1966 Cj5 ????

Just got the frame down to the stamp ID numbers tonite, if I am reading and converting correctly I am getting 1966. Is this correct? The numbers are 16538.
My V.I.N. shows it as a 1971?
Frame swap? or maybe I am just not converting this correct.
What do you all think?

 

If it is a '71 it will have flanged rear axles and 10" brakes. If it's a '66 it will have two piece rear axles (big nut on the axle end under dust cap). Also a '71 would have the windshield wiper motor on the bottom of the windshield frame. A '66 would have the motors at the top of the frame. Hope this helps.

 

What he said.

When was the title issued? Could have been wrong. My '67 title wasn't issued until '90-'91 or so. Don't know if the original was lost or if it just wasn't titled until then - anything's possible.

You know, now that I think about it, I never checked the S/N on mine. It might not be a '67 at all.........

 

Jeeps have so many interchangable parts, and there are so many out there, that there are a lot of "Frankenjeeps" running around. No disrespect - I mean Jeeps registered as a totally different year than most of their parts, or chassis/engine/body swaps, or put-together Jeeps where neither the owner nor the state could figure out the year so they guessed, or swapped-out titles, etc. My own 1949 CJ3A is a bit weird - It was purchased from a California National Guard unit, and reportedly transferred to them by the U.S. Army. It came from the factory O.D. green, and has a lot of M38 parts on it, but is definitely a civie Jeep. I wouldn't worry so much about the registration papers (as long as you're legal!), but would determine the year of each componant, so I would know the correct parts when service or replacement was required. If it's important for you to have a "correct" Jeep, figure the vintage of the majority of major parts, and work on replacing the odd parts one-by-one.