Build Thread '74 CJ5 first time build

[Fizgurd]

This is the ‘74 CJ5 I purchased in April 2023. So far, I know it has / appears to have the following (btw, I absolutely do not claim to know anything about Jeeps at this point, so please do not hesitate to correct me on anything I say / do on this build):

Engine: AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l Inline 6
Transmission : T18a
Transfer Case : Dana 20
Front Axle: unknown
Rear Axle: unknown
Milage: unknown, speedometer cable apparently has been disconnected since before the PO bought it in 2022.

The Jeep has lived its life between Pueblo, CO and Cheyenne, WY









Now that the ‘it's a Jeep’ pictures are outta the way, the issues known so far:

• The only dash gauge that works is the water temp.
• The water temp gauge seems to slowly climb to 180, then peg 250 no matter the speed or distance driven over 3 blocks.
• Headlights / parking lights do not work.
• Passenger front appears to be slightly tweaked…. The frame rail on the passenger side ahead of the grill measures about 1” higher than the driver side, Passenger front fender doesn’t match up to the grill like the driver’s side does, and the nose of the fender is a little outta shape.

• The PO to the PO cut a hole in the dash to build his own gauge layout. The big black button is the horn, the white tab sticking to the left of the horn is the dial switch for the heater box that replaced the glove box.

The list of good things I can think of so far:

• The steering is tight and does not have the dreaded “death wobble” I have heard about
• The PO focused on the engine for his initial item, and had Thomas from Thomas Vintage Autos in Lafayette, CO do the work / store it for him before I bought it. He replaced the carburetor, and the engine runs like a top.
• There is very little rust, the only rust I have found so far (besides surface rust) is the passenger front fender, in the usual spot.

Right now, my goal is not to build a rock crawler, or an extreme offroad buggy. I’m just looking for a decently moderate trail Jeep with front / rear lockers, onboard air and a winch.

The first thing on my list is:

• Electrical. This is what it looks like now behind / under the dash:

I have figured out that the headlight switch either needs a good cleaning, so it has a good ground, or needs to be replaced. I was able to find a bad fuse tonight which enabled the running lights to work, still no headlights. The dash lights work if I fiddle with a wire on the back of the headlight switch. I’m thinking the switch needs replacing because when I pull it out to the three positions for ‘Dash lights / running lights / headlights’ it is not consistent on where in the slide each option gets power.

 

[Crusty CJ]

Good looking Jeep

 

[WHATROAD]

a headlight fix may be as simple as replacing the floor mounted dimmer switch. Also check the pigtail that attaches to it, the ground wire has a tendency of burning out and replacement of the pigtail will need to be done if that happens

 

[Fizgurd]

a headlight fix may be as simple as replacing the floor mounted dimmer switch. Also check the pigtail that attaches to it, the ground wire has a tendency of burning out and replacement of the pigtail will need to be done if that happens

I thank you for the info! I will check it out.

 

[DconZ]

That tub looks really solid! it kind of looks like someone stood on the fender and and just bent it..they look solid and you should be able to get it back to its orignial shape. You may need to take it off and get a buddy to help you twist it while the other stands on part of it..

 

[KRUPP]

That is a pretty clean CJ. Your starting point doesn't appear too bad, really. But, more things ALWAYS pop up as you go along.
About that roll bar...
We might have an extra to replace that for ya.

 

[Project86]

You have a better place to start than I did on the first 2 we rebuilt. Have fun with your build. An extra grounding point (or two) doesn't hurt.

 

[Fizgurd]

That is a pretty clean CJ. Your starting point doesn't appear too bad, really. But, more things ALWAYS pop up as you go along.
About that roll bar...
We might have an extra to replace that for ya.

I thank you! Yeah, looking at that roll bar I knew it wasn't stock I do wonder what it came out of. It was installed before the PO had the jeep.

 

[Fizgurd]

Learned something today, looking at one of the threads on VIN decoding, it appears I have a AMC 232 i6 I6 instead of the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l I6 . Until today I thought all I6's in the CJs were AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l .... Always new things to learn!

 

[Fizgurd]

After looking at a couple websites about how to find what axles the Jeep has, it appears that the front and rear Diffs are Dana 30 with 4.27 gears (I was able to clean the tags on them well enough to read). The Diff covers look like the images of the Dana 30 I've found.


Please lemme know if I am incorrect on the type of Diffs.

 

[CJ]

Standard axles for your 74 are a Dana 30 up front and a Dana 44 in the rear. They are in our axle database here. -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/threads/cj-axles.43623/

The link to the Dana 30 -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/threads/cj-axles.43623/#post-395384
The link to the Dana 44 -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/threads/cj-axles.43623/#post-395386

You can also click any BOLD ORANGE keyword link in any post to jump to an example (see here -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/forums/site-news-announcements-features-how-to.170/
and our help here -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/help/autolink/ )

4.27 was an optional gear ratio, but to be sure it has not been altered see here. -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/downloads/how-to-tell-what-gear-ratio-is-in-your-cj.4/

 

[Fizgurd]

Standard axles for your 74 are a dana 30 up front and a dana 44 in the rear. They are in our axle database here. -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/threads/cj-axles.43623/

The link to the dana 30 -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/threads/cj-axles.43623/#post-395384
The link to the dana 44 -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/threads/cj-axles.43623/#post-395386

You can also click any BOLD ORANGE keyword link in any post to jump to an example (see here -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/forums/site-news-announcements-features-how-to.170/
and our help here -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/help/autolink/ )

4.27 was an optional gear ratio, but to be sure it has not been altered see here. -->> https://jeep-cj.com/community/downloads/how-to-tell-what-gear-ratio-is-in-your-cj.4/

I thought having dual Dana 30 's would have been odd, but the diff covers looked close enough to my inexperienced mind I was over thinking it ~Laugh

 

[CJ]

I thought having dual Dana 30's would have been odd, but the diff covers looked close enough to my inexperienced mind I was over thinking it ~Laugh

Both covers have the same number of bolts. The difference is size (ring/pinion, tubes, axles, ect...)

 

[gert]

nice Jeep for sure, man 4.27s are some deep gears that should be alot of fun