Preparing to get my Jeep...advice on what to check?

My grandmother decided to give my my grandfather's old '65 CJ5 last summer. I'm finally getting ready to head out to her mountain and pick it up. He bought it in '73 as the second owner and has used it only as a camp vehicle/hunting vehicle ever since. He passed away in '88 and it's been sitting in my grandparent's barn ever since. My grandmother used to take it out quite often but as she's getting older, it hasn't been driven in a few years. I got to check it out last Thanksgiving and it's in great shape. Hardly any rust anywhere. I know my grandfather babied it and the barn storage has apparently done it well. Here's a list of things I can think of to check before firing it up. I already know it needs new tires, as the old ones are dry rotted, but despite that, it should be driveable. Here's what I'm planning on. Please add in anything else I should check.

Drain old gas
Change oil
Check differentials, transfer case and tranny fluid levels...probably just drain and replace old fluids.
Air filter
Spark plugs and wires too if need be
Belts
Most likely a new battery

I'm getting excited for this. It's just about foliage season here in Maine and my grandmother lives on a beautiful mountain, so I'm looking forward to the drive out, hopefully with a friend, and spending a little time on my grandfather's pride and joy. There's a sticker that he put on the dash that says "he who dies with the most toys wins"...my grandfather won.

 

Ditro, rotor, points, condenser. Might be able to get by with a small file to clean them up (nail file works good for me). Who knows what condition they are in. Where in Maine you headed. I grew up in Northern Maine. Just beautiful this time of the year.

....and welcome. Make sure to post pics when you can.

 

Heading to N. Waterford. I grew up in Chelsea, just south of Augusta. Thanks for the additions and I'll definitely be sure to post up some pictures once I go out there!

 

Add brakes to your list. I've had quite a bit of experience with cars that have been sitting for long periods of time, and the brakes almost never work. The wheel cylinders are often rusted in place, and the master cylinder doesn't usually work. If I were you, I'd bring along a set of wheel cylinder kits, and an MC rebuild kit. Total cost of the parts is pretty minimal. You'll want to check the bore of everything when you get them apart. Hopefully none of them will be pitted too bad. Bring a couple of big jugs of brake fluid and your favorite bleeding equipment . Or, maybe you'll get lucky and they'll work fine...I've never been that lucky :evil: .

 

Ditto. Brake fluid absorbs moisture, causes much grief. And I'd plan on replacing all the rubber brake hoses too. My brother redid the entire brake system on my '56 probably around 1978, then it sat inside a concrete building until I snagged it in Dec. 2004, and the brake system is shot. The m/c and wheel cylinders, and all the rubber hose, were wasted. The drums and shoes all still look great though! Shame I'm going with 11" brakes, but I'll keep the 9" stuff for another Jeep.

 

Congradulations! What a great story and legacy. Don't forget the cooling system and hoses. Bring anti-freeze and starting fluid.
Your list is getting and longer. Are you driving the jeep all the way home to? If it were me I would bring a trailor, a camera and have more time for reminising and enjoying the foliage.

 

If you have to replace all that brake stuff be sure to replace the regular fluid with SILICONE FLUID. You can leave it for years and years with no problems at all. But thats just my .02

 

No matter how well the jeep seems to run I'd assume that the brakes were no good.

If they appear to be good, I'd still assume they are no good.

Without getting into whether or not silicone brake fluid is better than the dot3, I wouldn't mix the brake fluid -- and if it is low I'd add the dot 3 that is most likely in it now.

YOu can change it later if you wish when you are rebuilding the entire brake system.......

 

agreed. definitely bring a trailer

 

For sure it won't mix and I allways put a tag on the cap to warn of that fact. I will never use DOT-3 in any vehicle that I restore or replace more than half of the brake system m/c,w/c's. But again that is only me. It last almost forever(long time) with no worry of rust or corrosion.

 

Are you planning on driving or trailering/towing the JEEP home with you?

Either way, I would spend some time to go through everything (already mentioned) and build confidence it it's roadworthiness before you drive it any great distance.

 

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to get on here. Thanks all for your helpful posts. I'm planning on going out this Saturday with my best friend. My grandfather did all his own work and the tools are out there for me to use, so I'm planning on doing as much as I can this weekend. Unfortunately I have no place to tow it to to work on it since my dad's getting ready to sell his house and is giving me a hard time about the project car I already have there. So the plan is to do as much as possible this weekend and see if I can get it driving. I know it needs tires, but that's going to wait until I know it's going to be road ready at which point I'll get the tires mounted and drive it to school. Thanks again for all your help!