Am I Getting In Over My Head???

[outlawmobile]

Hi guys new member here...and I know,if I have to ask then Im probably already in over my head

Im contemplating purchasing a 67 CJ5 from my Father in Law.It is basically a basket case body wise,sides are all bondo and the floors are all but non existent.The frame needs 1 cross member replaced and has a bulging crack in the drivers rail from smacking something with a plow that used to be on it.It was last run 3 years ago...has the 225 Dauntless Buick 225 V6 and 3 spd Transmission .

My thought was to strip it down to the frame and clean it all up and have a friend weld in the crossmember and a patch on the crack.While apart I would replace the entire brake system basically then buy a new tub,well actually one of the entire body kits for it for around 4 grand.
Already sounds crazy rite,or doesnt it? Im really torn on this.Im no mechanic,or fabricator but I feel like with a little help in these areas I could save this old Jeep.

So go ahead...let me have it,just how off my rocker am I really?

 

[IOPort51]

I don't think you are any crazier than the rest of us.

You are right this is going to be a big job. If you feel a real connection to this machine you just may make it happen.

Your father in law better be just about giving this thing to you. I'm talking several cases of beer at most. and you need to be prepaired for a two or three year commitment. Do you still feel the love???:jeeplove:

Hi guys new member here...and I know,if I have to ask then Im probably already in over my head

Im contemplating purchasing a 67 CJ5 from my Father in Law.It is basically a basket case body wise,sides are all bondo and the floors are all but non existent.The frame needs 1 cross member replaced and has a bulging crack in the drivers rail from smacking something with a plow that used to be on it.It was last run 3 years ago...has the 225 Dauntless Buick 225 V6 and 3 spd Transmission .

My thought was to strip it down to the frame and clean it all up and have a friend weld in the crossmember and a patch on the crack.While apart I would replace the entire brake system basically then buy a new tub,well actually one of the entire body kits for it for around 4 grand.
Already sounds crazy rite,or doesnt it? Im really torn on this.Im no mechanic,or fabricator but I feel like with a little help in these areas I could save this old Jeep.

So go ahead...let me have it,just how off my rocker am I really?

 

[outlawmobile]

I dont even know why but yes I do feel some kind of strange connection...or attraction to this particular Jeep.Its one of them things I just cant explain.Every time we are at the in-laws I cant help but look it over again and think how cool it would be to save it from its certain doom of rusting away until theres no chance of saving it.
I do realize I would be getting into a several year project,and several thousand dollars[just for the new body alone]but it doesnt seem to phase my attraction to it.
I would be getting it rather cheap,if thats supposed to take any of the sting out of it
I forgot to mention I planned on doing all new leaf springs as well as whatever it needs in the steering department and a full set of poly bushings and such too.
I guess what makes me wonder[if I have lost my mind]is when I finished[if ever]the only original stuff left would be the frame and running gear[motor,Transmission and rears]Yet despite all of this yes...Im still feeling the love

 

[billyocup]

I agree with IO, I don't think you are any crazier than the rest of us.

I've been rebuilding a 75 for a little over a year now and still have a way to go (see my build thread:Bill's 75 CJ5 ground up rebuild (

1 2 3 ... Last Page)

I'm no mechanic either, but I seem to be managing to muttle my way through. I've had some of the work done by others, but for the most part have done everything myself. I've got close to $10K in it, mostly parts, and still have a bit more to spend on it. This site has been a great help and lot's of encouragement. There is also a lot of other reference material out there if you get stuck.

The only thing I would caution is that you are going to spend a lot of time and money on something that will probably never be worth (dollar wise) what you put in it. You just got to enjoy the process of building it and be satisfied with the pride that you built this thing when it's finished.

Good Luck, Bill

 

[tonkatrucksryan]

Your not Crazy, you just found out that you are one of us and part of the best forum on the net. I'm a weekend wrencher and I've asked the questions and Everyone helps you out. It is so much more satisfying to look back and say I Built this I just didn't buy it and it is all mine. Embrace the dream and get it and never look back. It's a lifestyle not a SUV!!!!!

 

[0822]

Your not crazy, check out my 1960 CJ5 resto project, we all need something to do and old JEEPS are the best.

 

[Old Dog]

Go for it, it's a lot of work but it's worth it in the end.

 

[outlawmobile]

Thanks guys...this helps to make it much clearer in my head what I need to do.
I saw a guy last summer pull up to a local convenience store in an old CJ5 [I think] that was obviously painstakingly restored.It was truly a beautiful vehicle,across the front windshield read"Real Jeeps Are Built Not Bought"
It sure would bring a great sense of pride to wheel around in something you truly did build with your own hands.
Im going to be super busy this summer and since the Jeep is in the family Im just going to purchase it and let it where it is for now,he has plenty of room.I will be trolling these forums and gathering all the info I can and come fall well get her trailered here[throw the wife out of her garage space] and get to getting it done

 

[Kane]

My Scrambler I bought was a complete pile of , but it had the title, and a fixable frame so I bought it. Every single piece of the Jeep needs repair or replacement. So you are crazy. It's just that we are crazy as well. So welcome to the party.

 

[hole]

Start scouring your area for the body parts you need, you might find it part by part, or you might get lucky and find everything in one place. Here in SoCal there's a guy on CL selling an entire CJ5 body for $1500. Shipping might kill you though

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Not crazier then me. This is my last CJ project.


Heres how it left my shop.



It took 2 yrs (didnt have alot of time) and about $3500 including the price ofthe jeep. It might be a little harder to find body parts in that year but still possible.

Hell my new project is honestly a collection of random peices, except for the motor, Transmission and Transfer Case nothing else came from the same jeep. Good luck with the build, take you time and dont take short cuts.

 

[old blu]

Understand going into this what "no crazier than the rest of us" means, because, in my opinion most of the rest of us are pretty crazy. I've been working on a 81 CJ7 for about 2 1/2 years now, and am now getting close to being ready for paint (hopefully sometime this summer). However you have a good start by being a member of this site. I recently joined, however used the forums countless times before I was a member to help me through the project. Good Luck!

 

[outlawmobile]

Wow...now thats what I call a project The 67 honestly isnt in much better shape,its just still all together thus making it look a little easier.I dont want to cut any corners...basically it will be all new with only the frame and running gear and the hard top remaining original.
I have done quite a bit of looking around the site by the way and yes...I would have to agree most of you are nuts But its nuts...in a good way




















i

 

[blaylock6502]

I am a mechanic and I still think I was crazy for having completely stripped my 74 CJ5 . That being said it was on of the funnest most rewarding things I've ever done ( aside from becoming a father). Go for it my only recommendation would be don't put a cap on what u plan to spend and don't put a deadline on it. There will always be some things you didn't expect that will pop up and if you can take it slow you'll end up with a better jeep in the end and an experience that was extremely enjoyable.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[blaylock6502]

Just an fyi you may look and see if you can find most of the parts you need. Alot of ny time was spent looking for odds and ends that I thought would be a dime a dozen but apparently late sixties early seventies parts can be a little tougher to come by than most

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[outlawmobile]

I have already started searching the Craigslists in Pa/NJ and Delaware and yeah Im not finding a lot of stuff in the year range Im looking for.A friend told me we have Jeff Daniels Jeep in Harleysville Pa...just 15 minutes away.May wind up being a good place for me to get or get leads on parts I might need.They also do all kinds of restores and buildups of Jeeps so if I get in so far over my head that I cant see the light of day its good to know theres a place like that in the area
That brings me to a question...or a couple.
When going with a replacment tub,be it steel or fiberglass...Is it an exercise in fabrication or is it pretty much strip the old one and unbolt it/bolt on the new one and reattach everything.
This is where Im most concerned,I mean This tub is beyond shot so its just gotta go.Im ok taking things apart and putting them back together,but fabrication just isnt my thing.I guess Im most scared of winding up with a rusty old Jeep and a brand new body that Im not capable of installing

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Im not a big fan of fiberglass. they tend to be a little price wise but I dont like the fact that you can ground any thing to them or weld/repair them. If you are making a around town only jeep and dont plan to offroad it then maybe but for any thing offroad I like to stick with steel. IF you can find an original tub to reuse it will bolt right up. IF you buy a steel after market body then you may have to cut and drill alittle bit. Most of the time its cutting holes for wires and such. I'd take welding on a steel body before fiberglass work any day.

Here is a quadratec replacement tub Rugged Ridge 12002.09 - Steel Body Tub for 55-69 Jeep® CJ-5 & M-38A1 - Quadratec

IF you have the cash for one of those or one like it I would grab it. Most of the jeepers you will come across would rather build or repair stock parts then buy a new one like that mostly because its a pride/ money thing. I take great pride in knowing I rebuilt that black jeep from top to bottom including paint and body work myself except for the rear gear install. As for money most of us our jeeps are low on the priority budget list. Keep your eye on craigslist, ebay, and searchtempest.com for body's for sale. Its about a 10-1 ratio of folks that buy jeeps for projects to ones that actually finish them so chances are some place with in a few hundred miles from you is a guy with a wife hating a pile of jeep parts that just wants to get rid of it. Ive gotten alot of really good jeep stuff by going "dirt bag" on people. Ill get their address, show up with a trailer and low ball cash offer and most of the time they take it. The trick is showing up with the trailer. Keep in mind that the guy that owns the 60ish CJ knows what its worth and wants to get paid for it so watch for the I bought this for a project but "new baby takes precedence", "economy fell through", any thing to do with "wife" or an over all sense of urgency to get rid of it. And just so I dont get labeled as a total "dirtbag" I give alot of jeep parts away and have been dirt bagged myself quite a bit. I once sold a set of 4 almost brand new 35" BFG At's on new simulated bead lock rims that I trade a 360 and 727 for, for $400. Good luck with your search.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

I'm not sure if you ever said how much you were paying for your dads jeep or what kind of attachment you have to it bu some thing like the for sale post I have listed may be a better option for you, or if you want to stay true to dads jeep you can pull the needed parts off this one and sell the rest of it to recoups the cost. I would show up with the trailer and offer him $2000 for it. Either way $2800 isn't horrible since you will pay almost that much for just a new body. Going this route will save you a ton of money since it has stuff like a (hopefully) decent wiring, and most of the little parts you can pick the best of the 2. There's a ton of little parts that will nicke and dime you to death.


1967 cj-5 jeep

 

[outlawmobile]

Oh I wasnt keeping it a secret...Im giving him $500 for it.As far as my attachment to it,well its more of a desire to save it.He has no attachment to it so its not really one of them it was once important to him so now its important to me things.He purchased it in complete junkyard shape just to plow with.Turns out the front crossmember was cracked from years of plowing and he caught something with the plow and it twisted sending the radiator into the fan.That was the last time it was run.He did have it welded but decided that a little Jeep just wasnt going to be tough enough for plowing every year.Trying to attach a pic...well see if it works.The pic is deceiving...its really a whole lot worse than it looks.Note how the door doesnt seem to line up,theres a reason for it...its called the body caving in

 

[IOPort51]

I love it!!

seen a whole lot worse come back. Remember, life is for learning.

But as I said before, be sure you feel the love!!:jeeplove:

Keep working on Dad, it should be a gift, or even better he should pay you to take it away.

Oh I wasnt keeping it a secret...Im giving him $500 for it.As far as my attachment to it,well its more of a desire to save it.He has no attachment to it so its not really one of them it was once important to him so now its important to me things.He purchased it in complete junkyard shape just to plow with.Turns out the front crossmember was cracked from years of plowing and he caught something with the plow and it twisted sending the radiator into the fan.That was the last time it was run.He did have it welded but decided that a little Jeep just wasnt going to be tough enough for plowing every year.Trying to attach a pic...well see if it works.The pic is deceiving...its really a whole lot worse than it looks.Note how the door doesnt seem to line up,theres a reason for it...its called the body caving in