When did heaters become standard equip?

I just got my 73 cj-5 a week ago today. For 11 months of the year it really won't matter, but I don't have a full top and it is COLD driving to work. I don't see any heater controls on my dash and strongly suspect I am SOL.

When did heaters become standard equip on CJs and when were they first offered as an option?

Thanks,
Jason

 

Do you see a black box under the passenger side of the dash????

 

Certainly the heater was standard equipment by 1972, and probably by the mid 60s. I expect that Jeep could build CJs without heaters in 1973 and you could probably special order without the heater ("heater delete"). However, unless you lived in Yuma and never drove outside the area, you probably wanted a heater.

As mentioned by BLACKMGTD, the heater is in a black fiberboard enclosure under the dash. The heater controls are plastic, hanging under the dash, and almost always broken. Could be that the heater in your Jeep was removed because it was leaking, and the owner only used the Jeep in the summer, or did not use a top.

I think I read in a previous thread that heaters were first optional in 1956 or thereabouts. The standard CJ heater prior to 1972 is sometimes known as the "placebo heater." The intermediate heater isn't great either, but it will warm the cabin with a top on. Even when new, these heaters did not produce much more than a warm breeze if the Jeep were topless - hardly enough to warm your toes in cold weather.

 

The only box there is the glove compartment. I did get the 5 from the original owner who purchased it in Florida and it has been here it's entire life. The PO also had the tub blasted and repainted, so either it never had one or he just took it out when he realized it wasn't used for 35 years.

 

Does anyone have a photo of what it looks like just behind the dash on their inter CJ-5? All I have are the gauges and the glove box. In addition to the heater I think I am missing the fresh air venting and the drain for water that comes in through the hood vent.

 

Plenty of pics in the Gallery link above. (top of page). Great resource.

 

I agree, but I looked and didn't see any of under the dash. I'm at work now, but if I get home in time I will try to take one of mine; that should help some.

 

I have a 74 with stock cables, etc I could take pics of and host tonight.

 

There are pics of the controls, but I think he's looking for pics of the actual heater assembly itself, which I didn't see in the gallery for a CJ of his vintage.

 

The heater was still an option in 1971.

 

this is a 73' its not a picture of the heater directly but it shows it under the dash with the controls

 

OK, here is a photo of my clean, but empty under-dash. You can see the hood vent and the black glove box. I'm sure stuff is missing, I'm just not sure what. Feel free to fill me in.

At a minimum I want to add back the drainage parts (not sure what they are actually called) that would allow water coming in from the hood vent to flow out of the jeep instead of onto the backs of my gauges and my currently rust free floor boards.

And if it isn't too difficult, and was an option for my 73 CJ, I would like to add a fresh air vent and a heater.

Thanks for the help,
Jason