Build Thread Our CJ5

Jimmyp · Jun 19, 2018

Hey Friends,

I just bought my son a 1980 CJ5 for his 15th birthday and will be surprising him tomorrow. With that in mind I wanted to go ahead and put together a build thread.

To date we have a 1980 CJ5 with a chevy 305 a 3"lift and micky thompson wheels with 35s i believe. Pictures will be attached.

To Do list:

Clean up rust spots
Get 4wd working upfront (new internals and pumpkin)
Rhinoline the entire vehicle in and out
Replace windshield
replace lights with leds
Add a softop and doors
Suspension conversion with EMU lift
Swap a 350 in for the 305
Add bumpers Procomp front and LOD rear

I think this is the start of what we are working on.

Jimmyp · Jun 19, 2018

Hoping I attached the pictures correctly.

mtnwhlr · Jun 19, 2018

As a dad that has raised 5 kids I would get him driving good in a car before letting him behind the wheel of a CJ5 .

Jimmyp · Jun 19, 2018

He has a whole year to learn in my lifted ram and my wifes lifted grand cherokee.

jp360cj · Jun 20, 2018

He'll remember this day for a long time. I've had my '7 since I was 16 and learned a lot working on it during high school, and even more since then. I've added a few comments/suggestions..Also, check the tire size. They look more like a 33 to me.

Jimmyp said:
Hey Friends,

I just bought my son a 1980 CJ5 for his 15th birthday and will be surprising him tomorrow. With that in mind I wanted to go ahead and put together a build thread.

To date we have a 1980 CJ5 with a chevy 305 a 3"lift and micky thompson wheels with 35s i believe. Pictures will be attached.

To Do list:

Clean up rust spots
Get 4wd working upfront (new internals and pumpkin) ..Those look like the stock narrow track axles. I would look for a set of matching widetracks (82-86 CJ7 or CJ8 )for the front and rear. They're ~4" wider and will add some stability. If you find them from an orginial 4 cyl they'll have 3.54s or 4.10s and will probably be cheaper than rebuilding the front.
Rhinoline the entire vehicle in and out
Replace windshield Check with a local auto glass company. These windshields are flat glass and they can usually get them pretty cheap or cut them.
replace lights with leds I did this with my dash lights and it's really nice to actually see the gauges at night. Also look into adding relays to the headlight circuit. Even if you LED in the headlights the relays will make a big difference.
Add a softop and doors The Bestop Supertop is expensive but is a nice top. The doors are 2 piece and the rear/side windows are removable. If it gets hot where you live and he will be DD'ing it in the summer, look into a bikini top. They're fairly cheap (under $100 for most) and well worth it for some shade.
Suspension conversion with EMU lift From what I've heard that's a great choice.
Swap a 350 in for the 305 Just FYI, looks like you probably have an SR4 Transmission . I'm surprised it has held up to the 305 and would be very surprised if it lasted any length of time with a 350 and a teenage driver. I would start looking for an upgrade.
Add bumpers Procomp front and LOD rear

I think this is the start of what we are working on.

JimsCJ5 · Jun 20, 2018

mtnwhlr said:
As a dad that has raised 5 kids I would get him driving good in a car before letting him behind the wheel of a CJ5 .

This is wisdom. A lifted CJ5 with 35s is a lot different than a lifted truck or Cherokee. Short, tall, too much power and a teenage driver is a bad combination.

Jimmyp · Jun 20, 2018

jp360cj said:
He'll remember this day for a long time. I've had my '7 since I was 16 and learned a lot working on it during high school, and even more since then. I've added a few comments/suggestions..Also, check the tire size. They look more like a 33 to me.

This is great info. Thy are 33s and Transmission is something I will be doing ASAP after reading some threads on here.

JeffP · Jun 20, 2018

Jimmyp said:
Hey Friends,

I just bought my son a 1980 CJ5 for his 15th birthday and will be surprising him tomorrow. With that in mind I wanted to go ahead and put together a build thread.

To date we have a 1980 CJ5 with a chevy 305 a 3"lift and micky thompson wheels with 35s i believe. Pictures will be attached.

To Do list:

Clean up rust spots
Get 4wd working upfront (new internals and pumpkin)
Rhinoline the entire vehicle in and out
Replace windshield
replace lights with leds
Add a softop and doors
Suspension conversion with EMU lift
Swap a 350 in for the 305
Add bumpers Procomp front and LOD rear

I think this is the start of what we are working on.

While I’m excited for your kid the thought of an inexperienced driver in a short wheelbased, lifted Jeep with way too much power terrifies me.
My suggestion is that he learn to drive THAT before something that handles better. Or... AMC 150 years of driving experience.
My impression is that you haven’t driven it yourself yet. Done ranting, back to the good stuff.
Besides all that... VERY nice looking Jeep.
I’ve never been a Chevy guy but it’s not a bad choice. Keep in mind that the small block Ford ((Windsor series) bolts up to the Transmission with no adapters. A fuel injected 302 or 351 would be incredible.
I’m not impressed with the AMC 304 either, even though I still have several. The AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l I6,in my opinion is a MUCH better engine. But we all know the saying about opinions.
I’d think twice about Rhinolining the outside. Under and inside the tub might be a good idea, outside not so much. It will decrease the value considerably.
Speaking of value... check NADA guides for classic cars & look yours up. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Returned to stock it’s worth far more than most think. Of the 620,000 CJs made only a handful are left!

Belizean · Jun 20, 2018

mtnwhlr said:
As a dad that has raised 5 kids I would get him driving good in a car before letting him behind the wheel of a CJ5 .

It's good to see he has a pretty good roll cage for that 5

gert · Jun 21, 2018

man that sure is a nice CJ

Jimmyp · Jun 21, 2018

gert said:
man that sure is a nice CJ

Thank you.

We have decided instead of rhino lining the houside we are going to do the inside and bottom but keep it the root beer color that it is. He absolutely fell In love with it the moment he saw it.

Jimmyp · Oct 23, 2019

Updates full frame off restoration.

Here are the pics throughout the process.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jimmyp · Oct 23, 2019

Jimmyp said:
Updates full frame off restoration.

Here are the pics throughout the process.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk