1. Home
  2. Jeep and Willys (new and old)
  3. 78 CJ5

78 CJ5

There is a guy up the road with a '78 CJ5 that he is considering selling next year.

The only time I looked underneath was before I heard he might sell so I did not examine it carefully mostly out of curiosity.

I have some interest in it.....

The frame and underbody appears to be in good shape, there were no obvious rust/rot holes. The underneath is painted/coated black.

The inside of the tub is herculined in black and appears to be fairly well done

The dash has the original gauges, and an aftermarket radio and a 3 pack of aftermarket gauges (oil pressure, water temperature, volts) that were properly installed in the dash. I don't recall the mileage... I have the vague sense it was less than 100k (or less than 200k or 300k)

The seats are in reasonable shape, I assume they are replacement seats or covers.

He had told me in the past (before he considered selling it) that the running gear was recently inspected and all worn components rebuilt/replaced and I have no reason to doubt this.

The engine (I-6) runs well when warm, it will occasionally have a delay in starting (more than a few seconds of cranking) and sometimes a stumble for a few seconds after starting (only when cold) that I can hear as he heads down the road past me.

It has had a full roll bar set which is welded to plates bolted directly to the frame (no to the floor)

Considering its age (28) the body is in pretty good shape however there are some larger areas of bubbled paint indicating there is something going on below. There is no obvious body damage and the only body shop attention I can recall is that it has been painted a number of times to the point where the edges of fasteners are obscured.

The tires are 'Mud King XTs' which I know to be lower quality BFGs and are in fair shape.

The soft top and doors are in good shake, the latching mechanism works well. He removes the doors when it is not raining and they come on and off easily.

I did not ask why he was considering selling, but for what it is worth, he bought a new 4X4 F150 Short Bed this summer (he works at the Ford Transmission Plant)

Now I realize this is a completely unfair question but....... What would something like this go for?

Reply to
billy ray
Loading thread data ...

Undercoating and herculiner can do an exemplary job of hiding rust underneath. I have seen vast expanses of undercoating with nothing behind it but a fragile web of rust. For some reason, the undercoating stays in place until someone buys the vehicle. Poke the floor with a screwdriver if the owner will let you.

I am thinking $2,000-$4,000. I saw one more or less like this going for $3,500 a few years ago in Grand Junction.

Earle

rebuilt/replaced

Reply to
Earle Horton

Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

In article , billy ray wrote: [stuff deleted]

I think he probably feels he is going to get layed off soon. 40K Ford employees getting the axe. I wonder if this plant will get closed?

I would say a few thousand....

Reply to
Peter Parker

Ohio's pollution controls only go back 25 years but they were done away with last year because the only cars failing weren't subjects to the law anyway...

They still test for emissions in Cleveland but that may be from to much Kielbasa and Great Lakes Beer. The test is now free.

I wandered by the CJ this afternoon in-between the rain showers (2 more inches tonight). There is a rust through on the driver front fender and I see the CJ former color was blue.

The frame on both sides shows signs of repairs and reinforcements, mostly in the back where you would expect them

The tires show no evidence of odd wear so I am assuming that the frame has been straight and true for the life of these tires..

The front bumper is a section of channel and the rear is an aftermarket or home made with a sturdy welded bracket for the spare. I couldn't see the spare itself as it is covered but it appears, from my window, to be about the same size as the mounted 33s.

The suspension is lifted, not the body

I like his idea for a cigarette lighter powered drill, too bad I just threw one away. I suppose I can find one on eBay with batteries that won't hold a charge cheap...

I'd have no interest in restoring the thing to showroom, just keep it road and trail worthy for the limited time (few years) my back would allow a CJ. I started wondering about this when I heard he might be selling next year.

My real interest was in picking up another XJ, the benefits of a better ride and being able to get in out of the rain when camping will probably over ride the loss in trailworthiness caused by the longer wheelbase..

Reply to
billy ray

Could be, he sold his Harley about a month ago.

Reply to
billy ray

I have developed a policy of not buying any vehicle that is not its original color. Every time I bought one, the bondo started cracking and falling off muy pronto. I take a dim view of performance and off-road modifications too. I would run, not walk, from any vehicle with frame repairs or reinforcements. New Mexico is the place to buy rust-free XJs that have never been hit or taken off road. I would rather deal with a worn out power train than rust repairs.

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

It makes you wonder. I read or saw on TV comparison vehicles which included the Ford Fusion. Honda, Toyota, Nissan etc etc. Guess which one was not built in the USA? Yep, the Fusion was built in Mexico as per the article.

Reply to
Peter Parker

I would keep on looking....

A vehicle that has been modified has normally been driven to the limits of it's modifications. This puts a 'lot' of wear on parts.

When the frame is rotted, it goes in the weakest or the highest stress spots first, the back. Once the back is reinforced it becomes too strong with no flex so the stress heads to the front. Usually the front driver's side. Then once you reinforce the front after it cracks, the same thing happens, no flex and too strong so the sucker snaps in the middle.

This makes for a Sunday driver only, it is not good for serious trail running anymore.

Then the body.... Well, that undercoating is sure excellent at covering up rot. My body tub 'looked' great, but when I jacked it up off the frame via the roll bar, the floor turned out to be pure undercoating with some fiberglass mesh which fell out, the tailgate was only held on by this so it fell off, the front cowl had nothing to grab onto so it fell off and I was left with two fenders hanging off the roll bar...

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
Reply to
Mike Romain

Well.... I'm probably going back to my XJ plan that we discussed last year...

Reply to
billy ray

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.