I have had 2 CJ-5's in the past and now have a hankering for another one.

Anyone else a fan of these jeeps? Anybody still own one?

I am looking to find the right one to buy, would love to find the old half cab version, those tops are really hard to come by now.

JM

It's been a long time since I owned one, I had a 1966 CJ-5 with a Chevy 350 in it until a semi stalled in front of me and rolled back into the front end of it. I replaced that one with a 1975 CJ-5 with a 304 V8 in it. They were always a lot of fun in the summer, but not so much fun in with a soft top during a cold Nebraska winter.

I wouldn't mind having another one, I would have to get rid of some of my other toys first.

Had an '82 CJ-7.........fantastic off road vehicle.

Been kinda toying with the idea of a new Rubicon.

MM

What do you want it for? A fun off roader or a hunting vehicle?

Given the species you guys hunt over there, I think I'd want something with a longer load bed for hunting....

The CJ-5's are awesome hill climbers Pete.

Ne,

That's why I would like the old half cab hard top if I could find one. Even a winter down here is kinda tough with a rag top.

The older CJ's were really good at getting in and out of bad places. I had one with a stock 304 and the last one had a Chevy 327 in it.

Wish I had either one back now.

JM

Back in about 75 they were all the rage wiyh my buddies.
One friend had an ok 72 with the six banger, another 2 cruising buddies the 304.
I remember both V-8 jeeps ended up with broken frames and on serious side hills they twisted so much the clutch wouldn't engage. Another thing...........transfer cases always popping into neatral at very bad times. My old 3/4 GMC spent a lotta time towing those crappy CJ-5's around........
I always did like the late 60's models with the factory Buick V-6 though.

They were a lot of fun though and definately chick magnets.

I never did any rock climbing with one. I know they were excellent in swamps and muddy hills.

My Dad had one and we had to shuttle folks into the camp when it was wet, nothing else could get in and out except a couple of old Ford Broncos, I like them as well.

My main gripe with the cj's was the drum brakes on them.

JM

Yes John, I still have my 1978 CJ-7 that I purchased new in MEM at the long defunct Holiday Motors. It still runs well, even though it's on its second engine, but it does need new brakes and spring bushings. I'm waiting for warmer weather in order to address those issues. It's no longer stock though, as I've modified the suspension and drive train, and "helped" the 258 with some enhancements.

Have you got any pics Mike? Would love to see it. I would definitely consider one with the 6 cylinder, you can get alot out of those motors with aftermarket parts.

JM.

We had a 78 Ford Bronco for hunting vehicle for quite while too, that thing would go about anywhere too.

I am running a 53 M38a1 the father of the cj5. Fhead 4 and a Warn over drive. Goes pretty much any where. Bear

I can get the pics, but I have no clue as to how to post them. It's sitting in my shop right now needing a wash. It has some rust on it in the usual spots for CJ's, i.e. front fenders and bottom windshield frame, but the body tub is solid, as is the hood and grille. It has factory front disc brakes and drum rear, both of which need work. I'm probably going to replace the entire brake system from master cylinder, lines, proportioning valve, cylinders, rotors and drums this spring. It takes a few pumps before the brake pedal stiffens up, which sounds like the master cylinder to me. I don't drive on the roads with it, and won't until I address this.

I have modified the DT and suspension. The DT now has a Borg Warner T-18 4 speed, Dana 20 transfer case, and Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear axle housings, with 4.56 final drive and a Tru Trac front posi and a Detroit Locker rear. I need to replace the keyed AMC axle with a Moser one piece, but have delayed doing that.

The suspension has been lifted 3" and I'm running 10.5x33 BFG Mud Terrains. I added a Saginaw power steering pump to make it easier to handle rough terrain. I actually set all of this up in the late '80s when I was based in LeMoore CA. We used to go into the Sierras almost every weekend in the spring, summer and fall and do a trail up to the lakes and camp and fish.

The motor is an AMC 258 that has been bored .030 over, balanced and printed. It has a Crane RV cam, Holley 390 CFM 4 bbl carb, and Clifford Research headers and intake. It's a pretty stout motor, and very torquey.

I've had it since new, and probably won't ever sell it. I highly recommend a CJ-7 over a 5, if only for increased comfort. I'm 6'4" and could not fit into a CJ-5 when I went to buy one back in the day. The CJ-7 is 10" longer, and is more mannerly in highway driving because of the increased wheelbase. Anything from 1977 to 1982 is good, and after '82 they widened the axles, which IMO decreased the "trailability", but that's just my opinion.

Good luck on finding one, as I'm sure that their are plenty out there, but in varying stages of repair. They are really good trail vehicles, and fun to boot.

I have a 81 CJ 5 that has asked to go to a new home, since I have not taken it hunting for several years. 6 cly. 4 speed. shows slightly over 50,000 miles. I have had it for 6 year and used it on a hunting lease. Not inspected at this time. One small rust spot a coulpe ripples on hood. Not top. Located in the Houston area.

Mike,

I'd be interested in seeing your Jeep as well...If you email me the pics, I'd be happy to host them and post them in here for everyone to see..

Regards,

Peter

A friend is looking to sell this one.

It has been restored and even has a power take off for belts like the old tractors did.

Looks like a CJ-3 from here. Looks good, too. How much is he wanting for it? Original engine or what?

The 5's do wander on the road more than the 7's and the hump in the back of the door makes it a little harder to get in and out of.

I have just always liked the short 5. In the picks you can see the hump in the door on the 5 vs. the 7 and the wheelbase difference.

CJ5


CJ7

That's a CJ-3B.

Very nice, I believe that is a Kaiser or Willy's, can't really tell with the hood up.

Very cool jeep.

JM

Hi Pete,

We hunted out of them as a kid and really like the vehicles.

I am trying to find one with the old half cab so I can a have a little room for stuff (deer) in the back.

Best,

I'll have to figure out how to do that too Pete. I'm not that computer savvy, so will have to study on it. Thanks for the offer, BTW.

You need a CJ-8 Scrambler. It came from the factory with a setup like that.

I've had two different '62 Willy's -- I believe those were called CJ 3s then, But it wasn't stamped on the body like the AMC Jeeps had later. I got the first one when I was eight years old. I drove it around the ranch when I was a kid. I think I had been driving it three or four years before I found out that my Dad had hack sawed off the High/low range shifter below the floor. That throttle on the dash sure comes in handy when you can't reach the peddles, and in low range, shoving it in is as good as brakes. I always used to wonder why my Dad could get 45 mph out of it, (bottle jack handle stuck though the boot when I wasn't looking), when even if I stood on it in 3rd, I couldn't get above about 15 mph.

Later when I was a teen, I bought a '77 CJ 7 with a 304. Being a teen and all, I put a big Holly on it, a cam, headers and I can't remember what all else, but It was pretty handy in the quarter mile at the local kid drag strip just out of town on a secondary road. I had it running so good that it didn't do well in snow or mud -- you couldn't give it just a touch of gas without starting everything spinning and digging in deeper.

That ol' hurricane 4 in the Willy's on the other hand, in low/low and a little dash throttle would crawl though anything, or up anything to the point where any steeper would roll you over backwards -- I got a lot of rides home, or walked, to go get one of my old Willy's to pull out my hot rod Jeep when I got it stuck often.

I remember going to a lake one time with a Willy's to pull some friends out who had a high rise F250 buried up to the doors in whatever you are supposed to call that black smelly mud now. They laughed when I pulled in in the little Jeep and wanted to know why I didn't bring The AMC with the V8. I told them that if I would of, then I would be stuck right in front of them, but this one would get them out. I had to chain off to trees a few times and use the winch, but I pulled them out slowly and surely. Crawling is your friend.

I would like to have another Willy's but would also have a car trailer to take it on long trips with.

I never liked the scrambler too much, it seemd like it got away from being a jeep and turned into a truck.

Just want to find one with a Half cab so I'll have a little room.

Jeeps......really good for getting you into places that when yah look back, yah prolly shouldnt have gotten into

have used my father in laws CJ7 to go some places where i had to get out, shake my head and say "Prolly shouldnt have done that......"

Yeah the CJ3 was better, shorter wheel base, for getting over peeks, like where a loader pile can be found in the middle of a trail, than a longer CJ7 was.

I'm pretty sure that a Scrambler was built on what also is known as a CJ9 if you want to order a full top for one. So it was quite a bit longer even than the CJ7.

have a CJ8 in the back of the shop here im trying to buy from my partner......longer than the CJ7's my wife likes but most of my hunting isnt done where i need something with that short of a wheel base.....bigger bed would be handy for hauling elk or several deer out aswell.....really do appreciate the shorter Jeeps but i want that 8 in a bad way.....

Mine came with a 151 CID GM 4 cylinder. It was a good little engine but when it finally died I put a 283 Chevy in it. With late 80's heads and intake and a 400 CFM Carter AFB its not too powerful. Just enough to get out of its own way. The best part about the engine is that I only paid $20 for the carburetor. When I got it home and looked it up it turned out to be an aftermarket carb. intended to go on a late 80s Chevy 305. All I had to do was tinker with the jets and metering rods and it runs fine.

A friend gave me a metal hard top off of a 58 and it went on without too many alterations. The windshield frame changed enough that I had to put a couple of strips on it to fill in gaps on either side of the windshield frame. Other than that it was a drop on fit. Roll up glass windows and everything.

I still need to paint it but it does pretty much go any place.

Tell me about it. Some of those trails we did in Kali were downright scary. One was called "Deucy", and had a steep uphill on a granite face. It wasn't bad going up, but coming down...I sucked up a few seat cushions, I can tell you.

Here is a pick of a CJ5 with a Meyer's 1/2 Cab on it.

I like the 258 six, as it's a strong motor with alot of torque, but I would like to drop a Cummins 4BT in there if the 258 ever quits. The only problem is a core for the 4BT. The motors as a drop in are about $5K, but you need a core, or it's an extra $2K. Of course, that's a big wish, and I'll probably settle for another gas six like the 258 or even a Ford 300.

Trust me you can get a full elk in the back of a CJ3 Willy's with one of those half cabs like a pickup too. It's full, but it will fit with the legs pointing straight up and tied against the back of the cab -- You can even get a few more on the hood, been there done that too. But a little room is never a bad thing either.

Correction -- that CJ8 is like a Scambler too. I think they may have made an 8 and a 9 but I'm not sure.

I have to say I've always liked the Toyota version of the Jeep, but apart from the Yuppy versions, we don't see many LandCruisers here in the UK..

dont think there was a CJ9, atleast not marketed in the US anyway.....CJ8=Scrambler.....

That's what my dad has--that jeep hasn't seen a paved road in almost 20 years..........

Thought I had a pic of it somewhere.......



Casey

BTW, Rattler, I just thought of a time when my Dad dropped a huge bull moose in what he must of thought was a medow, but turned out to be a frozen swamp. Frozen enough to walk on eight or ten steps before your leg went through to three feet of muck and water anyway. Not thick enough to drive on at all.

We ended up making a bridge Well, something sort of between a bridge and a tracked vehicle, as we pulled poles from the behid the vehicle and put them in front as we went foreword) out of down timber half way to the moose, then with the winch cable, chains, tow straps, and even a few lariats, we managed to reach him. We would pull and spool in the cable as our bridge came apart, then let the winch go slack and back out of there as far as our ropes let us. It took a while, but we eventually pulled him out to solid ground and with a few cuts, got that whole moose in and on the little Willy's.

never doubted it was possible.....just figure since the CJ8 is sitting there im gonna try and get it, hasnt moved in 9 years but its been housed in the shop.....the wife would prefer her dads CJ7......i asked for it for Christmas but he laughed at me so im trying to get the CJ8 from our partner in the papers.....its shorter than my pickup, more solid 4WD system and i can work on the SOB myself...

Oh I didn't think you doubted it, just wanted to tell the story -- I wouldn't hesitate on a good deal on a CJ8 either, or a Willy's.

With that side fuel tank filler I would have thought that was a Kaiser made jeep
(pre AMC) from the late sixties but I ain't no expert.

Might be, But the top is what I was looking for, sure like to have one of those.

1978 CJ-5

Bought it bone stock with 68000 on it. Blew up the six and started over:

Wagoneer Dana 44 axles rolling 4.56's with a Ez-Locker front diff, Spooled rear.
Front and rear disk brakes.
35" Goodyear MTR's.
HOT Chevy 350 stuck to a SM465 and 1" Novak adapter to Dana 20 transfer case.
4" Lift springs on top of axles.

I don't own it anymore since it went from a streetable cruiser to a full on offroader, I had a lot of fun with it from Indiana to Canada but any CJ-5 that will pull the front wheels off the ground gets to the point where it is hard to handle. I will own another but I am looking at TJ's also. Factory 44's and lockers is a quick step in the right direction.

Not to mention there is more return for your money in guns, I paid $3500 for this and sold it for $3500. Had $25000 in broken parts and mistakes in between.........

Might be worthing looking at whats available as an "aftermarket add on"?? Altough that might be a bit more expensive than a vehicle that already has one fitted...

I have a yard beater, it has a 304 which is silly overpower even with a blown cylinder. It is pretty hairy off road though.

I have had a least a dozen jeeps over the years. From the Willy's flat fenders through the CJ's. Had to skip those square head light rigs though (very nasty looking) But if it was me I would be looking for a TJ these things ride great and flex like crazy. great in mud and rocks.

It is a kaiser, it has the short fender frontt to. Came with ewither an F head 4 cyl or a 225 Oddfire v-6. So pre 72. I've had too many jeeps. My current one is a 67 commando with an m38 A1 grill and hood, wagoneer springs moved outboard the frame rails up front an dinline of the frame frame in the rear, Dana 44 axles 58" disc to disc, discs at all 4 corners, 231 v-6, muncy sm465 tranyy dana 300 t case power steerign t replace the ridiculous bell crank and a bunch of other stuff. It is in storage in GA with my parents until this summer.

I never really felt like the CJ-5s had the wheel base for climbing, though they do fairly well. If you get an old kaiser its easier to fit a v-8 than a straight 6. they have the worst steering set up in the world as well, but its easy to replace with saginaw power or manual steering. They do twist a bunch and there are 2 clutch cable set ups and a clutch linkage setup, none of which work great i fyou are on a trail that flexes the jeep at all, but converting to hydraulic clutch is pretty easy as well. I know a guy in GA who has CJ5 half top's like the one shown. In a cj7 you run the scrambler half top as well. JohnMoses PM me for a bunch of Jeep resources in the southeast if your interested.

Thanks 175rltw, I'll do that.

The half cab tops were made by a variety of companies. Carson, Meyer, Orville, Kemco, Beck etc.

It's like pulling teeth to find one. I wish there was an aftermarket halfcab, but I have been unable to locate a company that still produces them.

JM