Learn Me Jeep CJ-5

Found one that I'm sorta interested in. What problem areas should I look for/check out? It appears to be a runner with a 304 and 3 speed manual that needs a top. Seller claims "no rust"...but I think they are notorious for corrosion?

The problem area that you should look out for is whether or not you can climb in and out of one. Door arch/seat/steering wheel clearance is notoriously minimal in a CJ5.

I have never seen a rust free cj5. And I live in the south.

The 304 was pretty gutless and the 3 speed manual had a huge gear spread.

Buy it and have fun, ignore everything I just said. As much funas you have in the woods with your clot on.

Having a clot in the woods does not sound like a ton of fun. I would aim a little higher for a fun baseline.

watch for broken leaf spring packs as well

In reply to bearmtnmartin:

Typing with your thumbs suck. Should have said clothes.

You will bang your tailbone on the door entry.. I owned a 71.. It happens.

What year CJ5? I can help with more if I know the year. I'm guess mid 70's?

The 304 has a bit of a drinking problem. My automatic CJ-7 got about 12mpg highway after I spent a weekend fixing vacuum leaks and setting up the carb correctly. Before that, it got 8-9mpg...

They're also not very powerful (something like 100hp) so don't expect to go anywhere in a hurry. And yes, it was somewhat rusty even though it was a Southwest car.

IMO, if you're willing to deal with the ergonomic hassles of a CJ5, then an old Willys is cooler, and if you're not, then a CJ7 / YJ / TJ are all better vehicles. That said, I agree that there is something about them that is right.

Just look everywhere for rust. Get underneath it and look. It's built as simply as a four wheel drive V8 vehicle can be. I'd watch for frame rust then floor boards. If you can drive it, you can use it as a Jeep. Other thing to watch out for is the Previous Owners. Hockey Pucks and Lift Blocks kind of thing...

Craigslist for used parts or for new stuff start poking around on quadratec.

It will have rust but just make sure the frame is solid the rest you can probably deal with. Early CJ's can be uncomfortable for tall people not to mention the frames are NARROW! Mine is a 73 and heavily modified. Its hard to fit anything extra underneath if you start changing up the drive train or making new mounts. Everything ends up outside the frame rails. Yes the 304 is weak for a V8 but the beauty of it is that a AMC 360 or 401 will bolt right in :)

No tailgate. Lot's of fun outside of that.

Just look for frame rust and a totally wasted body. Outside of that everything is exactly the same as every other old car. A few things to look out for are what axles it has in it, you will want to make sure if it has an Amc 20 rear that it's been converted to single piece axle shafts, or plan on doing this.

I don't think many cj5's came with a single speed transfer case, but if you plan on taking it off-road you will likely want to upgrade to a 2 speed.

It has leaf springs, unless you are lucky and it's had new ones put on in the last 10 years, you will want to think about replacing them. Look out for death fang shackles or a poor angle, it's a sign of a E36 M3 setup.

DILYSI Dave wrote: IMO, if you're willing to deal with the ergonomic hassles of a CJ5, then an old Willys is cooler, and if you're not, then a CJ7 / YJ / TJ are all better vehicles. That said, I agree that there is something about them that is right.

Cj5's were originally designed by Willys.

A new frame is $1500, a new steel tub is $2500-3k, a new aluminium tub is $4500-5k, a fiberglass tub is $1500-2k if that helps any

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

I bet he means an old flat fender.

RossD wrote: In reply to Fueled by Caffeine: I bet he means an old flat fender.

He does, but technically all CJ5's were originally designed by willys

Thanks for all the input, but I haven't gone to look at it yet.

Thought I had a buyer for my "answer" 2 weeks ago, but it didn't happen. HOA & SWMBO won't let me park cars in the yard, so I can't add to the fleet until I dispose of something and open up a spot...