Found a CJ

[Tidife]

So, after losing funds for my future road queen(a CJ8 ), to various things in life such as medical bills and the like, my wife has firmly convinced me that I should buy a CJ now that is within my price range(and I don't mean she convinced me buy spending the money she actually suggested it), and buy myself a CJ8 later on once our finances settle down and i can save a large chunk of cash.

That being said I have negotiated a deal with a local gentleman that owns a CJ5 and have unofficially purchased it from him. Tomorrow the check comes in and I will be driving over to pick up my newest project/driver. :drool:

Unfortunately due to constraints this won't be a tear down and rebuild, but a fix as i driver her project. Especially, considering my garage is already occupied with a 1971 Datsun 240z.

The jeep does have wobble when driving, braking was slow(though not completely gone) and the speedo doesnt work. There was plenty of surface rust, but no rot as far as i saw, and it comes with a hardtop! Will be an enjoyable fall/winter making it mine before the snows hit,

 

[Torxhead]

Your Jeep issues are not uncommon for an old CJ. I hope we can help you with any questions you might have.

 

[Hedgehog]

Get the brakes fixed ASAP. Make her safe to drive. Then work your way at your best speed.

 

[Tidife]

71 Jeep CJ5

Forgot to attach the link

 

[SlowPocono]

That looks great!

Congratulations.

 

[Posi]

You picked a good year for a CJ5 .

 

[Tidife]

Well, the jeep is in my driveway, picked it up a little after 1530. I checked the brakes before driving it home, they are not as responsive as I'd have liked, but they worked. Just would have took me standing up on it to get it to stop suddenly. Was an interesting drive home, i took it through the back roads so i could take it slower and get a feel for it. Wife's GPS (she was in front as she has the working speedo) decides to take us down the steepest, most washed out, pothole ridden road she could find. Was steep enough that on braking felt like the back tires bounced, when stopping from 3-4 miles an hour. Was a fun drive home overall and i can't stop smiling though.

Going to hit the parts store this weekend and fix those brakes and see about tie rod ends and drag link ends for it.

Thank god for that "Troubleshooting & Correcting your Steering" guide.
The wobble i was feeling is most definitely the steering, a little shift in the wheel makes the jeep rock and sway, and turns a bit. I'll upload some pictures in a bit, but they won't differ much from the craigslist ad from before... excepting that its mine now

 

[Tidife]

I posted the images in a Gallery on the site. only took me an hour to figure out how to make the file size smaller to upload them >.>
Upon Purchase - 1971 CJ-5 Jeep-CJ Gallery

 

[Hedgehog]

Only one thing left to say ...... nice very nice!

You might be stuck with your brakes. In 1972 the CJ got bigger drum brakes. It's fairly easy and fairly common to upgrade to the bigger brake drums. You might not need parts at all. Pull the drums, clean out the dust and make sure everything is in working order. Before installing the drums adjust the shoes to be as close to the drums as is possible. After I do that I like to drive on a road with no traffic and hit the brakes, start light, move to really stomping down, then back up and do the same thing several times. Supposedly drum brakes automatically adjust when braking while backing up. Your brakes might be MUCH better than before.

 

[Neuner]

Very cool! ....but I'm more interested in reading about the 240z. Life-long friend of mine got me interested in them quite some time ago. He had 2 or 3 at one time trying to fix one of them up. Had a tough time getting the dual carbs set up so he was going to drop a FI V8 in it. Not sure what happened to it and all I see now are the 280 which I'm not as keen on.

 

[tarry99]

71 Jeep CJ5

Forgot to attach the link

Looked at your Pictures and that Jeep has definitely been worked over......In a good since.........The tranny is a swap as well as the Saginaw power steering gear box up front. Aftermarket radiator but still retains the old stock heater ( which doesn't do a very good heating job) Looks like it still has Manual brakes and I assume floor pedals and even a tilt column.........The top and the windshield frame look to be 1976 or later vintage........all things seem at least from here to be done OK.

Check your brake drum sizes.........if it still has original Brakes they should be 10" drums............and with the oversized tires just will not stop very well.
A switch to Disc brakes at least up front and 11" drums in the rear will make all the difference in stopping performance. With the floor mounted pedals it is near impossible to power boost the brake system. At some point most CJ's on early Jeeps replace the old stock heater for swinging pedals in that location and then it becomes easier to power boost your brakes...........Seems like a nice platform to start with.........Plan your improvements while you enjoy it.

 

[Tidife]

Very cool! ....but I'm more interested in reading about the 240z. Life-long friend of mine got me interested in them quite some time ago. He had 2 or 3 at one time trying to fix one of them up. Had a tough time getting the dual carbs set up so he was going to drop a FI V8 in it. Not sure what happened to it and all I see now are the 280 which I'm not as keen on.

Yeah i totally agree. The carbs are the only thing keeping that car running. The wiring is a gut job as is the interior. But that's about what i expect from a car with a PO(S).

The jeep on the otherhand is about 95% to passing its safety inspection. the pass side tail lamp doesn't illuminate (blinker works though) and Speedometer is the only thing i have left to get working. Going to look for some schematics on where its run, pick up a cheap $10 cable and see if its the cable or the speedo its self. Hoping to have it pass the inspection this weekend so i can focus on getting brakes and steering better.

Oh also need to figure out how to mount my license plates. the PO installed new bumbers front and rear and they have no mounts. Might just use wire and call it a day for now

 

[Tidife]

Looked at your Pictures and that Jeep has definitely been worked over......In a good since.........The tranny is a swap as well as the Saginaw power steering gear box up front. Aftermarket radiator but still retains the old stock heater ( which doesn't do a very good heating job) Looks like it still has Manual brakes and I assume floor pedals and even a tilt column.........The top and the windshield frame look to be 1976 or later vintage........all things seem at least from here to be done OK.

Check your brake drum sizes.........if it still has original Brakes they should be 10" drums............and with the oversized tires just will not stop very well.
A switch to Disc brakes at least up front and 11" drums in the rear will make all the difference in stopping performance. With the floor mounted pedals it is near impossible to power boost the brake system. At some point most CJ's on early Jeeps replace the old stock heater for swinging pedals in that location and then it becomes easier to power boost your brakes...........Seems like a nice platform to start with.........Plan your improvements while you enjoy it.

I read about the 11" drums in the rear, going to try and figure out what exactly i need for those. There's a picknpull junk yard not to far away.

That heater is on the way out(and fast) winters here can hit -20F really fast. it was -40 with windchill last year(-20 without the wind) and that sucked. Not going to suffer through a winter with a heater that doesn't work

 

[Hedgehog]

If you don' have disk brakes you'll need all 4 brakes. Actually all you need are the backing plates, while it's nice to have parts like the emergency brake parts, all the rest of the brakes can be purchased. Warning! Backing plates are not that easy to find anymore. I wouldn't be surprised to find that there are other vehicles with the CJ brakes, but I don't know what they would be.

 

[tarry99]

I read about the 11" drums in the rear, going to try and figure out what exactly i need for those. There's a picknpull junk yard not to far away.

That heater is on the way out(and fast) winters here can hit -20F really fast. it was -40 with windchill last year(-20 without the wind) and that sucked. Not going to suffer through a winter with a heater that doesn't work

72-73 and later AMC / Jeep had 11" drum brakes front & rear and as time went on they started to put Disc's on the front around 1977.......there are plenty of aftermarket kits to get 11" drums on the back........the problem with Junk Yard sourcing is getting the right bolt patterns and axle offset for the brakes.

 

[Tidife]

I measure the back of the Rear drum. Looks like 11"(its slightly off since i wasn't centered. The front brakes are definitely like disc to me, but I'm definitely ignorant when it comes to whats what, though i recognize the drums due to their thickness, so therefore the thin one must be discs

 

[Hedgehog]

Oh my ..... it's been a very long time since I didn't know the difference between a drum and a disk brake. Listen son, none of his is very difficult, but if you are starting basically from the beginning take it slow, actually pay for a really good shop manual, the Haynes and Chilton shop manuals are only a beginning, you need a true shop manual and you will have to pay for one of those. I stress that because a lot of younger guys rely on free internet down loads. There is nothing better than a real manual in your hands or on the fender spending time with you while working.

Disk brakes are essentially fully exposed, the rotors are generally shinny and about 1" thick. The calipers, the part that squeezes the pads on the rotor, a blocky chunks of metal on the rotor. Drum brakes are fully enclosed by a cast iron "drum" like ummmm thingy or cover.

 

[tarry99]

I measure the back of the Rear drum. Looks like 11"(its slightly off since i wasn't centered. The front brakes are definitely like disc to me, but I'm definitely ignorant when it comes to whats what, though i recognize the drums due to their thickness, so therefore the thin one must be discs

Sorry.............you measure the distance inside the drum, Those are 10" on the rear......and as far as the Front, Hardly any resemblance to a real disc Brake. Dana 27 closed knuckle front axle and the original 9" Drum brakes up front...

Whatever the PO may have spent on other upgrades he missed the boat on the most basic need in any Jeep especially one with "Oversized" tires as yours has and that is Brakes.

Even box stock off the showroom floor with 7:00 x 15 tires those 9 inch drum
brakes were inadequate and were changed by most. It's no wonder your having braking issues ..........just not enough braking power with those small drums. The floor mounted pedals further complicates the issue also as there is really no way of adding a conventional vacuum booster.............Willys did have a Hydro-Vac brake boost system that was an option back in the day.........but was more like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

Once AMC bought Willys in 72 there legal department must have told them they need to upgrade the Brakes as that whole system was then revamped.

 

[Tidife]

Hahaha! Thanks for letting me know! Well, Tax season will provide me with adequate brakes then! i saw a couple kits online that had all the components, so if i can't find what i need in a junkyard then I will order them and avoid the hassle.

I do have
"1953-1971 JEEP CJ, DJ-5, UNIVERSAL Body, Chassis & Electrical Service Manual (SM-1046)"

My grandfather was a mechanic and emailed me a PDF of it to use., but most of the pictures with a lot of details(non diagrams) the contrast is so bad they just look blacked out!

 

[tarry99]

Hahaha! Thanks for letting me know! Well, Tax season will provide me with adequate brakes then! i saw a couple kits online that had all the components, so if i can't find what i need in a junkyard then I will order them and avoid the hassle.

I do have
"1953-1971 JEEP CJ, DJ-5, UNIVERSAL Body, Chassis & Electrical Service Manual (SM-1046)"

My grandfather was a mechanic and emailed me a PDF of it to use., but most of the pictures with a lot of details(non diagrams) the contrast is so bad they just look blacked out!

While prowling the wrecking yards if you were to happen on to a front Dana 30 axle out of a 77-78 CJ5 there is a good chance it could have Disc brakes on it.........optional both years and the package was called there "Big Brake" option, Single 3" piston caliper and 1.125 thick vented rotors on HD 6 bolt hubs........this is an open knuckle axle and much better than the older closed knuckle D-27 axle and will slip right under yours with minor changes to the steering. The spring pads are also in the same place and the other benefit is that it is 3" wider which will help with track width and add additional clearance inside for the tires........gear ratio may have to be changed to match your rear?......just a thought if you ran into one cheap.