New 75

Hello all,
Long time lurker first time poster.
I recently purchased a 75 CJ5.
Here are the specifics:
- Engine: 285
- Transmission: T18 (4 speed)
- Transfer: Dana 20
- Axles: Front Dana 30 / Rear Dana 44
- PO added a 21 gallon fuel tank

It's got just under 56k original miles.
Other notable thing is that it's got the factory 60/40 front bench which I understand is rare. They need to be re-upholstered.

The engine runs like a champ, cranks right over with no issues and runs strong.
The biggest issue I have is some rust (see pics below), there are a couple of holes in the floor near the factory drain holes. More troubling is that where the driver seat mounts in the rear, the rust has cracked a section about 2" long that causes the driver seat to flex quite a bit.

The PO also added some diamond plated corners. I removed them and found that the passenger side rear quarter panel has some significant damage.

I don't have any experience welding so I'm wondering how extensive my rust and quarter panel damage is.
Anyone able to tell from the attached pics?
Thanks!

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The cracking in the rear corners is bondo. I'm sure it was dented or otherwise damaged and someone put bondo back there...probably too thick. You'll have to remove it before gauging damage.

Otherwise, I'd say that your metal problems look pretty good...at least compared to a lot of others that I've seen. You'll probably need to learn to weld or find a friend that does welding, that's the best way to fix cracks like the one in the pic under the driver bracket.

 

Looks pretty good to me. The 258/T-18 combo is a really good one - that's a desirable Jeep! What's your axle ratio?

I suggest you read up on rust treatment and stabilize the existing rust. I don't see any major body cancer... that hole in the passenger floor is from the factory steps being ripped off by a rock or such. If you aren't going to weld, I suggest you get some sheet steel and glue and pop rivet a patch over the top of the crack under the seat bracket. You can easily make it strong enough, but it won't be a very pretty repair.

The rear fender was likely bent up by hitting something with the spare tire that was originally mounted there. This is typical:

 

Looks Good!
Welcome to the "Jeep Addicts" corner!
Wear a dust mask when grinding that sheet or you'll be sorry
Over all it looks solid!
Once you grind that body filler off, don't be surprised that the rust holes are twice as big!
Remember the key to good body work is to get rid of the rust and weak metal before you fill it up.
If you got the $$$ grind the suspect areas and have someone sand blast it to really clean it up.
A welding shop, a body shop, (even a hole-in-the wall shop with cheap labor rates) can spot weld plates on your floor and metal to where the spare tire was, (the holes on the side).
Mine '74 CJ5 has the 60/40, the "look that's cool" factor when I purchase it). They are cool seat and odd, (hence why I got it, "odd attacts".
Body work is pretty easy when you get the hang of it, it takes practice, (I tell my boys it like icing a cake, and jeeps are flat, makes it easy to do!).
Joe
My name is Joe and I'm a Jeep addict:v6:R)

 

Thanks for the responses!
Good to hear that it's probably not as bad as I thought it might be.
This is my first stab at doing any type of restoration work but I'm committed to doing as much as I can myself.

@timgr, is there an easy way to determine what the axle ratios are? One of the things on my to do list is to change the fluids, I'm assuming that I can determine what they are when I do the front and rear diffs. Are there any markings/codes that would show what was installed from the factory?

 

There should be a tag or two on each axle, with the Jeep PN, the Dana PN and the axle ratio. The rear may also have a "use limited slip oil" tag - the TracLock LSD was a popular option.

Failing the tags, look at the edge of the ring gear for the tooth counts. For example "41 11" would be 41 and 11 on th ring and pinion resp. 44/11 = 3.73:1 ratio. The 3.73:1 ratio was standard, and 4.27:1 was optional.

 

Look for one of these on the drivers side of the rear diff cover