New '70 CJ5 Owner

I would love to attend one of the Mid Tn get togethers. Is there a calendar of those somewhere?

To answer a few of the questions... we are flying into Hartford, CT on the 26th to pick the Jeep up. Will be coming back through NYC, Phili, and DC, then down the Blue Ridge (if it is behaving well), in through Bristol, TN, and on over to Nashville. Theresa has never seen DC or NYC, so that was my bribe to get her to join me on this little adventure. Otherwise, she thinks I am nuts.

I am also debating sending it to a mechanic before I go pick it up. The upsise would be I could get all fluids flushed/refilled, belts and hoses checked, new battery, brakes checked, etc. The downside, I can't tell if they did everything I am charged for. I think I may go for the drive it for an hour and see what breaks way of thought and take some spare parts with me.

 

Sounds like it will be a great adventure for both of you. As long as you check everything out beforehand so that you don't have any trouble along the way. I hope everything goes well for you.



The main thing I would like to seriously warn you about since this is your first Jeep is the fact that they are very addictive. Should Theresa decide she wants to drive it anywhere along the journey, there is a good chance she will take it away from you and you will soon be looking for another Jeep.

 

I just bought my newest Jeep in Charleston, SC and I drove it back. :twisted:

I made a mini vacation of the trip. I had a blast!!

 

Good idea to crawl under the jeep and check both sidewalls for dry rot.

Welcome, I hope you find the trip enjoyable.

 

Shot ya a pm.

 

I drove mine home about 8 miles and it terrified me! Mainly because of the drum brakes on the front. It hadn't been driven in quite a while and I was never sure what lane I would end up in when I braked. Still pulls a bit to the left but easily compensated for. (1st jeep, 1st time driving one) Have learned an incredible amount from all these guys. Feel much better about my purchase than I did after that first drive!

What an adventure though. Good luck and have fun!

 

Man, if there was any way to put that jeep on a trailer and bring it home that way, I'd do it. Even flat towing with a tow bar is risky.

It is a 36 year old vehicle with unknown maintenance, and possibly some Budwiser engineering.

If you must drive it, bring plenty of extra cash, tools and a cell phone.

Make sure there is plenty of oil in trans and transfer case. In many cases I have found water in the trans - not just a little, but a lot, so if you can, drain them and refill. If there is water in one, they'll be water in both.

brake fluid
tires - spare - jack
gas can - full
two 1 gallon jugs full of water
windshield wipers
rope - stout manila rope, not clothesline
duct tape
fire extinguisher
several cans of oil
jumper cables.
tools
St Christopher statue - hey, take all the help you can get!

Good luck!!!

 

I can't believe nobody's mentioned fuel filters! I'd definitely change whatever filters it has, and bring a couple spares along. Who knows what's inside the tank. Has this Jeep been sitting, or was it driven frequently?

I'm too old and cynical (experienced?) to drive to drive a strange vehicle that kind of distance. I know Murphy well enough to know he'd be waiting for me in the middle of nowhere.

But hey, adventures are good!

 

I now have a new term for most of my work.



And Rondog, all I can say is.... DOH!!!! I can't believe I forgot to mention fuel filters.

 

Alright! Another '70.

battery/cables/alternator
brakes!!!!
fuel filters - in-line & carb
check/change oil & coolant
t-case/trans/diff fluids
belts/hoses
steering?
front wheel bearings

think boy scout motto: Be Prepared

I think you've got a 50/50 chance of making it. More importantly you'll have a great adventure. Good Luck.

 

Be sure the oil pressure and water temp guages work. You'd want to stop if either went out of normal range, rather than just having the engine quit on you and finding no oil or an overheat. Other than that, just get in it and go.

 

Thanks to all for your help! Theresa, the Jeep, and I all made it safely back to Tennessee from Connecticut. Granted, Theresa said most of the time that she wanted to find me, she had to either look under the hood or the Jeep, but all 3 of us had a great time. She leaks like mad, took 5 quarts of oil to go 1100 miles. I think she now needs transmission or transfger case fluid, not sure which. Checking those again later today. Close to home she really started leaking from one of those spots. We got MAJORLY wet one day. Outside of Phili we saw a big storm blowing in and pulled over at target to get garbage bads for our stuff and rain gear for us. (it has a soft top but has a LOT of play in it, will figure that out later) Too late when Theresa came back out... it was pouring and I was drenched, but all of our stuff had been moved to safety. We bagged the gear and when it came time to go... she also found out the other bit of interesting news. The Jeep would not start back up. I had discovered this when trying to turn it around to point the front end towards the storm to use the windshield as protection. So, she finally got her chance to drive. I pushed it out of the parking space and down the aisle of the Target parking lot. Thank goodness it wasn't uphill. After a bit of pushing, I told her to pop the clutch and we were off. The rest of the day was spent poping the clutch. The next day, it started just fine in the morning (thank goodness. I had selected the hotel based upon the fact that that parking lot had a nice slope to it and was long, but would much rather use the key) but then after the third gas stop, we popped the clutch again. One stop later, I was positioned to pop, Theresa said she would start, I tried, and sure enough, the Jeep started the rest of the trip. A little confusing, but I will look into that later.

All ina ll, we had a great time, we got lost in New Haven, CT. turned around in NYC. Did a speed through tour of DC at midnight, but had a blast the entire time.

Once again, thanks for all of your help!

robert