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I had read a post on what to look for when buying a jeep I thought it was on this site but I may be mistaken. The gist of it was there are four parts to a jeep etc. I can't remember how it was titled and am having tough time locating it. Ring any bells? T.I.A
83 CJ7 350 tbi, TH350, D300 twin sticked & clocked, narrowed Chief D44 Eaton Elocker & Moser shafts, Explorer 8.8 Detroit locker, 410's, RE 4.5" spring lift 1" body lift, 35" Claws, cage tied to frame, Corbeau baja seats, HD tie rod and draglink, u-bolts flipped, custom skid plate and sliders, Warn 9.5ti winch with Amsteel synthetic line
1979 Jeep CJ5 with 304 V8, T18 Transmission, Dana 20 Transfer case with TeraLow 3:1 gears, 4.88 axle gears, Detroit Locker up front and Ox Locker in back with 1 piece axle shafts, 36" SuperSwamper SX Tires, Shackle reversal, MileMarker Hydraulic winch, MSD 6A ignition.
Another piece of advice: Try to start out with good equipment.
When you buy your first jeep it's hard to know what to get and what to avoid. Here are some things to take into consideration for the drive line:
Axles:
Most CJs have a Dana 30 up front and a AMC Model 20 rear end. If you get a AMC20 it is best if the PO installed a One Piece axle kit.
Actually the best rear end is the Dana 44 but they might be hard to find unless you go back well into the '70s.
Engines:
Jeep CJs have had some good V8s and Strait Sixes (AMC 304 & AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l ).
You might want to avoid the Four Cylinders.
Misc:
Look for Power Steering and Power Brakes. They really help out especially if you have oversized tires.
It is very hard (if not impossible) to find a jeep with all the best of each component but it helps to know what to look for and what to avoid.
Almost forgot about Transfer Cases:
Jeep has used some excellent Gear driven Transfer Cases. The Dana 300 , 20 and 18 Transfer Cases are all excellent TCases. The Dana 300 has the lowest 4WD Low (2.62) of the bunch.
Just try to avoid the QuadraTrac all wheel drive TCase.
I thought it was in one of Brocks useful links but I could'nt find it there and a search on site and google came up empty. Thanx for looking guys I should have bookmarked it when I was reading it, maybe it was on another jeep forum.:dunno:
No that wasn't the one I was looking for either. The one I was looking for pretty much said a jeep has four parts Drivetrain,Body ,Frame and I think Electrical and gave good tips on what to make sure to check on the cj to help determine what in your opinion how much to pay and how much work you are in for.
IIRC, that post was someone that was a first time buyer, and had one they were looking at already, and wanted an opinion. It quickly turned into several pages of comments and suggestions. Does that sound familiar?
IIRC, that post was someone that was a first time buyer, and had one they were looking at already, and wanted an opinion. It quickly turned into several pages of comments and suggestions. Does that sound familiar?
Damn I know I read it in a forum somewhere and now I am ready to buy. So I guess I'll just have to use good ol common sense as to what I am getting into. I know I had said I wanted a CJ5 but as things go Ive run across several 7s and 2 8s that almost fit my criteria. Good lookin out my brothas, willl try to post up on how it goes. BTW about how much weight can I save with a fiberglass tub? Just a ball park will be fine.
After owning a CJ5 which I really like the 7 or 8 would be better, more room for and passengers. I'd love to get a CJ8 .
My advise is buy the most stock CJ you can afford, less PO to fix.
Look for rust, frame cracks around suspension and steering box.
Avoid jeeps that have add-ons that cover body panels, sheet metal, diamond plate, or spray on liner. Take a small magnet to hunt for suspicious bondo spots.
Just because something has a leak doesn't mean it's bad.
Also check the fluids, all the fluids, it'll say alot about the maintenance of the vehicle.
83 CJ7 350 tbi, TH350, D300 twin sticked & clocked, narrowed Chief D44 Eaton Elocker & Moser shafts, Explorer 8.8 Detroit locker, 410's, RE 4.5" spring lift 1" body lift, 35" Claws, cage tied to frame, Corbeau baja seats, HD tie rod and draglink, u-bolts flipped, custom skid plate and sliders, Warn 9.5ti winch with Amsteel synthetic line
1979 Jeep CJ5 with 304 V8, T18 Transmission, Dana 20 Transfer case with TeraLow 3:1 gears, 4.88 axle gears, Detroit Locker up front and Ox Locker in back with 1 piece axle shafts, 36" SuperSwamper SX Tires, Shackle reversal, MileMarker Hydraulic winch, MSD 6A ignition.
If you want the very lightest body money can buy it will be fiberglass. If you watch racing you will see bodies that are very flimsy and light. But they almost fall off before the race is over. If you want something that will hold up to off-road abuse then a HD fiberglass body will be heavier than a steel body.
This topic is not clear cut but I agree with Old Dog. I would stick with a steel body.
Fiberglass bodies were very common in the '80s but if you weigh all the options I would say a steel body is best.
1979 Jeep CJ5 with 304 V8, T18 Transmission, Dana 20 Transfer case with TeraLow 3:1 gears, 4.88 axle gears, Detroit Locker up front and Ox Locker in back with 1 piece axle shafts, 36" SuperSwamper SX Tires, Shackle reversal, MileMarker Hydraulic winch, MSD 6A ignition.
and passengers. I'd love to get a 