New 67 CJ5 owner

I have a few questions about the 67 CJ5 I will be picking up in March.
Right now it is sitting on a ranch down in Sanderson TX. Sanderson is
about 40 miles N. of the Texas/Mexico border near the Big Bend area.
Rocky and desert like area.
From what I can tell, have not seen it in person, is that it has the V6
due to the V6 emblem I can see under the JEEP name. I am planning
on restoring this JEEP so here are my questions.

1. What are the problem/weak areas of this jeep
2. What are the strong areas of this jeep


Thank you in advance.

Monty

 

For one, it will most likely has the T-86AA tranny if stock. This tranny will not take very much abuse and parts are hard to come by/costly. Many owners have opted to change to a different tranny when the T-86 breaks.

 

Monty,
I think this would depend on what your intended use is. If you are restoring it to original, then the challenge will be undoing what previous owners have done. If you plan on making it a daily driver, then you can read through this forum and other jeep forums and find a wide range of issues. If you are wanting a "rock crawler" etc, the whole drive train needs upgrading.

The Kaiser jeeps are notorious for drive train issues. They were made for work, not for play. I also think the brakes were a little under sized and had a single master cylinder which are not great for safety. Also, if it has been used as a working jeep all these years its' wiring probably is a rat's nest. The early jeeps used a single drum transmission brake as the parking brake which works great unless you actually park on an incline.

I have had a 225 V6 jeep for many years and have never really liked the dauntless V6 because it is unbalanced and shakes the jeep constantly. When idling it has a strange lope that makes you think it is going to die, even at 700 rpm. You will see posts from others that love the Dauntless and will bad mouth me for saying these things about it, but that is my opinion.

These comments are just my opinion. The regular contributors to this forum such as Mr. Couch (above) are very knowledgeable and seem very prompt in helping members solve their cj5 problems.

Do you have a photo of the jeep you can post?

Grant

 

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I plan on restoring it. I have an 88 YJ as a DD and an 87 YJ that will be heavily modified. I really want at least one JEEP that is bone stock and have decided this 67 is going to be the one. Probably drive it home on the weekends to play around with, and take it up to the Canadian river when my brother and dad go. I recently just finished an 81 Scrambler for my dad so with dad's Scrambler, my YJ and now the '5 all three of us will have something drive. Pretty much my plans but now the wife is wanting a JEEP and she is wanting me to do the 87 for her. So many decisions. Kind of funny though, about 2 years ago my family did not even own a JEEP. Now I have 3 and one 95 YJ parts JEEP, my dad has his Scrambler and my in-laws just bought a 97 TJ. So I guess you can say we got bit by the bug pretty hard.

 

WOW that jeep looks in good shape. You have found a jewel in the rough. A few little dings on the body, needs a windshield. The little dings around the rear wheel well are the spot welds from the factory. You see them on a lot of early cj5s. It still has the step for the passenger, but it looks higher than original. The original steps hung down about 4 or 5", but they constantly got caught on rocks etc when four wheeling, so people either took them off or they got accidentally torn off or people modified them to raise them up like this.

The jeep is not sagging to the rear which means the springs are probably in good shape. It looks like the rear axle is the flanged type which I think is a good thing but you might ask around. Early CJ-5's came with flanged axles or tapered axles, I think the consensus is the flanged is better.
The side mount tire carrier still in place! Those were usually the first thing to go! The side mount tires tend to catch trees when out four wheeling. It looks like the back up lights are still in place- another sign of a very stock jeep. Those look like the original seats also. I think that is an original paint color. That is one stock jeep!

If the jeep has been in west Texas its whole life I doubt you will see much rust. On the side of the body ahead of the passenger entry you can see where the body bulges out a little. Probably a little corrosion there but not near as bad as some are. When jeeps are topless and sit in the rain, the floor pans become rain catchers and start to rust out right there.

The old CJ5 will not drive like your 81 scrambler, or your wranglers. The springs will be much stiffer, and it has a shorter wheel base. The v6 doesn't like to run cold, and the radiators are pretty big so they always tend to run cool. People in cold climates will cover part of the radiators with cardboard in the winter to help warm the engine.
The manual steering will take some getting used to, but mine has been manual forever and I don't mind it. It keeps my wife from wanting to drive it. A lot of people convert their cj5's to power steering, but with the V6 it is more difficult because the exhaust manifold is in the way. People have devised ways to get around it but it is not a straight forward change.

There are lots of sources for vintage parts on the internet. Here are a couple
http://www.kaiserwillys.com/
http://www.vintagejeepparts.com/

Great Find!
I am very jealous!

Grant

 

Well, I wont bad mouth you-everyone's entitled to their opinion. My opinion is that the :v6: is the best engine ever put into a Jeep. Small, compact, lightweight, relatively powerful & very reliable. If tuned properly they will idle just fine, and pull like a tractor at 500 RPM.
I've rebuilt or swapped nearly every component on my '70 CJ5-except the engine. It's still going strong at age 42 & 160K miles. I know of several other :v6: Jeeps still running the original engine.

 

Wow that's about 290 miles for you. My son in law used to live on the Longfellow Ranch about 1/2 way between Ft. Stockton and Sanderson. That is real pretty and quiet down there. There is a state off road park not too far NE of Sanderson.

I think you will find it drives a little different that the newer jeeps you have. This site has been helpful in everything I have asked about. Best wishes on a great looking rig. Let us know how you do.

Post more photos when you can. Everyone here likes photos.

 

There are a couple of things I see in the pic that tell me this isn't a '67. First off, the markers on the front fenders are definitely not consistent with a '67. And the flanged rear axle doesn't belong on a '67 either. Either those parts were swapped from a later CJ or your Jeep is a '70 or a '71. Kinda hard to see, but it looks like the wipers are bottom mount on the windshield frame, that's not '67 either. In '67 the windshield wipers were mounted at the top of the windshield frame. The slight bulge at the bottom front of the door opening usually indicates rust between the pillar and the tub. A very common spot for rust. Usually on both sides. Another spot famous for rust is at the rear body mounts. All that said, that Jeep is likely not a '67, but it looks like a great project Jeep. You might want to check the VIN numbers on the title and there should be a plate on the driver's side firewall with the VIN #. If they don't match you could be in for some problems when it comes time to register it. Don't be bummed if it's not a '67. The flanged axle and the larger windshield frame are very desireable and many people think that the last two years of the Kaiser CJ's were the best. Also, I couldn't agree more with colojeepguy's opinion of the Dauntless engine. Probably the best offroad engine ever built.

 

I have a 1968 and love it. The Dauntless does in fact have it's own sound, but with the large fly wheel there is no vibration at 500 rpm idle through 3500 which is actually farther than I like to push it. If the running gear is in fairly good condition, as mine were when I bought it, new gaskets, seals and fluid changes may be all that is necessary to have a good reliable "toy". I don't rock crall with it, although I have had in some rough steep terain with no problems. It runs the highway at 55 - 60 with no problems and is a blast to drive.
The mod's I would recommend if not already done are the Saginaw steering conversion and HEI distributor, and headers. Of course, brakes, clutch etc. if necessary.
But overall I personally think the Kaiser CJ5 is a real keeper!!! But I guess I'm prejudiced![/IMG]

 

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Here is the only other picture I have. My friend very possibly could be wrong about the year. I'll find out when I go pick her up March 17.
Still think its a good buy for $1000.00

 

For the money how can you go wrong?

 

Got the larger front turn signals, too (compare yours to noahlon's pic). I think you have a 70 or 71 there.
Regardless, it looks like a nice CJ for a good price!

 

Yep, agree on both points. Look at the flanged rear axle.

I would certainly disagree with the idea that the drivetrain on these Jeeps is particularly troublesome. In general, Jeep used very high quality drivetrain components, especially prior to 1980. Like any car manufacturer, they had an occasional clunker, but the engines, transmissions, transfer cases and axles are typically excellent. A '71 is 41 years old now, so don't expect perfection. However, these Jeeps are remarkably capable in factory trim, and will withstand a lot of abuse. Buy it, change the fluids belts hoses, repair any wear items like brakes and tires, tune it up and drive it.

 

:iagree:

 

Does this vehicle have a title? That will tell you the year.
If there's no title, that's a whole 'nother can-o-worms and, depending on the laws in your state, could change it from a good deal to something you don't want.

 

If you're buying it in Texas and titling it in Texas, you can do a bonded title as long as you get a bill of sale. It'll cost you a little extra, but it'll work. That's what I ended up doing with my '67 CJ5. Everything worked out fine, although the bond stays on for 3 years I believe. Enjoy that Jeep!

 

x2!

 

Owner does have the title. I asked for the VIN # and she said when she gets back from Boston, work related, she will get it for me. I should know what I am dealing with in the next couple of days.