• Hello Guest, we are proud to now have our Wiki online that is completely compiled and written by our members. Feel free to browse our Jeep-CJ Wiki or click on any orange keyword when looking at posts in the forum.

What to look for when buying a CJ?

Highlights Only
What to look for when buying a CJ?
M

McHolla

Jeeper
Posts
12
Thanks
0
Location
Fishers, IN
I have always been a big fan of the jeep CJ's but never had the resources to have a vehicle that was not a daily driver. Recently that has changed and I have begun the process of trying to find the right CJ to make a toy. Any suggestions as to what I should be looking for? Currently I am leaning towards the CJ7 over the CJ5 because of the longer wheel base and better availability of parts. Any thoughts on the inline six compared to the AMC 304 V8? What about transmision? Any thoughts on a good place to track down these older jeeps, seems like there are less and less of these in resonable shape out there.

I amn ot looking for an extreme rock crawler or a full restoration show jeep, rather something I can take the door and top off of and have a good time on trails as well as the road.

Thank you,

Jeff
 
The biggest thing that kills CJs is rust in the body and frames. So you should climb under it and check the frame and stay away from one with new paint because you don't know what kind of hack job has been done to it and what the paint is hiding. And take out and drive it If it is in pretty good shape it will drive nice if it all over the road keep looking. Oh and :ww:
 
It is going to come down to costs in the end. The better condition it is in the more you are likely to pay. A rust bucket that barely runs will be cheap...where as something restored will cost more in relation to the amount it has been restored. I went with something in between myself. Some rust, but not rusted through. I am now cutting out the rust and taking it to bare metal. Same with the engine. My AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l is strong, but I plan on getting rid of the POS carb on it and doing a team rush upgrade to get the most out of the engine. If you want to use on the road and trails without doing the really rough roads, than a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l with a 5 speed will be good, but the v-6 and v-8's are good engines with lots of parts. I would check out different set ups of members here to get ideas and then pick something that fits what you are wanting to get out of your jeep. BEst of luck.
 
mtnwhlr said:
The biggest thing that kills CJs is rust in the body and frames. So you should climb under it and check the frame and stay away from one with new paint because you don't know what kind of hack job has been done to it and what the paint is hiding. And take out and drive it If it is in pretty good shape it will drive nice if it all over the road keep looking. Oh and :ww:
Click to expand...

Am I correct when I say rust is a bigger issue on the frames as the body paenls, tubs etc are pretty readily available? Also I have heard differing opinions on the different frame styles. Seen some guys that swear by the older C channel style frame because they can be cleaned out. While some guys like the newer fully boxed frame. Any opinions?

Thank you,

Jeff
 
As stated before climb under it and check it out. I took a screwdrive along with me to prob any places that looked suspect. Give it a nice poke and see what happens. If it flakes off or acually sticks though I would keep looking all depends on the amount of rebuilding you want to undertake. Also look for bent parts. One thing I looked at is spring perchs, to see if bent cracked and such. Also check for cracks in the frame. Look at the crossmember for big dents and stuff. IF you find things of this nature it can tell you how hard it's been wheeled and taken care of.
 
McHolla said:
Am I correct when I say rust is a bigger issue on the frames as the body paenls, tubs etc are pretty readily available? Also I have heard differing opinions on the different frame styles. Seen some guys that swear by the older C channel style frame because they can be cleaned out. While some guys like the newer fully boxed frame. Any opinions?

Thank you,

Jeff
Click to expand...
Yes you are correct on the first part. As far as frame type I think the newer boxed ones are stronger and like the widetrac axles better. But like I said the big thing is making sure it drives nice. My CJ7 drives as good or better than my wifes Cherokee Limited .
 
Any thoughts on prefered motor? I have seen some guys looking for AMC 304 so they can yank them out and put in a 360 or 401. For what I am doing that is would be majore overkill. Should I still favor the AMC 304 V8 or is the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l i6 just as good and reliable of a power plant?

Thank you,

Jeff
 
McHolla said:
Any thoughts on prefered motor? I have seen some guys looking for AMC 304 so they can yank them out and put in a 360 or 401. For what I am doing that is would be majore overkill. Should I still favor the AMC 304 V8 or is the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l i6 just as good and reliable of a power plant?

Thank you,

Jeff
Click to expand...

The AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l is a great motor. Very reliable and strong. The CJ7 I used to have had a stock AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and without giving it any gas it would idle over rocks and rough terrain.

BTW I have a AMC 304 and love it. I just don't' think they are necessary.

Just avoid the 4 bangers. CJ 4 Cylinder Choices
 
McHolla said:
Since you have had both the AMC 304 and the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l , is either one easier to get parts for than the other?

Thanks,

Jeff
Click to expand...

CJs are 30 or more years old so plan on replacing parts. But as far as price and availability; both the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and AMC 304 are easy to find parts for and they are inexpensive. I live in a small town and I can almost always get parts locally.
 
BusaDave9 said:
CJs are 30 or more years old so plan on replacing parts. But as far as price and availability; both the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and AMC 304 are easy to find parts for and they are inexpensive. I live in a small town and I can almost always get parts locally.
Click to expand...


Good enough for me. I know they are going to need work, I just to want to end up having to order parts online and weight 2-4 weeks to get a part that I need. if I can got to Napa, Autozone, etc. and get what I need, life is good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Jeep-CJ Donation Drive

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a contribution.

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a contribution.
Goal
$200.00
Earned
$0.00
This donation drive ends in
0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds
  0.0%
Contribute
Back
Top Bottom