Looking for CJ,..need help!

I feel your frustration. I looked for 4 years before I bought my first CJ. I wanted to spend 4 to 5 K and ended up spending just under 8K, but got a 42K mile rust free/mint, fully loaded.....you get the idea. I didn''t have to put any sizable $ into it for amost 10 years and even then it has been more reliable than a Toyota I owned. In short, don't buy junk unless you like to spend a lot of time and bucks. Those mounts are part of the frame condition and can hide rust problems under the bushings. Rust from the inside out is a problem too. Yes, you can buy just the mount extensions and reweld them on....kinda a big project. I feel that 5500 is high if it has all a lot of problems and such. Where are you looking for a CJ, the south and west US are good places to start for less rusty CJs. Carbs are always a PITA

Hi Allen,

in regards to the gas gauge, I think they probably are a problem, if the both the temp and the fuel gauge aren't working then the regulator in the fuel gauge is probably burned out, the gauges are easily replaced but, are not very reliable from my experience, I went to the expense of replacing mine only to have them burn out again within six months. in the end I bought aftermarket two inch gauges and made them fit into the instrument cluster, was a very tight fit but can be done, half the price and doesn't have that silly regulator thingy in them to burn out.

Glenn

You can't buy the perfect CJ. I've been using mine as the hobby. There will always be work to be done. If you have money that's cool, but I want you to know that this vehicle requires an owner that know how to use a wrench.

I agree with Paul. I have a 1973 CJ5 that I bought about 4 years ago for $2,800. All I was looking for was a Jeep with a solid frame, body, and ran. Let me tell you, that's all I got. A couple of months ago I ran through all the repairs and upgrades I've made and I've got, including purchase price, about $10k tied up in mine. It's in really good shape now but still requires a lot of attention. If you don't want to wrench on it at all then I'd probably shy away from the CJ's and look at the YJ's. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty then the CJ is the way to go. I love mine and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Good luck,

Casey Teague

In article , "Glenn Wainwright" wrote: in the end I bought

Glenn- Do you have pictures or a write up how you did this? I am about to try to fix mine but this sounds like a better way. What brand gauges did you use? How do they look?

No offense, but $5k is kind of a low budget if you are looking for a CJ in nice shape. The reason you are finding CJs with lots of rust and problems is because you're shopping in the bottom of the barrel. We spent $15k on our CJ. Admittedly that is the high end, but it was in near-perfect shape with brand new paint and 8-cyl engine, and zero leaks, rust, or other problems. Some people would laugh at paying that much for a CJ but it was worth that to us to get a solid vehicle right out of the box and not have to spend tons of time and money in repairs. And it's still better than any comparable new SUV you could get on a dealer's lot for the same price.

Your tale caused me to chuckle. I found a '76 CJ5 last year and went to look it over. From a glance my best sense said "run away, right now!", but it had a solid frame, no rust and it ran. (I didn't say it ran well!) Barely any oil pressure when warmed up, bad snapping racket from left rear (loose hub, I thought...right.), ugly maroon paint, add-a leaf rock hard suspension....love at first sight! It was a tailgate model, which I'm fond of, so I gave the guy $3,500 for it (about $3,500 more than it was worth) and he drove it about 20 miles to my house the next day. (He must have had a death wish.)

After stripping off all the home made bumpers, light bar, tire carrier, Mexican seat covers & other embarrassing crap, replacing the engine & clutch, rebuilding the rear end & installing new differential assy & one-piece axles, replacing the wiring harness, all new light assemblies, roll bar, steering & brakes, new rear drive shaft (old one was twisted nearly 45 degrees), new front u-joints, new seats & top, new Weber carb & DUI ignition, new gauges, new tires and a zillion other little parts, a complete strip to metal, body repair and repaint in the original Firecracker Red paint......Hey, it's nearly done!

To date I've (only?) got about $25k invested in it. I did most of the work myself, which saved a bundle, but otherwise, for anyone not in love with it wouldn't have been good for anything but a parts stripper and maybe a pigeon roost. Never have I seen a vehicle so completely abused & neglected. But, a fool,in love is a fool indeed.

Now it's in it's glory, looks & drives like a new vehicle and is an absolute blast to own. It draws crowds whenever its' parked downtown and, well, no it wasn't worth it, but it sure has been fun! (Hey, I'm retired, what else am I gong to do?)

Gee, I don't agree with that. I bought my 01 XJ Sport with 11k for around $15k a year ago. While I love CJs, I'd drive my XJ to South America if need be, not a CJ.

I d> No offense, but $5k is kind of a low budget if you are looking for a

Do not rush buying the CJ... I looked for months. I was going to buy one (actually had a loan and everything). Something about it was just not right (too leaky for me). He wanted $4900, talked him down to $4000. Last time I looked at it it had a major coolant leak. Decided not to buy. Actually put the whole "buy a jeep" thing on hold. About a month later, a guy in my neighborhood decided to sell his 85 CJ7. $3000 I found my jeep withing walking distance of my house (I didn't even know they owned a Jeep)! Plus his wife is HOT...

all that and no picture????????

Hey, I tried to UL a JPG of the CJ and it wouldn't post. Any trick to this I need to know?

Hey, thanks Bill. I'll check it out.

Ours was a CJ8 so there is somewhat a premium due to rarity of that model, but around here $5k would still be the very low end for a rustbucket CJ7.

Gee I looked at an 81 with glass body, frame looks good, but it runs ruff, been told by several seperate people that the engine/trans are shot, but this guy only wants $4,000.00 Canadian, about 3 K US, given that it looks brand new but may need a lot of engine transmition work, should I still be considering this vehicle?

I'd think you could have a rebuilt engine and tranny installed for under $3k...