Good info, guys, thanks!

Some answers for some of the questions:

Budget - If it's an older fixer upper, $2500-4500-ish. If it's a road ready variant, $6500-8500ish.

Towing - no. never.

Big wheels and tires - not a necessity, but I'm not going to say never.

Kids driving it - no. I'm currently swapping between the two vehicles I got for them as my current daily driver/s. This purchase will be to replace those when they take them over (in January).

Crawling - no. No rock crawling or serious off-roading in my plans, but if I need to cross the creek or run a part out to the combine on the back 40, I'm not going to be shy about diving off in the field either.

Right now I'm thinking an older fixer could be a lot of fun and maybe a learning experience for my son and I to work on together.

On a 4cyl, I'm thinking only if it has a manual. and if it's an automatic, I'm thinking only if it's a smoking good price. The only "V" I'm interested in is a V8. Anything else needs to be an inline motor.

I had a 2000 TJ with the 2.5L 4 and the 3-speed auto transmission. I was hard to hit 60mph. It was great at 35mph. It would crawl over anything a 6 cylinder would. I will own another one day.

I wouldn't call myself a "Jeep person," but I do get to work on, which means driving, lots of them. A four (in those years, the 2.5, which is pretty much a 4.0 minus two cylinders) with a stick will get out of its own way … barely. And get at least a >1997, which has coil springs on all four corners. It won't lose any off-road ability, but will ride and handle much better than those with the leaf springs.

Tomorrow I'm going to go look at a 95 yj in south ms, it'll be our second 4cyl 5spd

I looked at CJs, TJs and LJs and bought the LJ. The CJs are fun but ride a little rough, a decent one could be had near the top range of your budget,possibly with a new motor. TJs will be all over the place price wise, you probably could pick up a decent six cyl with high mileage but who cares, that motor is bulletproof. I did not like the ride in the sample size I drove but part of that was probably due to cheap lift/tire combos. The sweet spot for me was the LJ, a little more expensive but a better ride and more room, the trade off in my market was higher cost at a higher mileage point. So my ranking would be LJ, CJ, TJ and not a fan of 4 banger....

You didn’t say I couldn’t bash AMC (Another Maker’s Car).

I vote for the TJ for a daily driver due to comfort and reliability.

I've driven and worked on a few XJ's over the years.

89 Sport 4L 4X4 5-speed
91 Limited 4L 4X4 auto
92 Limited 4L 4X4 auto
93 SE 4L 4X4 5-speed
95 Sport 4L 4X4 5-speed
01 Classic 4L 4X4 auto

If I could find late production XJ that was rust free with a 4L, 4X4 and a stick, I'd be seriously tempted.

The 4.0 has a good reputation.

Wranglerforum.com is a good resource

I currently have a Cherokee XJ, 6cy, auto, just bought a 3" lift and a bunch of other suspension parts... I WILL eventually either have a 97-06 TJ or an LJ. Go with the six, I wouldn't hesitate to buy an auto trans either. Like said, watch for body rust and frame rust right where the frame rises by the rear wheel area. CJ's have leaf springs all around and ride/handle a little rough, had carbs instead of fuel injection..

Bump for update on possible fixer-upper find. Top of OP.

The worst thing about the motors in Jeeps of that vintage are the crappy carburetors they came with, IMO. That could be said of pretty much any carbureted Jeep, come to think of it.

Probably a decent set of bones there, otherwise. I have a 1980 CJ-7 with a 4 cyl Iron Duck. I'd much prefer one like you're looking at.

quote:

Probably a decent set of bones there

Thanks! That's what I was hoping. I didn't pay the man yet, but I all but said I would take it. Honestly, the price isn't the deciding factor - I'm more concerned about having covered storage where my tools are at the moment.

I don't know why I like the idea of fixing up something old and problematic more than I like having a turn-key vehicle. I wish I wasn't like this. (So does my wife)

I had the same year. Engine was great. Chased a few minor electrical problems. Easy to work on.

quote:

1979 CJ-7. 258 cu. in. in-line 6

They are a lot of fun!
Of course, you and your son will have continuous small projects to do on this jeep. Some people don't like that idea, some don't mind at all.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
*** New Info ***

Okay, the older fixer-upper is looking more like a real possibility in the very near future. 1979 CJ-7. 258 cu. in. in-line 6, three speed manual, runs and drives, has a title, cheap. Good tires, hard top, doors. Needs work on everything else.

Good choice for project or steer clear?

Thanks.

Not sure of the year, but I learned to drive in a CJ-5. Same set up, inline 6, 3 speed.

I'm curious what kind of shape you say it is in, when you say "cheap".

There are numerous aftermarket options. What you put into it, you'd very easily get back if you sold it, probably twice as much. And if you are mechanically competent, you could probably do the majority of the work yourself. Plenty of room in the engine compartment, and not a lot of electronic bells and whistles.

If I were spending your $$$, I'd be seriously interested in going this way. I remember plowing through snow drifts about 40mph, and hit a frozen one. We rolled it. Only thing we broke was one of the plastic reflectors on the side. We rolled it back over, and off we went.

Don't give up on the old AMC engines. The 6s were 232, 240 and 258s. Mostly dogs, but the V8s use the same bellhousing pattern. It means you can dig around and find an old 304 or 360 or even a 401. They're not high revving motors, but were made for torque. In most jeep situations, its what you need. They're just not made for drag racing.

In my 83 we put in a 360 and had very happy results (kind of like a happy ending.) Not a bad engine at all. Lots of donor vehicles, old AMC cars. There was a time when a 360 lying on the floor of the garage was worth more than the entire car with on in it. The difference being the labor to jerk the engine out. Old Jeep trucks or even CHeropigs have been known todonate the engine.

One thing to understand is 4s and 6s get lousy fuel economy, too. Might as well get a V8 and have the thing run well with poor gas mileage.

There are places where jeep parts swap meets are held, too. We throw 2 a year, one in April and another in October. Its expensive, costs about $5 a day to buy or sell anything you can drag in. Pay for 2 days and you can even camp overnight. You can also drink beer and talk Jeep. Not even rules against lying.

Check the frame very carefully. Rust eventually claimed the frame on my '78 CJ7. Bought it in the mid 80s, 304 V8, TH400 automatic, Quadra Trac, but put a Doug Nash conversion kit in it and manual hubs. Back then parts were readily available. Replaced all the sheet metal with fiberglass. Tub, grill, fenders, hood, and windshield frame. Put in a full roll cage welded to the frame front and back. It was a lot of fun for 10 years until the frame collapsed.