74 CJ5 - Need parts and have tech questions

I'm the new owner of a 74 CJ5, 304ci, in decent running shape.
I'm in the process of disassembling, repairing and painting it and I have found several parts to be very hard to find.

1.) Dash Panel
The one I have has been cut up a lot.
I can't find a pre-75 dash panel with holes pre-cut.
Should I just go with one of the vendors online or from Ebay (1975 and up panel, etc) and cut the holes to fit ?

2.) Wheels / Hubcaps
I want to go with the 8" plain steel wheels that accept the 10" dog dish center caps with the Jeep logo.
I'm getting a lot of different prices on these wheels and I'm not sure if the ones people are trying to sell me will accept the center caps.
Any suggestions ?

Thanks for any help
Mike

 

I can't comment on the later dash compatibility.

I can, however tell you two things.
The '72-75 "frankenyears" of sorts. Parts for these years can be very hard to find due to their short run.

I know that some have had custom dashboards built by double d fab if you like it all done by someone else. http://www.doubledfab.com/

Is working with the dash you have a possibility? As in, welding up holes?

 

Dog dish? Like moon caps? Or turbines?

There's no dog dish cap for the CJ-5 wheels. There are a few different kinds of turbine hub caps that came on the CJ-5, but no RW&B dog dishes or moon. The RW&B moon caps you see are for the Jeep trucks and Wagoneers with 6-lug wheels - those won't fit on the CJ-5 wheels. You may be able to find the earlier Kaiser red and gold moon caps for the trucks and wagons - those used 5-lug wheels - but I predict they will be very expensive when you find them.

There is no good source for 8" wide plain steel wheels that I know of that will accept a hub cap. You can buy wheels from custom wheel makers like Stockton, and they can have lugs for hub caps. But they will be very expensive, and service is reputed to be poor. Other members here have had bad experiences with Stockton.

I suggest you forget about the hub caps and look for a 7" or 8" wheel that you like, either in aluminum or steel. Aftermarket steel wheels are not that expensive.

 

The later dash won't work. The cutout for the steering wheel will be wrong, and you won't be any better off than with your existing dash.

Note that the steering wheel (and driver position) is in a different location starting in 1972. So only a dash from a '72-75 model will work.

I suggest you repair the dash you have, or find someone who will make a blank dash for you, transfer the holes to it, and cut it out. Try Classic Enterprises, or a local fab shop.

 

Thanks-
Yes, repairing my dash panel is an option and probably the one I will have to go with. I was just hoping to save a little time by buying one from a parts jeep.


Although I can weld and have a welder, for this job I would probably just epoxy a plate to the back side of the holes and fill with "all-metal" filler.
GM is using high strength adhesive to put on body panels, etc....... I've used it as well, and I think it will hold just fine.
Welding the thin dash might warp it and cause more filling and sanding work.

Thanks for your reply

 

Good advice -

Repairing my dash it is.
Thanks