Looking at a ‘79 CJ5 tonight. I have only seen online pics. Body looks good, but owner says frame has had a weld kit to fix some cracks. It has passed our state (PA) inspection. The interior could use some work, but that is expected.

It has an AMC 304 V8. 3 speed manual. New soft hard top. Owner states 44k miles, but I don’t believe that’s the actual mileage. Lol.

Anything I should look for? It would not be a daily driver, just a “fun” weekend ride.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ASKSmith,

We've had a nearly identical CJ5 since the early 80's, it's a 1978 with the same drive train.

They do tend to get a bit squirrely as a driver when going over about 55 but the only real issue we had is with the gas tank as the skid plat would hold moisture and mud which would eventually cause the tank to rust and leak. Other than that it was just usual maintenance and occasional repairs.

Ours wasn't an everyday driver as it spent most of its time on deer leases and family property after the first few years. Should be fine as a weekend driver and 44k is actually very possible. Ours has a little under 85k on it and it used to be towed via tow bar before we began trailering it.

I had a '76 with that drivetrain that I drove for years. Manual steering and brakes. Besides the rust issues the weak links in that drivetrain are the transmission (T150 I think) and the rear axles (AMC 20). I spun my rear shafts and had to install high strength ones. I did have a 4bbl and dual exhaust but I didn't beat it.

I love CJ5's. I've had a 1967, 1969 (loved the old Daunless V6), and the 1976. Great fun in the summer, little cold in the winter in MA and ME

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Anything I should look for?

Real close at that frame, especially since it has been repaired once (or multiple times for all we know). "Dry-steer" it (have a helper turn the steering wheel back and forth while stationary) and look for the rail flexing at the steering box, as well as loose rivets on cross members, other rust spots that were missed, etc. The AMC V8 (very under-rated) is nearly bulletproof, and it is pretty hard to break the three-speed unless it leaked and ran out of oil.

I own a JK and am pretty stupid on all things about Jeeps but learning.

Joined Wranglerforum.com as I had a lot of questions about a factory radio problem. I had been looking at aftermarket radios but found out through the forum there despite two Chrysler dealerships telling me it could not be done it was possible to switch up to a factory touch screen radio and retain my steering wheel controls. Found out it was plug and play, hardest thing of the whole swap was to find the one screw that fell between the console and the seat and the call to Sirius to switch the service from one radio to the other.

I also learned that some of the 430N series radios were not Sirius ready and if the radio said "Anti-Theft" on the bottom of the bezel to be sure the seller had the four digit security code or at least supplied the radio with the donor's VIN and that would entail a visit to a dealership and most likely entail a charge for them to get the unlock code. Also found out that I could add Uconnect also if I so choose.

I found my radio on the forum, reasonably priced also and it included the lock code. All and all the forum was a good find.

Frame rot is a huge problem on older Jeeps. If the frame is deteriorated it is a money pit. A jeep of that age in that location is very likely to have severe problems due to time and road chemicals. Look carefully! If patch panels have been welded in it will be hard to see the underlying reason for them but rust is more likely than cracks.

Is there any truth to the old story that it's best to buy a vehicle that's been in Arizona, due to low humidity and no rust? Or is that just a silly old wives tale?

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Originally posted by OKCGene:
Is there any truth to the old story that it's best to buy a vehicle that's been in Arizona, due to low humidity and no rust? Or is that just a silly old wives tale?

Not always. Could have spent time in the rust belt and later moved to a dry and salt-less state.

Another thing, water can migrate up in wiring,following current flow. GM had an issue in the early 80's of underdash ECM's leaking coolant. Yes, leaking coolant. The ECM coolant sensor would leak between the plastic center and the sensor metal body on some early production parts. The coolant would follow the current flow up into the ECM. I saw it happen on one car and a month or so later the bulletin came out.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Is there any truth to the old story that it's best to buy a vehicle that's been in Arizona, due to low humidity and no rust? Or is that just a silly old wives tale?

Yes and no, respectively. I seldom dealt with rust in my previous states (CA, NV and AZ) unless the car was known to have come from out of state. Now, even though Tennessee isn't what I normally think of as a "rust belt" state, I deal with it all the time. Rusted steel brake lines (some of the worst are 2000-05 GM trucks) are a big problem, and some cars are too rusted out to work on, period.

Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7UNFEiQPys

I had a friend who owned a nice CJ5...V8, lifted on 33's...we had a ton of fun in that jeep but there is a quote in a few of our HD yearbook blurbs under our photos that reads "shaken but alive after rolling the CJ5"

Quadratec and throttle down are going to be your friends. Quadratec not only sells the throttle down replacement frames, they also sell all the bolts, body mounts etc you are going to need to get the tub on the new frame.

Novac-adapt.com will be a good resource for either rebuilding the transmission or installing something a little more pavement friendly. The 3 speed is very strong but everything buzzes at highway speeds.

My wife wants me to build/restore a cj5 but I'm not sure I have another jeep build in me. I might have a Mahindra roxor purchase for the farm in me though...

I scheduled a time to go look on Friday, but talked myself out of it. Not sure if I wanted to deal with a 40y/o Jeep. Sunday, I changed my mind and went for a look and test drive. My wife went as well.

It was in a lot better condition than I had expected. One of the previous owners had replaced the entire body and tub (minus the hood) with fiberglass, so no rust. And the frame was in good shape. There were a lot of electrical gremlins: gauges didn't work, but the odometer did.

When he fired it up, I fell in love. V8 with sidepipes will do that. Went for a test drive, and I had forgotten how squirley they can be, and no power brakes/steering makes it a demanding drive.

Part of another vehicle is a "back up" vehicle, now that we have 3 drivers in the house. There is no way my wife would be able to drive this thing, and feel safe. As much as I liked it, I had to pass.

So the hunt continues. Preferably something with a hard top, but I might have to double my budget.

If you really want a drivable Jeep look at the TJ (98-05). They have coil springs and ride so much better than leaf springs. I like the inline six cylinder motor. The older I get the more I prefer the auto trans, the also have manual. They are a step ahead of both the CJ and the YJ. Have all the comforts and none of the unneeded electronics of the new ones. Watch the frames by the rear wheel area.

I had the exact same jeep with the exact same drivetrain. It was my daily driver from age 16 to 26. It too had manual brakes and steering.

In no particular order I replaced the following:

Wiring Harness
Rotted Steel Body (went to fiberglass)
Windshield Frame
Entire top end of engine, went with Edelbrock Carb, Intake, and Camshaft
Tires / Wheels
Top / Doors
Exhaust
Winch
Dash and Gauges
etc, etc,etc

Like the one you looked at, I had to weld angle iron into the frame to brace it. It was a bubba job that I performed in a friends garage, but it worked. I put over 150k miles on that thing while I had it. Also sold it for 4k in 2006. Not bad for a vehicle that was 30 years old at the time with over 300k miles on the clock.

I'm willing to bet that every single one you look at will have some sort of frame issue. If up to the challenge, you can get a brand new frame shipped to your door!

I drove that best from Cleveland Ohio to Hilton Head Island South Carolina many times. Don't think I would do that now, but the old girl never let me down.

quote:

I had to pass.

good choice!!!

I had an ample exposure to the lure of Jeeps, 5 different versions over the last 50 years.....counting the 20 years I had been severely soured on the marque after a simply awful do-si-do with an otherwise desirable 1976 J2000 model. That was their AMT 401 powered 3/4 ton pick up.

But time has brought marked upgrades in both engineering and creature comforts to Jeep.

I like my JK, with 285hp V6, coil springs, removable hard top panels, AT, AC, power stuff, and a heater that is most effective.

The old 'motorized buckboard' days long past served to introduce the pleasures of being able to go cruising in the non-paved country. The new JK days are serving to reliably make it actually enjoyable for geezer bones.