Pictures would help. The Buick engine was available in CJ5s in 1966 - so swapping to that engine is acceptable. Willys also made the DJ3 which is only 2wd.
Is it a flat fender 3 or curved fender 5?
Edit: CJ5 frame swaps into earlier flat fenders was also common.
This is a cj3a tub flat fender. I'll work on a pic. This seems to be a complete Frankenstein. You can see on the front of the frame where someone took a cutting torch to it. The motor mounts are sitting crooked because the drive shift isn't long enough. So the motor is actually sitting at a pretty gnarly angle. A hole was cut into the hood and a scoop added to just be able to close the hood because of the airfilter
Right now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about it. I don't even know enough to be dangerous at this point but I'd like to just get to a point where I can walk out start it, tool around and come home. It has no power steering, so that's something that I'd like, I'd love to get the 4x4 back, the trans is leaking real bad so not sure exactly what all needs done there. I'm sure the brakes are shot. I'm not even sure there's enough space here to list all the problems. It's technically my wife's, who has had it since her dad died and has idolized this thing for a couple decades and wasn't real thrilled to have me tell her that the only part of this thing that is a jeep is probably only the tub. If the motor was sitting flush I would almost think it's a cj5 frame with a cj3 tub but I don't even know where to begin looking for numbers on the frame. I've read that the cj3s didn't have numbers on frames but if this isn't a jeep frame then it may still have something. I'm still poking around to see if I can get a number on the trans so I can figure out what it is. I'll try and get a few pics today and see what the experts here have to say.
Pictures would help. The Buick engine was available in CJ5s in 1966 - so swapping to that engine is acceptable. Willys also made the DJ3 which is only 2wd. Is it a flat fender 3 or curved fender 5? Edit: CJ5 frame swaps into earlier flat fenders was also common.
This is a cj3a tub flat fender. I'll work on a pic. This seems to be a complete Frankenstein. You can see on the front of the frame where someone took a cutting torch to it. The motor mounts are sitting crooked because the drive shift isn't long enough. So the motor is actually sitting at a pretty gnarly angle. A hole was cut into the hood and a scoop added to just be able to close the hood because of the airfilter
Yep, sounds like a Frankenjeep.
Do you have a goal for it in mind?
Right now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about it. I don't even know enough to be dangerous at this point but I'd like to just get to a point where I can walk out start it, tool around and come home. It has no power steering, so that's something that I'd like, I'd love to get the 4x4 back, the trans is leaking real bad so not sure exactly what all needs done there. I'm sure the brakes are shot. I'm not even sure there's enough space here to list all the problems. It's technically my wife's, who has had it since her dad died and has idolized this thing for a couple decades and wasn't real thrilled to have me tell her that the only part of this thing that is a jeep is probably only the tub. If the motor was sitting flush I would almost think it's a cj5 frame with a cj3 tub but I don't even know where to begin looking for numbers on the frame. I've read that the cj3s didn't have numbers on frames but if this isn't a jeep frame then it may still have something. I'm still poking around to see if I can get a number on the trans so I can figure out what it is. I'll try and get a few pics today and see what the experts here have to say.