Tweet
About a month before the race car was killed later last summer I figured I'd give my son a toy that I always wanted. Growing up in South Florida and a mid-70's Jeep CJ was a lot of fun...
Several years ago I learned that a coworker had a 76 CJ5, it it mostly sat in his driveway. Fast forward to last July and he still had it. I picked it up from him for a very reasonable price, most likely because I had passed on an Infiniti G35 that I happened into while helping a friend out.
The vehicle was converted decades ago to a small-block Chevy. The usual adapter plate that we used back in the late '70's on the front of the T-18 is there, along with what equates to Trans-Dapt universal motor mounts. The engine is a stock 1978 Firebird 305 with the original "Dual-Jet" two barrel, the original T-18 trans, and the stock Dana 20 xfer case. A Dana 30 front axle and AMC 20 rear axle with Cragar Soft 8's. Stock manual drum brakes, stock manual steering, and fluids from 1952 all the way throughout.
Of course, it had the normal ills of a vehicle that has sat for the last 10 years. Fortunately even though it sat outside it sat on a concrete driveway pad. The PO would start it up every three months or so and circle the neighborhood. He had even bought a new battery, wheels and tires for it earlier in 2012. So the crud and crust that could have been thankfully was not, but it still had dead players for brakes, exhaust, clutch, heating, seats, wiring harness, all of it.
Unfortunately (or not) I did not exhaustively document this build quite as much as I have the other years-long projects I have. Most of it is cell phone pics, I figured that I would try that, and upon review of the results, I still don't like cell phone cameras!
Anyways, here's what it looked like it when we brought it home. Not quite forlorn looking just yet, but he was hurtin' inside. It ran, but certainly was not safe for road consumption.
Several years ago I learned that a coworker had a 76 CJ5, it it mostly sat in his driveway. Fast forward to last July and he still had it. I picked it up from him for a very reasonable price, most likely because I had passed on an Infiniti G35 that I happened into while helping a friend out.
The vehicle was converted decades ago to a small-block Chevy. The usual adapter plate that we used back in the late '70's on the front of the T-18 is there, along with what equates to Trans-Dapt universal motor mounts. The engine is a stock 1978 Firebird 305 with the original "Dual-Jet" two barrel, the original T-18 trans, and the stock Dana 20 xfer case. A Dana 30 front axle and AMC 20 rear axle with Cragar Soft 8's. Stock manual drum brakes, stock manual steering, and fluids from 1952 all the way throughout.
Of course, it had the normal ills of a vehicle that has sat for the last 10 years. Fortunately even though it sat outside it sat on a concrete driveway pad. The PO would start it up every three months or so and circle the neighborhood. He had even bought a new battery, wheels and tires for it earlier in 2012. So the crud and crust that could have been thankfully was not, but it still had dead players for brakes, exhaust, clutch, heating, seats, wiring harness, all of it.
Unfortunately (or not) I did not exhaustively document this build quite as much as I have the other years-long projects I have. Most of it is cell phone pics, I figured that I would try that, and upon review of the results, I still don't like cell phone cameras!
Anyways, here's what it looked like it when we brought it home. Not quite forlorn looking just yet, but he was hurtin' inside. It ran, but certainly was not safe for road consumption.
Attached Files
I'd own another Cj5, but I just flat don't fit
Comment