Members CJs Dad's old jeep

[dhamilton]

I have been waiting 40 years to get this.Had to wait for my dad to finally pass before I got it. Tires are 40 years old as well. 13,000 miles. Can't wait to drive it around. Working on getting it slmogged and registered. Any recommendations on tires/ size?

 

[Belizean]

What tire size now and what plans for offroad ?

 

[Belizean]

Nice looking Jeep also !

 

[dhamilton]

Nice looking Jeep also !

Thanks. I don't know exactly what size these are. They are old and I don't know how safe they are. Normal size lettering not what I recognize 9-15. As for off road driving, wife's not into that so much. Maybe some fire roads in the mountains. Mostly city driver, but I don't want it to look weak. Like the look of A-T type.

 

[jzak]

Great looking CJ5 ! You dont see many unmodified CJs anymore. With 13,000 miles I'm betting it's been parked for years. Does it currently run? I would immediately replace those 40 year old tires. They're probably dry rotted. Syphon out the old gas. Replace all the fluids in the engine, brakes, Transmission , and differentials. Flush the radiator. It'll give you a chance to check to see if there's any metal flakes in the oil. Also, check for rotted hoses, lines, and electrical wires/grounds for corrosion.

 

[dhamilton]

Great looking CJ5! You dont see many unmodified CJs anymore. With 13,000 miles I'm betting it's been parked for years. Does it currently run? I would immediately replace those 40 year old tires. They're probably dry rotted. Syphon out the old gas. Replace all the fluids in the engine, brakes, transmission, and differentials. Flush the radiator. It'll give you a chance to check to see if there's any metal flakes in the oil. Also, check for rotted hoses, lines, and electrical wires/grounds for corrosion.

Thanks for the friendly comments. Yes it runs after 2500 on parts. New gas tank, radiator, brakes, master cylinder, plugs and a lot of hoses.
Taught my kids to drive a stick in it on our cul-de-sac. They are in their mid 20's and I don't think they have even been in a vehicle with a stick shift.
Doesn't pass smog yet. Needs evap hoses.
Been driving it around the block. Leery of tire blowout. They look great. No cracking, but still age is age.
No body rust. It's been in the garage since 1993.
No rear seat and I would like front seats with head rests. Would also like 3- point seat belts instead of the lap belt.

 

[jzak]

Gotta love those California Jeeps where rust is just a patina.

 

[Belizean]

Staying in a garage for decades helps.

 

[1977]

Had to wait for my dad to finally pass before I got it.

 

[pat76cj]

Nice jeep. Taught all my kids to drive stick. Now I need to work with the grandkids. Best anti-theft device for most of the newer generation.

 

[RayDan]

I have been waiting 40 years to get this.Had to wait for my dad to finally pass before I got it. Tires are 40 years old as well. 13,000 miles. Can't wait to drive it around. Working on getting it slmogged and registered. Any recommendations on tires/ size?

View attachment 106180

View attachment 106181

Really nice looking Jeep.
You ask about tires / wheels.
I’d recommend you stay with the 15” wheels. You don’t mention what engine and Transmission it has which will cause limitations on tire size. Biggest limiting factor is axle gear ratio though. Some early jeeps came with 3.04 (or 3.07?) gears in differentials which will limit your overall tire diameter to 30” (of course debatable). My Jeep has 3.73 gears and I just installed 32” diameter which I consider maximum for that ratio. Large diameter tires that fill the wheel wells look good but you don’t want to go down the rabbit hole that turns the jeep into an underpowered slug requiring expensive re-gearing of both axles.
Lots of posts out there on gear ratios vs tire size.
Enjoy your Beautiful Jeep.

 

[RayDan]

Really nice looking Jeep.
You ask about tires / wheels.
I’d recommend you stay with the 15” wheels. You don’t mention what engine and transmission it has which will cause limitations on tire size. Biggest limiting factor is axle gear ratio though. Some early jeeps came with 3.04 (or 3.07?) gears in differentials which will limit your overall tire diameter to 30” (of course debatable). My Jeep has 3.73 gears and I just installed 32” diameter which I consider maximum for that ratio. Large diameter tires that fill the wheel wells look good but you don’t want to go down the rabbit hole that turns the jeep into an underpowered slug requiring expensive re-gearing of both axles.
Lots of posts out there on gear ratios vs tire size.
Enjoy your Beautiful Jeep.

Here’s a chart that might help

 

[dhamilton]

Wow. Thanks for the info and chart. I am not sure what Transmission or gear ratios it has. I'll have to look into that. It has a AMC 304 v8.
I was thinking 31 x 10.5 would look good and not cause trouble

 

[dhamilton]

How do I identify what Transmission I have.

 

[RayDan]

Wow. Thanks for the info and chart. I am not sure what transmission or gear ratios it has. I'll have to look into that. It has a 304 v8.
I was thinking 31 x 10.5 would look good and not cause trouble

With the AMC 304 V8 I think you’ll be fine with 31 x 10.5.
Up You really need to determine what your axle differentials ratio is to use the chart. There should be a small metal tag under one of the bolts that holds the differential cover on ( either front or rear differential, they should be the same). It’ll give you the ratio like 3.07, 3.73 or 4.11 etc.
Depending on the year of your Jeep the VIN may have a code for the Transmission it came with. If I read correctly it’s a manual so probably a 3 or 4 speed, don’t think they put the 5 speeds ( with Overdrive ) in till later years ( you didn’t give year of your jeep either). But the standard transmissions are all 1:1 ratio in high gear (except the 5 speeds) so they aren’t your limiting factor for tire size.