the Corvette. Here they’re saying Chevrolet wanted a special, stronger version that could make more power.
Company
Mercury Marine
Mercury Marine is a company that makes boat engines. The story here is that Chevrolet looked outside the auto world to help with making more power.
Term
cotter pinned
A cotter pin is a small metal safety pin that goes through a bolt. It helps stop the bolt from backing out over time from road vibration.
Term
cooling systems
The “cooling system” is the set of components that removes heat from the engine and maintains proper operating temperature. If it’s not sorted, the engine can overheat or run inefficiently.
Term
fuel system
The fuel system is how the car gets gas to the engine. If it’s not working right, the engine may not start or may run badly.
Car
2003 Dodge Ram
A 2003 Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck. The speaker is talking about their specific Ram truck and how it connects to a story about a change that made something “suddenly work.”
Car
Jeep Comanche
The Jeep Comanche is a compact pickup built by Jeep, notable for being one of the brand’s few pickup models. Here it’s used as the speaker’s first “big boy truck,” framing it as the start of their pickup ownership and business use.
Term
idling diesel
An “idling diesel” is just a diesel engine running while the truck is sitting still. On cold mornings, it can sound and feel different than when it’s warmed up, and some people really like that.
LIVE
SFJ 4x4 Studios presents
In my oversized four-wheel drive Jeep
A Jeep podcast starring industry experts
Cure monocity
What? Say that again!
With mad scientist Scott Brown
I use my drill press as a sort of lathe
Our host, Neil Simpson
If one light goes out they all go out
Phil Bruce Shenanigans
We are really professional with Jeeps
This is I Speak Jeep
Good morning, afternoon, evening
Wherever, however you are joining us
This is the I Speak Jeep podcast
Presented by SFJ4x4.com
My name is Neil
I'm very certain of that this morning
And I'm joined in Grandma's couch studio
By that producer guy
The Italian Stallion
Good morning
Jeff Chiaramonte
I feel like I'm like a...
Yeah, right?
And of course the man who needs no introduction
The mad scientist
The myth
The legend
Something
Kind of funny enough
And I'll just share this real quick story
Some individuals called us to
You know, quote
Putting their Jeep
Box O Jeep
Back together
We came in too high
I'll just be factual
It was a little bit more than they expected
It was more than they expected
So they contacted somebody local in their area
That individual in the process of doing his research and whatnot
Then called us for information and parts and pieces and whatnot
And so then he came to us
And then...
And I had to pass the test because I'm a younger guy
And he was an older guy
Totes, totes, totes
And you did
It was a nice conversation
Then he left
And then he left
And then about, I'd say
Hour and a half, two hours later
My phone blinks
And it's someone I hadn't talked to
Since 2017
And they were like, hey
We've got a guy here
He's trying to work on this CJ5
Can you help him?
And I responded
Is he such and such
And driving such and such a truck
And she said, yeah
I already talked to him
Already talked to him
The world's just not that big
When it comes to Jeep expertise, folks
We are who we are
So it's kind of comical
So yes, there's the man, the myth, the legend
And the mad scientist, Scott Brown
So quick rundown
On things and pieces and places and parts and whatnot
This past weekend
Oil Valley Jeeps, 10 mile for 2 mile
I did not make it
Kind of hurt my soul
But ended up doing some stuff around here
So obviously we'll talk a little bit
About our weekend updates
Following the outro credits of the event
But I heard it was as always
Beautiful weather
Not always beautiful weather
But I heard it was beautiful weather
And always beautiful event
Local to western Pennsylvania
Cool place that holds a lot of historical significance
As far as I'm concerned
Coming up, we have the Gettysburg Jeep
I don't even know what they're calling it
I'll be honest with you
It's kind of
It's Jeeps by Gettysburg
Yeah, it's PA Allbreeds
Former, it's former PA Allbreeds
And I don't know if they're calling it that
Or not in Gettysburg
So, you know, that's
If you've been looking for a rationalized excuse
To get to Gettysburg
That's, you know, good opportunity
Basically just look for all the Jeeps
When you get to Gettysburg
We don't know what the event is
There you go
That's fair
And then, of course, we have
As far as, you know, kind of big
Big events are concerned
We have Toledo Jeep Festival
Coming up in the very near future
That will be kind of the one of the bigger
The bigger events
That really makes a difference in studio
As far as the sound is concerned
I'm not sure if people listen at home
But we're trying to have fresh air moving
Yeah
It was really nice when he did shut the door
My son, Leo, is running the front end
Of the shop for us today
While we're doing the podcast
Answering the phones and stuff
So people can get through
And he came back and shut the door
Shut the door
And he thought it was so quiet here
It was so quiet
But then
Immediately the heat started rising
That's exactly
I was taking one up about seven degrees
In those couple seconds
That's exactly how I fun
So I text him
I was like, come open the door again
So just open the door
We need to do, like, another shirt
And be like, can, you know, sponsor the AC
We need the mini-split here
I can't believe how hot it got so quickly
Wow, Blaze
That was fast
It was
But I do want to take a quick hot minute
To talk about
I'm going to put this out here to the world
And it's my own accountability
Have you ever heard of the movie
How Stella got her groove back?
Famous 90s movie
All right, Jeff, I knew you would
Scott, I knew you wouldn't
Wasn't a car in it
Not at all a car in it
Some people will get it
Some people won't
But I'm going to put this out here
As, you know, some people start like
Fitness accountability
Some people
I'm going to have, you know, how Neil got his groove back
How Neil got wheeling back, right?
Emperor's new groove
It's going to be Neil's new groove
Scott, we get that one, I think
So Daddy Jeep Garage, right?
YouTube and a great friend
And supporter of the business
And company of sorts
And Jeep Community as a whole in this area
Is going to be doing his
Hot summer days of wheeling at Rock Run
And it is going to be the first weekend in August
August 1, August 2
It has no conflict with Toledo Jeep Festival
And other than some kind of life-shattering opportunity
For me to travel with my family once again
I want to do this event
Now, I do not have a Jeep
That can confidently go and wheel anywhere right now
I have an idea
Would you just take the Rubicon down to Rob?
And drop it off
It'll be there already
He can fix it
Yes
And make it an awesome wheeler
I see he works on JKs now
He does work on JK
And rush repair
And he's doing rush repair?
Yeah
I mean, he's quantified
Literally right up his alley
My goal is to shove a Jeep
What's even better is it's right up your alley
Because he will absolutely do the
Junkyard repair versions that you ask for
Absolutely
Absolutely
Rob can do really good work
But he's also extremely good at trail fix
And junkyard repair
Yes
And that's exactly what you dream of
That's what I, yeah
Yeah
So here's the hot take
I'm going to, you know
How Neil got his groove back
Or a new groove
I'm going to put it out there
That I want to participate in this
But I obviously need to shove a Jeep
In the shape of an off-road vehicle
And so this is my accountability
Out to the Jeep community
That this is my moment
Because I wanted to do OVJ
And I had the opportunity to do it
But I literally did not have
A Jeep that I felt was
You know, in a shape
That I could attend
And I support you
You know, keeping everybody accountable
And stuff
But you are basically going to be gone
For a week
Yeah
Visiting a family
Yes
Yeah, that really
That's a big chunk of July
That's a big chunk of July
That I'm going to be missing
Yeah
Uh huh
I get that
Uh huh
To you though
I feel like this is the camper ordeal
All over again
I said I'd have a camper built from scratch
In two months
And take it on a road trip
I agree
I agree
This is what I'm talking about
I believe it's possible
And it's important
I'm just very unlikely
I know
Equally, folks
We will not have a podcast next week
Yeah, that's my piece, right?
Now, I'm sorry
I did
I did leave off
The Put-In-Bay Jeep
I don't
They changed the fest
And the invasion and whatnot
It's
Take your Jeep to Put-In-Bay
Take your Jeep to Put-In-Bay
Rebecca Pepper's great event
Been doing it for a decade or so now
And for those
Who attend that
You know
It's a spectacular event
Jeannie
Who will be on with
The podcast towards the end of the month
Had Cookie Monster
There
And
Did lots of updates
I saw her on
I don't know
A bajillion social pages
You know
Appropriately
Stoking the Jeep community
In a positive manner
And so I got to kind of
Enjoy Put-In-Bay vicariously
Through her coverage
And then obviously other coverage
From the event itself
Carol and Frank
Great customers and friends
Of the business
Posting and whatnot
So that event
Happened this weekend as well
I want to jump to the comments
There's a bunch of good ones
I'm just going to start back
With the good mornings
From Rob, Bill, Yvonne
Jeannie's
Morning
And then
Jeannie said
That
They were
Miller's Ferry
Headed home
From a fabulous weekend
And that
Jeff's truck won the most
Patriotic
That's pretty cool
Fantastic
And their truck
Is pretty patriotic
Jeannie said
That she loves Put-In-Bay
Corporal Collins
Said 6-7 to you gentlemen
6-7
I don't get it
That's the point
Billy Joe
Said good morning
Tracy says good morning
They're headed to Gettysburg
Eric
Said good morning
Josh
Said see you there
To going to the
Daddy Jeep's event
And Daddy Jeep
In response to
Fixing your Jeep
Ain't nobody got time
For that
Jeannie offered up
To take Minion
On its last hurrah
I will drive Minion
Into the ground
And then
Bill said
As long as Neil stays
Off tires
It will be awesome
To see you at Rock Run
Oh, wow
And
That is
For those that don't know
Ouch
That was a trip to
Southington
It was
It was a nice
It was a nice event
That Bill is just
Rubbing salt in a wound
Uh-huh
I was wheeling
Brian Simons
Never stuck
Two-door JK
With the plate on it
That says never stuck
Yeah
Yeah, that was cool
And
Stuck it
Yeah, great capable Jeep
And it was a
It was a good weekend
He has a habit
Of skidding customers
Jeep stuck off-road
Mother
Stop it
Gone
All right
Well, this was fun folks
I think we're going to call it a day
At this point
But the tires
That was great
Yeah, that was bad
It was
It was not the best line
It was
And then tires
And I was not
I don't
I don't thrash
On customers' Jeeps
How I would be willing
To thrash on my own stuff
And
I could have
I should have throttled
Through the tires
A little bit better
But I was kind of
Moseying through
And
I just planted it
Planted it solidly
All right, anyways
Well, that's all folks
And then we don't have time
For anything else
And we'll be done for now
Wish we could do a whole episode
On stories of
Neil's
Adventures off-road
I mean just
SFJ wheeling, period
Well, yeah
Yeah
Okay, what we are
Going to talk about
And inspired as an extension
There of
Of the conspiracies
And
A big shout out
To Dan Dominski
Regarding
Kind of inspiring
Today's
Topic
Mm-hmm
We are going to
Loosely talk about
Who killed the 4-0
Yep
Or why it was killed
And
You know, I hear this
Constantly as
You know, an homage to
How great
That particular platform
Is or was
And quite frankly
I agree
We recently had a
A 96
4-0 in the shop
That blew the radiator tank
Apart
Yeah
Customer
Ended up driving on it
Just a smidgy bit
And you know
The
It was
Because it was a 96
It had a base gauge cluster
I mean it could have either
Do you remember how cool
That was
And
All he got
Was just the
Red light of death
Right, because it was
A base gauge cluster
So I'll just
Had a temperature signal
And it was just
Red lights at him
You know
So he doesn't actually
Know how hot it was
Or how long it was hot
Or blah, blah, blah
And in the process
Of doing the repair
You know, he was concerned
He was like
Hey, did you guys run it?
Did I do any damage
To the engine?
Blah, blah, blah
And
You know, Greg's contention was
That's a good
It's a 4-0
You got to do a lot more
Than
You know
A lot more to it than
Overheat it once
It's pretty much
Did it seize from heat?
No?
Okay, you're
You're good, right?
Yeah
And, and, and
I will mention
And this has got me
Super geeked up
That
Josh Doddsworth
American Iron
Right, which is the
Ball joint deletes
That we've addressed before
Or have we?
We have
That's what I thought
And
Probably did a
Refresh on it
We could do a
Refresh on it
And
We could do
Kind of
A whole series of
Ball joints and kingpins
And deletes
I don't know if we did that
Anyways, so
Here's the thing
He is making an adapter
To take the 8-speed
Transmission that's in our
Certainly in our
Our Ram 1500s
Our 392s
Our diesels
Right, because
The ones that are in
Our gas job
Or JLs
And JTs
Are just a
Slightly downgraded version
Kind of the similar
Similar body
But slightly different
Guts
And
We're taking the more
Robust 8-speed
Transmission that's
Available
And he has made an
Adapter
To adapt it
To a 4-0
I'm big excited
About that
What else that means?
What does that mean?
Should be a bullet
To an AMC V8
I know
I know
Now you've got
Scots attached
Yeah, I'd say
Gloss over the straight six
Situations should go
Right to V8
I'm telling you
I mean
It has no
It has no place
In short wheel base jeep
So, you know
I'm sorry
TJ, YJ
So on and so forth
People, but
LJ customers
Somebody's like
I will spike him
And do it anyway
I hope so
I hope so
That's cool
I'm not going to do it
Don't ask us to do it
Because ultimately
We just bolt the back
Of the transfer case
To the rear end
But I'm super excited
About this
As a possibility
So, you know
Because
Because the 4.0
Is
And was
A formidable
Power plant
For
The jeep
Community
As a whole
Right
And arguably
I think that
One can say
On a grand
Scale
Of
Iconic
Engines
In
American
Automotive
History
That it is
Arguably
On the
It is on the top
Three to five
And that's
That's an iconic
I'm not saying that it's
The greatest
And the
The best this engine
Ever built on
Like a
You know
This, that, and the third
Metric
Iconic
Right
And how people
There's a few straight
Sixes on that list
I don't know
I don't say where they fall
But there is a couple
Sure
That
Just the robust nature
Of them
How it's hard to kill
On that kind of
Well, and I would
I would say just as a
Quick, you know
And we could
Probably do a podcast
On this one as well
As a general topic
But you have the
350, you know
The GM power plant
You have the
302
The Ford guys
Love their 302s
You have a
Flathead V8
And
306
306
Why did I have to
Mention
Three Ford
Engines
Out of
Five
And then out of
Four
I'm sorry
That's some
Yeah
Okay
Anyways
So
So who killed
The 4.0
And why was it
Killed
Is it a conspiracy
Theory
Because they were
So good
They weren't going
To sell anymore
So
I think it's
Important
That we go back
In time
No
Not all the way
Back to the
Horse and buggy
Because sadly
You're only going
Back to the
50s
In this situation
But
Someone
Somewhere was
Still riding a horse
But anyway
Someone
No
No, they weren't
So it's important
To note
That for those that
Don't know
When engineers
Get together
And they're
Design a new
Platform
Or a new vehicle
They start
About
Ten years
Ish
Roughly
Prior to
The release
Of that vehicle
Do you think that's
True now?
Do you think that
I mean
I know that that's
True now
Do you think it was
True then?
I'd say it was
Even more
True than
This now
I would say
I feel like
Speedo
Marcus way faster
Now
That time frame
Is actually
Probably reduced
Significantly
With the computer
Control
Or not the
Computer control
But the
Computer systems
That we have
From the last
Twenty years
Of being able to
Do stress analysis
And that stuff
I think it helps them
They still have to do
The R&D
First hand
But that's
One of the reasons
We'd be able to see
Them
Streamline things
And make things
Lighter
And that kind of stuff
Back in the day
It was just
Put more cast iron in
It'll be okay
Sure
Because we can
Only test it so much
Yeah
But again
So we're
Ten years
Prior to
The release date
Yeah
63
64
Is when
The straight 6
Came out
And it was originally
Used in
AMC
Or American
Motors cars
With the
199
Was actually
The first
Cubic inch size
Then
Shortly thereafter
They came out
With the 232
Which was
Obviously
Making it a little
Bit bigger
And we were
Initially
With one barrel
Carburetors
And two barrel
Carburetors
Did you mention
The date?
Yes
Okay
It's not
Paying attention
The 199
And 63
Is that what you're saying?
Somewhere around there
I don't have
Exact date
Well, because
It's
Released in AMC
And not in Jeep
Correct
Right
And I was trying to
Conceptualize
When you look at Jeep
We're
Solidly
In 63
We're solidly
In the Kaiser
Era
Correct
And
And we're running
F-Heads
And we're running
F-Heads
Yep
Which is a
Diversion of
The L-Head
Which is a
1920s
Willy's
American
Motor
That
Was basically
Brought out
Of the
Grave
In World War Two
And it was known
It was proven
We stuck it in the Jeep
And
You know
If it works
Don't
Don't fix it
So they just kept
On doing that
So
Arguably
We had the same
20s
The 2006
Moment
When the
Straight 6
Was birthed
That Jeep
Was not giving up
Their power plant
They were
Re-engineering it
They were
Rethinking it
But they were
Not putting
Any stock
Into a
New motor
Power plant
Listen
I promise
I took my
ADHD meds this morning
But
How about that video
I sent you
With
The Ford museum guy
Claiming
That
Ford
Invented the Jeep
And I mean
This was an authority
Yes
And
This video
Has
Entirely
Too many views
With
Entirely
Too many people
Picking the eels in
And it's just
Like
Classically
Hey
Because I saw it on the
Internet
It must be true
Yeah
But like literally
This guy talks
About how
Ford
Created
The Jeep
In the most
Authoritative process
Since we're off the rails
I'm going to vent
And he was one of three
Companies that
Ah
Ah
Hold on
So he
Has a
GP
In a glass
Aquarium
Okay
Yeah
Behind him
And there's of course
A little information
Things
And that kind of stuff
And he said
That
They
Were one of the three
But they designed
And that
Ford
Won the contract
Correct
Which is a total bull crap
What?
A crap ola
And that
The only thing
That Willis
Gave to
The Jeep
Was the fact
That they used
The tractor motor
Which mind you
Is a derivative
Of the Model T
Model A engine
The Ford
Tractor motor
So that Ford
Had put the tractor motor
In the GP
Yeah
And that because of
And he just makes
His gross generalization
Because of the
Proprietary nature
Of that engine
Yeah
They wanted an engine
That was more
Readily available
Or something
Less proprietary
Which is total crap
It was a total BS answer
Like I said
That motor is literally
Derived from
The Model T
Model A engine
Which they made
Millions of
So
Just
Shut the heck up
Anyway
So they said
They put the Willis
Motor in it
And that's why it was
GPW
Because it's
You know
It has Willis
Motor in it
And they designed it
And that kind of stuff
And all I wanted to do
Was go in and be like
Look at it
MA
And then look at it
MB
And then look at the
Production vehicle
I wanted to shake him
I wanted to
And all the people
Digging their heels in
Being like
Yeah, Ford
And I just was like
Blah
All right
But this is where
The power plant
Conversation
And lineage comes from
Anywho
So back on the rails
So around 63
And if I remember right
They put it into
I kind of want to do
The 80G thing now
Because you said
Back on the rails
And big boy did go through
This morning
I did
And it was lovely
I heard the train whistle
The traffic whistle
That train whistle is so cool
It is so cool
I didn't watch it
The first time I came through
But this morning
We absolutely got to hear it
As it was driving through town
Wonderful
That's good
And a lot of people asked us
If we were doing a watch party
And just for our listeners
In general
Why did we not do it?
That is because
It literally never goes
West of the yard
So the yard spans
Primarily
You would have been here last night
Excuse me
It never goes east of the yard
It only stayed west
And so
When we had our watch party
That was because the train
Was headed east
And as it stages
And leaves the yard
It literally goes
10 feet from the shop
When
In this particular
Kind of westward trip
That it was traveling
It utilized a Y
In Ashtabula
Meaning it came up from the north
And it was westward
And so it's pointed west
And it came up from Youngstown
To Ashtabula
Utilizing a yard Y
Somewhere in Ashtabula
Which I actually was really surprised by
And it stayed facing west
And they backed the train
All the way from Ashtabula
Into Kaniyya
And drug it backwards
Correct
And
And then it stayed and stayed staged
In our yard
Which is west of the shop
And it never would have come
East of Chestnut Street
Which is kind of the frontage
Of where our property is
Long story short
So folks who were listening
People reached out to me over the weekend
I did try to respond to you
To explain that
We were not a suitable viewing area
Nor were we hosting anything
Because quite frankly
It just wasn't coming past us
Yup
Back on the rails for real
Yup
So anyways
They did put it in
Not only did I take my meds
But Scott painted this morning folks
We're good
We're good
Yeah
So they put it in the larger body cars
To start with
Because the smaller body cars
Didn't have room for it
Yeah
It's also important to note
During this iteration of the straight six
It had
Willis had a flat head
Six though at this time
Correct
But it's more like a continental
Correct
Than what we're talking about
Correct
And that's what I want people to understand
That while there is this
Incredibly loose nature of association
It just simply is a straight six
Which of course there's straight sixes
Throughout history of number of manufacturers
And just for funsies
The 232 was a 3.8 liter
Because I know we're
Going from cubic inches
We'll be moving in the liter size
So that is literally a 3.8
God darn you
Anyway
Look at you making those
conspiratorial associations
The bell housing on those early straight sixes
Is all on its own
Does not share with anything else
Which makes 1970 and older AMC cars
A complete pain in the butt
To deal with
To deal with
So 71 was also affected
In 72 is when we saw the bell housing
Change to what we now know and love
Which shares with the AMC V8
And made transmission swapping
Almost Chevy like
Where you could make anything work with anything
One could argue with the fact that
AMC had no idea what they were doing
So they just made themselves as
Cookie cutter universal as possible
To accept any and everybody's
Associative parts
So somewhere in
Well actually 1971 is when the 258
Was released
Which is a 4.2 liter
So you had eh here
With the stupid bell housing
But the new cubic inch size
That was the biggest motor you could get
In some cars at that time
And that was
That was a monster
It was a monster
So they produced that
Obviously 1970 is when American motors
Purchased Jeep
So real quick
They started killing off
Anything before them
And it's important that they were
Starting to use the straight sixes
In some of those before
They were even taken over
Because Kaiser looked at the
The thing and said
We're using 1920s engine technology
And the v6 we're using as a Buick
Ripped off design
So what we gotta do
They started waving a white flag
Looking for help
From other automotive manufacturers
And they were using a Buick v8
It's important to note
So it's like you know
Can hear the full skies guy in the back
Yelling
Yep
Which made transmission stuff
Really interesting
They did use the first generation
AMC v8 in full sizes as well
Which
Kind of a terrible motor but anyway
So now we have the 258
That then soldiers along
All the way into the YJ
We went from
Well it's funny is that
The 4.0 in concept
In concept
Is created
Parallel the 258
Ish
You know what I mean?
So we have it
Reasonably
We have a renex 4.0
I was getting there
Alright
So we see the 258
Shooting much as it had been produced
For at this point
63
73
83
Yep
So we get into
You know
87 and older YJs
We're coming up on 40 years
Of this engine
And YJ
Did not benefit from anything
They just kept producing the same crappy design
I'm sorry
Folks if there's one theme
That you may or may not understand
About our podcast
And how we understand the Jeep community to be
Is that basically Wranglers get
The last
They get the scraps
Of what has already been tried and tested
And that is nothing new
And so when you see
Car and Driver magazine
You know ranking the Wrangler
At you know
Terrible
Terrible vehicle and what not
And we're like
But we love our Wranglers
Yeah
There is a
Your timeline's different
Correct
We're always
15, 20 years behind
And if you just go from Wrangler to Wrangler
You're like this is scary
Everybody else has had that
And this is old news
And anyway
100%
Moving on
The 258 should have been dead and gone
And yet they were like
Well we have this off-road
Vehicle that we sell to on-road people
And we'd like to get
Moms who are going to the grocery store
To buy this new YJ
Rob
So
We have to
We have to put something in there
The old school
I don't like change guys
Go in and buy a Wrangler
Their wife buys
An XJ
Which comes out in
84
With a terrible motor
Then 87
I think under direct pressure
From the French
Or like
No
We cannot
Use GM
They literally brought in a Kaiser
Like portfolio and said
See this
This is what they did
And they failed
Yes
Yes
And you got one foot on a
Banana peel over here
And we're using a 40-year-old engine
Yes
We need to do something here
Something new
And the AMC engineer was like
But I can't design it for a straight six man
That's right
So
They're like
Put it in there anyway
Okay
And therefore the
Overheating and cooling issues
Of the XJ are born
Are born
Yes
It was never meant
To fit our 40s
No, it was actually supposed to have a rotary originally
Anyway
Super cool
There was a mist
That timeline exists somewhere in a parallel universe
And their XJs are still produced to this day
It's the best vehicle it's ever been made
No, rotaries are not good
Anyway
So they produced the 242
Or the 40
Yes
And it is
Drived from the 258 architecture
So we have a direct lineage
They did
It's the biggest bore that they had yet
But they shortened the stroke
Of the crankshaft
Yes
Which is how they were able to make that
They then also put fuel injection on it
But used French electronics
And you either love it or you hate it
Mm-hmm
I'm not a fan
But
It's growing on me
Just by the fact that I had it and I hated it
And now
It's like a memory
You think back to it fondly
You don't think of all the time you sat on the side of the road
With a broken
That's true
There you go
Or in the yard broken
Yeah
All of that happened
That did happen
Okay
It's also important to note this does not have
Like Manchausen
It's not Manchausen
Whatever, when you're a abuse victim
And you go back to your abuser
I'm kind of reaching out to my fellow millennials here
There's a good meme and it has
All the consoles
Video game consoles
Yes
That we grew up playing
And the Atari says I have no memory
Ah
That is kind of the renex
Yes
Every time you start it up
It's starting out from
From a fresh
Yes
It has no idea what happened before
50 first dates of engine
Pretty much
Yep
So that is one of the reasons it's so hard to understand
What's going on there
And when things don't work
Anywho's
So obviously, you know, AMC was already
One foot on a banana peel
They are bankrupt
One of the final nails in the coffin was the fact that
They owned AM General
AM General was making all their military vehicles
The good story
Don't let the facts get in the way of good story
I heard in the AMC camps was that
The US government was like
We don't want some company that's in bed with French companies
Building our military vehicles
So they split off AM General
I remember that
I remember that reporting at that time
So AM General did or does still exist
I'm not quite sure
Yeah
And what they did for many years after that
Right
And AMC was basically bankrupt
Yes
So Chrysler comes in
They want the Jeep
They buy it out
They build those
All the car stuff
Makes people sad
And so now we're into 1990 or so
Chrysler's looking at this French fuel injection
Going what the heck is this?
Why are we using this?
It doesn't fit into anything else in our workings
We are using the AW4 behind it at this time
Which is the Asian Warner 4 speed
Is what that stands for
Yes, it was used in Toyota Supras
Good transmission
Different application
Different application
We got the weaker version
Bell housing's different
But it is a Toyota design-ish
That's in the charity
Right?
Because otherwise we get a really crappy
32RH
Which is a derivative of a 909 or a 999
Or a 904
Correct
Chrysler transmission
Which is old as dirt as well
Also old as dirt
It's important for this storyline
For you to know that we're working with
Decades old technology
It's like it's a 50 years old technology
Okay, it's good enough for a Jeep
And they just keep refining it
And adding a little splash of something new
The new thing
The spoiler alert for that transmission
Is they need a lock-up core converter
Big surprise
But they're really good at changing the colors
On the Jeep to make you want it
And stickers
And stickers
And stickers
I mean, if there's ever a criticism
Of the Jeep community
And people are like, I don't get it
It's literally right there
We literally just like our sticker
And coloring book vehicles
Functionally, they leave a lot to be desired
I love my Jeep
And then a new color comes up
And they're like, now I kind of want to buy it
Now I like that new color
It's umkin orange
Rain purple
If you remember
And the amount of time they spent at Orange
And the kids who like during free time
Would get out the coloring books and the sticker books
The likelihood is you own a Jeep now
That's what it is
The kids who had the building blocks
They're off driving something else
You know, finely tuned and well built machine
Those of us who were coloring outside of the lines
But coloring nonetheless
Maybe biting off the crayon in the process
We own the Jeeps
You're either a Marine or you own the Jeep or both
Where are we going?
We're offending people again folks
It wouldn't be a Jeep podcast
If we didn't ostracize somebody
That we shouldn't
Anyways
So 91, Chrysler finally has enough
They decide they're done dealing with French people
They send them packing
And they use the Chrysler Mopar computer
That they were using on multiple other platforms
And I will say this is the simplest
Most robust
Can pretty much run any point
Till like literally throws rods out the side of the block
And just keeps running
He doesn't know any better
It was OBD-1 technology
No extra crap
Didn't have emissions on it
Minus like some basic stuff
But compared to later
Compared to earlier and later
It's so simple
It's simple
The computer is called a speed density computer control
It's a really simple brain
If you allow it to just do what it does best
And operate that engine at base, stock, uniformity
It will run forever
It is a computer control tractor engine at that point
And it just is what it is
It's not trying to win any races
But it's also not underpowered per se
For what it was originally conceived to do
And we got to the 190 horsepower HO
Which was a redesigned head
Basically the bottom architecture is very similar
They soldier along with that
All the way up to 96
With small changes
They went from a cast aluminum valve cover
To a stamp steel valve cover
And they did finally in 96
Change the computer system
Because Chrysler was pulling out of the dark ages
And trying to get into OBD-2
For those that don't know
96 was the do or die OBD-2
Government enforced OBD-2
So we have the oddball 96 XJ
Which is all old school
But has basically a 97 computer control
They're interesting and weird
Which is why I owned one
And I will take a moment to just sidebar
Our conspiracy conversation
And we do need to wrap this up
Because we need to move into who killed it or why
But Jeep utilizes Jeep with Chrysler
And their global influences
Utilize the government restriction of 96
To justify the death of the YJ Wrangler
Finally
And there is a conspiracy story
To be had regarding that
And whether or not they would ever produce
A Wrangler platform again
It is funny that literally airbags
Is what killed the YJ
Because they did finally in 91
Also give the YJ a 4-0
Correct
And finally put the bullet in the 258
After a very long, long drawing out time
And of course the prior 258
Was as the engine itself was not a terrible engine
It was not great
The induction, the carburetion
That's really bad
That's really what was super, super terrible
They just never got that right for 34 years
But there is a get that conspiracy theory
To say that with potentially a missed mark
On some slumping sales and target demographic
That the YJ was intended to do
And was it at last
They're finally unhappy with their 50- to 60-year-old engine
Correct
There's not enough robs in the world
To supply for the YJs
Toads McGotes
And ultimately they put a nail in it by 95
But they kind of continue as a technicality
To sell 95 YJs well into 96
Which is kind of a fun piece to be had there
Which I've affectionately termed years ago
And there was a seam of the internet
That picked it up to 95.5
But I digress
And you'll see that repeated here in a few minutes
So anyway, so 97
We do continue to refine and update it
They wanted to kill the YJ
Because it was made in 84
Yep
Till then
We're pushing, we're going on 20
You know, we were pushing 15, 20 years of
And everyone outcried
So they made, 99 was supposed to be it
They kept making 2000 and 2001
They ran out of parts
They just ran out of parts, folks
And that's why you see some of the weirdness
On the 2000 and 2001s
That's also when the four-leader was updated again
With coil packs
Chrysler bumped their head
Couldn't remember how to make a good head
For a brief moment
Things were cracking
Oh, there's a second, wait second
If we're going to be talking about conspiracy theories
I
We could do a whole one just on the tuppy head
Which we just kind of braised over it
Then we can come back to it later
Anyway
NAFTA, that's all I'll say
Move on
Anyway
So
So at this point we're 63, 73
83
93
2003
We're all the way in
We're 50 years
50 years in production
Of this basic engine design
And
People are going
The overseas manufacturers
It's only 40 years
Somebody on the internet will correct us
It's only 40 years
The facts are getting way a good start
That's fine
So anyway, they
They're looking around
And everybody around us
Toyota
Everybody
I mean
Hyundai, for Christ's sake
It's got overhead cams
And it's getting better mileage
And better horsepower
And we're over here
With smaller packages
Whippin' the straight six
It's not the size, it's how you use it
Yeah
So
The being counters
I'm sure they just kept getting louder and louder
And they're like
It's harder and harder for us to make this
Make sense
It's harder and harder for us to make this
Meet emissions
It's harder and harder for us to get
The calf
Mile per gallon standards
All those things
Because we've taken this horse
And rode it into the ground
And the tough of the hair
Is all sticking out of the ground
But we're still trying to ride the horse
The tough of the hair
And
And I mean
There is something to be said about
Responsivity
Of
Jeep corporate
Meeting governmental standard
Each and every step along the way
As we create
More
Significant restrictions on vehicle production
Whether it's crash safety ratings
Whether it's calf
Which that was another part of it
Having that big long motor
And crash tests
It shoves into the engine compartment
Which of course we have unibody construction
Becoming more and more prevalent
With greater increased safety standards
Again, most people
In our listening audience
Are going to remember the crash test dummies
Right, there was an entire series
Of crash test dummy
Culture
That surrounded
I had the toys
Of course you did
So I mean
So Jeep corporate
Is basically
Responding
To
Cultural, environmental
And governmental regulatory
Changes as a whole
And they keep going
What else now
And they get beat
And they go okay, I'll figure it out
And what else now
But at some point in time
There is a fever pitch
That is happening
And they're going hey we can't keep doing this
And again they are known
A little bit ahead of time for this
And there's about a ten year lead
So they knew about the JK
Ten years, you know
97 basically when the TJ rolls out
They are already planning
The JK
And they know
They can't really keep soldiering on
The way we've been soldiering on
But I bet you there was some die hard
Like
We're not giving up people
In that group
Sure
Which is why
And it's important because somebody
Blightman fired
They did redesign the intake manifold
To a better flowing design
Because holy crap the old one was bad
And that was just a try to
Keep it making some horsepower
And some fuel economy
And that's why you can do the salad
O4O
And kind of use the best parts of all the things
And make a
Happy more horsepower
O4O
But then you don't have a computer system
To control it
But anyways
Chrysler proprietary computer systems
Is yet another conspiracy theory
We could unpack as to
Limiting our ability
We should have had a counter on this episode
We should have
We could have had a counter on it
But anyways
So which is why
In 2007
You know the O4O has finally
Breed this last breath in new vehicles
Is died
They killed it off earlier
In the
In the Grans
Because they get stuff before we do
That should have been riding on the wall
Grans got the terrible 3.7
V6
For a brief moment
Kaka
So and it's
We could have got those folks
Could have been way worse
Valuable for
I got a couple crap engines
To be honest
Yeah well they experimented in them
You know
But I believe why the 3.8
Got put in the JK
Is because of the die hard
4.0 guys and the
So yet another conspiracy theory
My personal one
That we had people
I won't let go of my 4.0 so bad
That the JK came to market
Wasn't designed with the engine bay for
In line 6
They could not continue
That
Architecture anymore
And they were basically like
We don't have anything to stick in this thing
What are we going to do
And they're like well
Back
My grandpa
Worked at Kaiser and AMC
They just went and grabbed the motor
That kind of fit and stuffed it in there
So they went to the minivan platform
Found the 3.8
Which they had been making since
91
And we're like
Hey it's a proven motor
It's kind of got similar horsepower
It's a 3.8
Which they used to make 3.8 straight sixes
Maybe we can pass this one under the radar
So here's the thing
And that's where we're going to deviate
Just a smidgy bit
Because my thing is
I remember
Because I was
This is where
Like the
The Neil nerdy now
Conversation really starts to happen
We were there
And we were there
And I remember
When the
Pentastar
Motor platform
Was conceptualized
And so the idea that
And so you have the early 2000s
Folks that
And the Pentastar motor
Is or was produced in
Arguably the
Trenton, Michigan factory
So there's a series of engineers
This is not like
Some great global
Thingamajig
Again, important to note
Everybody else has been doing this technology
Since like the 80s
Correct
And we're over here
Trying to do it now
In 2010s
So it's not even 2010s
It's literally like the early 2000s
Like 2001, 2002, 2003
Somewhere in there
Somebody at corporate
Recognizing the fact that
The 4.0
Well, no
They looked at their lineup
In Chrysler
And he's like
Well, we got the 360
And the 3.18
Those are old as hell
Right
We got the 3.8
That's old
Jeep's ancient
We don't have a new motor
We have nothing new to compete
Nor on the greater
On the greater level
As GM and Ford
Are pushing envelopes
And not even to mention
You know, any of the import market
That is solidly entrenching
Itself within U.S. markets
Right?
I mean, Honda is becoming
A formidable character
Manufactured largely in Ohio
And Toyota similarly
Plants are popping up
All over the Carolinas to Virginia
To, you know what I mean
Like the automotive market
Is changing
And growing
Pour access
What's that?
It's growing as well
It's growing
And Jeep is sitting there
Looking at going
Hey, we have at a corporate level
Attempted to ride this horse
Into the ground
All the way
And on all platforms
And they go, okay
We've got to do something different
Now, now
They only have the same
Pool of engineers
Right?
It's not all of a sudden
Like the engineer who was working
On refining the 4.0
Is the same engineer
Who's like tasked with
Creating a new engine
See, I think they
Took all those guys
And put them on the hemi
And they're like
We'll still have push rods, guys
It'll be okay
Push rods are safe
And then they were like
Went and got some
Head-hunted
And got some guys
And they're like
What's a push rod?
We need overhead cams
You're not wrong
You're not wrong
And so they say
Hey, we're going to
Create this engine
Under this whole new line
Or a new series called
Penistar
Which is an homage
To Chrysler
And Chrysler's
Historical significance
That they have
Which is a whole other traceback
So now we're pulling
And it's a corporate motor
It's designed to do
It's going to go in the cars
It's going to go in the minivans
It's going to go in the jeeps
It's going to go in the trucks
It's going to fit all platforms
And try to be universal
That's how you make the most impact
With parts
Because now things share things
They're creating their recipe
They always screw it up somehow, though
They're creating their recipe
And here's the thing
I remember reading articles
On the Penistar platform
Similar to how
They teased the Hurricane Straight 6
With the new one
That's in the Wagoneer
Way before
Way before
And then they pushed out
Much like the Jeep Recon
We've been teased
And told about the Recon
For almost four years now
And we actually don't have
A solid production vehicle
Any time they've kind of
Thrown us a table scrap
And like I keep saying
AMC literally had a concept
That could have been the Recon
So, sure
So, Penistar
In the earliest 2000s
They find these people
And in just true Jeep
Banger head against the wall fashion
We can't just
Look at what everybody else
Has been doing for the last 20 years
We've got to start engineering it ourselves
We have to put our blinders on
And think like
Well, we have to reinvent the wheel
Like
It's like they came outside
And like, look trees
There's
The sky is blue
And no it's not
It's gray
And so
They knew that they needed to
Put a new power plant
In this new wrangler
That things are happening
And we know this on good accord
From our friends who are at the
Engineering developmental level
Because they're talking about
Building longer wheelbase Jeeps
For eons
How do we build a better long ways
Long wheelbase Jeep
How do we fit this
What you can't have
So we saw people taking TJs
And stretching them
And putting four doors on them
And all that kind of stuff
Because all we hear is
We want to be a whole lot of kids
And we want a back door
And then Jeep sees that
And they go, okay we'll do that
And then everybody lost their minds
But
But
But they said
Hey, we're going to design this body
Right?
Yeah
And it's going to have a V6 in it
But they didn't actually
Have the penistar line figured out
Yeah
That's the problem
In my opinion
So this whole death of the 4.0
It has a lot to do with the fact that
Again, that engine bay construction
Was for the JK
It was meant to be
A little more compact
The long crank
You know, spacing needed for the
Straight 6 was not going to fit
In the overall balance
And body construction of a JK
They needed a V6
But penistar engineers
Couldn't get it figured out
And I remember reading those first hand
Articles
In 2006
In 2007
And concept, it was a great idea
Because, you know, again we're
190, 180 some horse
By the time they choked it even more
Right
And here we're talking about a 260 horsepower
V6 out of a smaller
Deplacement
Yes
That's huge
Yes
Huge, compact
It's going to be more efficient
And it's going to meet all the requirements
But they couldn't figure it out
And they couldn't switch over
Their manufacturing facilities
In a timely fashion
So that is, in my opinion
Where they were like, oh, hey
We're in trouble, guys
Because we know we need to meet
All of these requirements for this
New redesigned Wrangler
But we don't have a motor
But this one's from 91
And it's a little bit similar cubic inch
The 3.8
That you have in your 07 to 11
Wrangler was designed
In 91
Yeah
I'm going to hammer that home
So this is no spring chicken
Itself
But it's not 63
But it's not 1963
Which was the 4.0
Right
If we trace back direct lineages
If you will
And so ultimately then
By 2011 we see first
The Pennestar series
And then 2012 the Wrangler platform gets it
And we ride that engine
Into the sunset
In current configuration
Today's podcast is not necessarily
About that
But about the conspiracy
It's a classic thing you have to talk about
A little bit before and a little bit after
In order to talk about the story that is
The motor that we're talking about
And while we love
The robust
Nature of the 4.0
It simply did not have
The government
And then the broad
Market requirements
To be fit
Into the JK Wrangler
And not just the physical constraints
Of the JK Wrangler
And design elements
But the cultural
Identity around
What Jeep was
Taking that platform to
And it's important to know
Jeep people do not like change
That is why we're behind
I truly believe that because if
We wanted something revolutionary
In tech edge
They would build it and we'd buy it
I think the 4.0 you're getting canceled
Is a kind of a sign that yes
There are some Jeep owners that want that
But the majority of us
Are old commudians and we don't want
Change, we don't like change
To the point
But we also get mad when the change doesn't happen
It's fair
The Jeep that left this weekend
That sold, the guy purposely
Wanted to buy it because he liked 3.8
And there is a whole swath
Of individuals out there who
Like the 3.8 and honestly
Honestly, the 3.8 has
Grown on me when
Because you own one now
Because I own one now, whereas
Prior to personally owning
A good running one
The armchair
Internet warrior in me
Looks at the gross failure
In an umbrella concept
And it's similar to
When car and driver comes out and says
Wranglers are unsafe and they're
Pieces of crap
Well, when the car and driver
Looks at the umbrella of the automotive industry
It's similar to when you go to the dealership
And you have a 33 on your tire
And they're like, we can't work on that
Because it's such big monster off-road tires
They're looking at it
From this bird's eye view of the scope
And breadth
Of the entire automotive market
And so when I did that to the 3.8
I was like, that is a trash engine
And it has no business
Being in our Jeep
Now that I own one that even though
Leaks like a broken fish tank
It just soldiers on
Reliably like the 4.0 did
Which 4.0 leaders leaked
Like a broken fish tank too
100% and you could overheat them
And they reasonably would spring back
As so long as you didn't pull the head off
And then attempt to mix and match
Without doing machining
Of course the problem
And in my opinion with the 4.0
Is that
Or straight six technology
Is that the long
Heavy rotating
Crank
Displacement
And this is why you see
A challenge
I have a personal soft spot
In stroker motors
And heavy rotating
Crank assembly
It's hard to replace that torque
That inline six architecture gives you
Because you just have six pistons
All shoving down straight
On that crankshaft
So it gives you a lot of low end grunt
Which the v6 no matter what you do
It doesn't have that
It does not have that
However
It created an environment
That long 4.0
Created a construction
The construction of itself
It leaked like a sieve
From every seal structure
Because you have an imbalance
In functionality compared to
Overhead cam technology
And compact units
The gasket technology for that engine
Started in 63
The gasket technology in the
38 started in 91
They just didn't have the technology for
Gaskets then
To design it properly
Where we see what the 36 is
Yes they can leak
But the comparative
How many miles, how much they're used
How much stuff's packed in around them
And the heat and that kind of stuff
Really they're doing pretty darn good
For comparative
And heat I think is what I personally believe
Is the greatest downfall
Of the 36 by current
Today's standards
As we're winding down to the end here
I just want to read this comment off
Rank one off road and 4x4 said you guys are awesome
So sorry I missed the beginning of this conversation
And also I want to jump back to
Josh Brucker's comment
He said don't forget you tried to make a next gen 4.0
Which was supposed to be a DOHC cross flow head
See at Sonya
Those are the guys that were like
We can't let it die
Toad
And then everybody was like
Just let it go
We do not need dual overhead cams out of the
4.0 bottom
And we just got a copyright infringement
Thanks Scott
It was like a pre-recorded sound
Byte piece
At the end of the day
With the 258 and the 4.0 bottom end
They were
Fantastically built
Bottom ends
And this is one of the things we talked about
Because that platform then took that whole
Concept of bottom end technology
And just expanded upon it greatly
And people's die hard following
Comes from some of these design elements
That are repeat
Generation after generation after generation
And while I
Do certainly believe
That the 4.0
Is one of the most
As I reiterate one of the most iconic
And
Formidable power plants
In American automotive history
I do not believe there was any
Great conspiracy theory
To kill it
I simply believe that
They literally rode that horse
Dead into the ground
And that arguably
If Jeep wanted
A platform to continue
Specifically being the
JK Wrangler which would be
Wider, slightly stubbier nose
Better engine
Compartmental crash safety ratings
Revolutionized and made
Jeep the powerhouse it is today
Rebirth the brand
We had to move away from
The 4.0 in its
Concept
It has to do with it
But it's fun anyway
Chevy is
No shorter of this
They are just as guilty
And I remember reading in like
The 9596 Corvette
You know they're trying to compete with
All these big overseas manufacturers
And stuff and like
They're getting their butt kicked
And they got the old pushrod v8
The 350 and they've
Rode that horse since 55
And they're not giving it up
And they're finally like
We want to make a special edition
Called the ZR1
And it needs to make more horsepower
So they went to Mercury Marine
And said hey
Hey you do this engine really well
Because we can't design
Overhead cam motors
Because we're all old curmusions
Can you do that and that's where
The awesome ZR1 motor
That was specially made for that vehicle came from
I actually love the history behind that one
And that don't get me excited
Folks this was a fun one
Thank you so much
I got to go to the potty
So I'm going to step out during the outro credits
But stay tuned if you want to hear about our weekend
Updates and maybe other stuff that's coming on
Also no podcast next week
Monday the 20th
So you know just be
Mentally prepared you know we love you
And I think Jeff's behind on uploading
So if you're listening at home on your
I don't know if he is
It went up on Wednesday
So you know you might have something to listen to
Until next time jeep on
Jeep on jeep on
He drank too much water
Yeah well
He didn't do it this heat I drank a whole bottle too
Sitting here so I guess I'll go
First since I got a pretty big update
I decided
To finally
Bite off and I want
A mechanical fan on the T
In the worst way so I
Conceded and I moved the grill forward
So I could finally clear the fan
Because the fan is
Prominently right in the middle of the radiator
Where it would be not moving it
Forward so I made a little cross member
Moved it forward and basically
Proof of concept fits
So this weekend I tore it all down
And decided to make
That finalized welded up the cross member
Basically drilled all the holes
Made it be able to bolt in
Then mounted the radiator
Marked the holes for that
Drilled and tapped that
Now I moved that forward that involves the headlights
When I did all that
And I really knew
That it was pretty low in the nose on the spring
And that things could go bump in the night
And so
I decided I was going you know how a snowball
Rolls downhill and gets bigger
I was like I should trim the frame
A little bit for clearance for the spring
So I'm trying to do that and obviously I have it
Dropped down trying to do that
And I can't get the ruler in there and I finally was like
You know what I'm over it I took off the final
Two bolts rolled the front end out from under
It stood it up and then I was like oh
Scott didn't paint the bottom of that
Because he couldn't get to it so
That inceded me
Stressing some welds
Painting the inside of the cross member
Trimming it more
Painting the bottom of the axle and the wishbone
And you know about
Five o'clock I stepped back and was like
This car looked like a car
Not that long ago and now I have it in a million pieces
I'm like a new man
And uh
So
My wife came in later and she's like
It doesn't look like you did anything
And I busted my piney
And it's fair because it did look
Basically this thing
But that's one of your things
You like it to look like you were never there
So long story short
The front springs in for good
It's torqued and cotter pinned
Everything got painted
So
I did a pretty good
Hit on that
I do need to start working on the cooling system
And fuel system
And we might be able to hear this thing
Make noise which will either be
A yay or a oh
So we'll see how that goes
Wow it could be an oh
Well if the
Internal water jackets
Mmm
Like the exhaust jackets
And if I get water out the exhaust pipes
That'll be a big oh
And that will set the project back
So we'll see what happens
Cross your fingers for me
Yeah
Um
I'll go
I was
Highly productive
For the Homestead project
And I
I think it's important to note though
We had a passing
Something faded off into the sunset
That's exactly what I was going to talk about
Does that have anything to do with
What's on the trailer out there
That looks like it was
Again that snowball effect
He got used to the idea
And he kind of liked the idea
After the original Band-Aid
Alright so here's the thing
It looks like something sitting in
Anyways I got rid of my trucks
Alright I got rid of my Rams
Did you put a battery
In an electric park and it just suddenly worked
My 2003
Dodge Ram that was
I did
Technically have
Jeep
My Comanche came first in my
Pickup Truck ownership
It was your first big boy truck
It was my first big boy truck right
And we started the business
With that truck
We started the business with the truck
And we traveled all over and I did
Personal travel with my wife
And
Really
Really loved
My 2003
One Ton Cummins Ram
And it probably
It's what introduced me to
Owning
Cummins and a big diesel engine
Ironically another straight six
Yeah
So it
It's the truck
That made me fall in love with
Diesel fumes in the morning
Like on a cold fall morning
A cup of coffee and an idling diesel
Is like
It just does something to me
And I like on a wheeling trip
Or I'm trying to leave early
That's like this nostalgic love
I gotta tell a real quick fun story though
We were on the phone
Way before I was full time
He's like you know
Something must be up with the ram
It didn't want to quite turn over this morning
I was like well did you plug it in
He's like
What
It's a diesel should have a block heater in it
It's like
I went looking and I did it
At that point you had owned it
For like
Maybe a year or so
No I thought it was longer than that
I wouldn't say it was like five years
Or something
But that was a really cold morning
That was a really cold morning
You're not wrong
I kind of recall that once a while
So
It's just
It was my first truck
In the big grand scheme of things
And I decided to let it go
I cut the apron strings
I had
Over the years
Accumulated parts and pieces
I'm a big like
Replicability guy
I like consistency
And so
There was almost three trucks worth of that truck
There was almost three trucks of that trucks
And so that's how I started with Jeep
So I liked interchanging parts and pieces
And I had thought
What's the boardroom of the four liter guys
Looks so look like
Right this is why I commiserate
With Jeep engineers
And it's probably why I get along
So well with those old school guys
You know
Jerry and Bruce and Lole
And so on and so forth
So
Man we did it
We cut the strings last week
And we sent the truck on its way
Great dude who's involved with the business
He's going to part it out
And hopefully it helps bump his little
Side hustle and whatnot
And you know I love
Regaining the space here
What it did was
Give me
Kind of some clear
You know clear headspace
To tackle a project for my wife
She doesn't watch a podcast anyway so I can talk about her
Freely
She and my daughter are away
If you follow me on my personal socials
You know they're on a dance intensive
My daughter receives scholarship
And blah blah blah that's who I'm going to go visit
Out in Iowa
Of all places but
Pretty fantastic opportunity
And so while they were gone
I always like to surprise my wife
She hates surprises so obviously as a good husband
I have to surprise her with things
And
And so I transferred
A transformed
Portion of my truck sale
Into the surprise for my wife so
That's what I worked on all weekend
And I'm very very satisfied
At the end of the day
And as you mentioned the snowball effect
Of you know trying to continue to clean up
And divest and so on and so forth
I am trying to get rid of the
RV more than ever
I am trying to get rid of old blue
Just because it's kind of beyond
It's prime
I'm not exactly ready to scrap
Out the four wheeler just yet but I'll probably
Noodle on that one for a second which is what
Jeffrey's seeing on the trailer
That's a four wheeler?
Used to be a four wheeler
Yeah, yeah, yeah
This was before I was medicated folks
This was a
Exo skeleton with a couple wheels on it
You started to try to restore it
Basically
I did, I did
Oh well that's just all the trailer
Yeah that was the trailer growing up
Where it's at and it's
Anywho
Anywho, I had
A great weekend and it was very
Refreshing
Because I've been so busy
For the last six months
And it just felt like a weekend
Where I just got to kind of do me so
You're
Drinking too much water comment Scott
Beth calls out and says coffee
Does he even drink water?
She's feeling some type of way because
There was a conversation on the family thread
Where we were sharing information about
How much coffee people drink per day
And I, you know
I tap in around six to ten cups
I would say
I've known him for a long time
The amount of coffee he used to drink
To the amount of coffee he drinks now
Is quite a bit less
See, I would like my accolades
And my family felt
Like my coffee consumption was still in excess
I personally know people who drink
I feel like there's a tumbleweed going by the coffee maker up there
That's true
That is true, but six to ten cups
Is still a lot
He used to like hook an IV up
I know
I'm aware
I sleep better at night folks and that's the thing
People used to get messages
From me 234 a.m. on a regular
And that wasn't because I was getting up
That's because I was
Self-medication of ADHD
With coffee
Yeah, that's
Wow, okay
Alright folks
Why haven't we ended this yet today?
I do remember when I first started here
You had texted like two or three in the morning
And I'd respond to you and you're like
Oh shit, somebody's responding
Yeah, that happens
Alright, finish up already
We gotta be done, these people gotta get back to work
I just had a nice weekend
Of enjoying some games of pool
With some friends that have made along the way
And then obviously
Yesterday I got the opportunity
To teach my kids some more on pool
And shot some games with them as well
It was kind of a relaxing weekend
While still being productive
With the business and everything
Outstanding, good good good for you
Alright folks, this was fun
At the end of the day
I had told Scott that I thought we would
Make one of us we needed to do
Something fun and hey one of us
Needed to take that it is a conspiracy
That they killed the 4.0 and one take
That it was just a savvy business
Move for a failing
You know cultural identity
We couldn't help ourselves
I just don't think that
I think this myth is busted in my personal opinion
It's a conspiracy, I'll stand by it
Until next time friends and family
Jeep on
You
About this episode
The hosts kick off with Jeep community chatter, then pivot into the episode’s central mystery: “Loosely talk about Who killed the 4-0” and “Or why it was killed.” Along the way, they swap shop-and-trail stories (including a CJ5 call and wheeling plans), discuss reliability and overheating warnings, and get deep into engine history, packaging, and corporate/regulatory pressure. The “conspiracy” thread ties together OBD changes, transmission choices, and why the 4.0’s era ended.
Original notes
The conspiracies continue as we break down the conspiracy of the 4.0. Stay till the end to find out which of our guys believe the conspiracy and which think the conspiracy is busted.
Thanks for listening, give us a review and check us out on YouTube -SFJ4x4 and visit our website to grab some great gear or products for your Jeep, SFJ4x4.com. Don't forget, you can email [email protected] for special content requests, blind react videos, suggestions, special guests, or general questions. Check out our Patreon patreon.com/ISpeakJeep
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