How far should I go???

Hi again all...I have a real delema...LOL...

Okay, I bought this 61 CJ5 for just something to putt around the woods in at my cabin (believe me, I dont have a lot of money and only own a cabin because I won it in a divorce settlement, funny thing is, I lost the most in the divorce, but that is another story...Ha). Anyway, this thing is bare bones, nothing special kind of jeep. I paid $1100 for it as it sits and it was stripped down to bare metal and has now gotten a lot of surface rust on it. There are no tail lights, no seats, speedo dosent work, motor runs but not the greatest, really dont know how well it rides or runs, but was able to drive it from the street into the garage, needs tires, etc. I am really having a good time tinkering with it so far...I do not have a lot of money to throw at it, and if I had to sell it, I would want to get what I put into it, out of it...I am not sure, but I am looking at pulling the body and sand blasting it (cost $150), painting it cheaply (cost $400), rihno lining the inside, and getting it basically drivable...Is this worth it and if I sunk like $1000 into it, would I get my money out of it?

I am trying to attach a few pics for everyone to laugh, I mean look at...Thanks for any comments at all.

 

Welcome from Boston - you started off good and posted pics!

You can go as far as your time and wallet allows. My priorities would be to get some good tires and check out the mechanical condition. Once I'd covered the major mechanical systems, I'd probably think about some lights, seats, a tailgate, and some kind of paint. The paint could be rattle-can, shoot-it-yourself, Maaco/Sheib, or whatever you can afford. The rattle can looks kind of patchy, and isn't very hard, but will stop the rust.

I wouldn't worry too much about the cost - mostly you can limit your costs, but you'll never make money on cars unless you're dealing in Dusenbergs or such. Just be realistic about what you can afford.

My first major upgrade would be 11" brakes, then a Warn overdrive (assuming you have 5.38 axle gears).

Then I'd wheel it.

 

Thanks for the reply Tim...How can I get the surface rust off of this thing? Should I just sand as best as possible, or have it sand blasted? I would assume that I cant paint over the surface rust...do I need to get every spec of surface rust off this before painting?

 

Yea kinda what Tim says.
Get it to where you can drive it.
Pick up a DA sander and sand it down then prime and paint it.
I've seen some good spray can paint jobs. Just take your time.
Jeeps are never really done anyway.

 

hi and welcome from iowa! nice picts! nothing to laugh at that's for sure. nice cj to start with.

i agree with tim almost to the letter. start off seeing if you can get it tuned a little better. take off the dist cap, look at the points, check the condition of the plugs. if they are usable for the time being you can tune it with out the $ for new plugs, points, condenser, cap, etc. then you circle the jeep for a bit and find out what works or doesn't and what leaks ( most everything probably (it's an early cj thing) )

you might rattle can the rust with "rust fix" or with zinc primer to stop the rust from progressing for now. the decide what you want to do first and what you can afford.

just my $.02

most of all, enjoy it.

 

Get it fixed; upgrade the brakes and have fun with it.

 

Animal??? What do you mean by animal? Ha...

 

yep, maybe sand or wire wheel it. then rattle can the beast.

get your engine running good and check the brakes, drain and fill all your fluids and see how it goes. i wouldn't worry too much about leaks since they are next to impossible to stop anyway.

then keep your eyes on the classifieds here and on any 4x4 website to pick up the parts you want to replace cheaply. keeping it close to stock will really keep your costs down.

chris

 

Frist and foremost, rarely if ever do you get back what you put into it. Therefore it is no an investment, it is a toy, do what you can with it and have fun. It's a good looking little rig so enjoy it!

BUBBA

 

Well stated Bubba.

Re the rust, I'd sand off all I could and treat with Picklex 20 http://www.autobodystore.com/r-o-n.htm

Remember that if you use the rattle can paint, you'll have to remove it before before you shoot auto primer or color.

 

Go as far as you want. Dont try to keep track of the amount spent, It will be disappointing if you ever sell it. Just get it up and going/stopping. And enjoy it. Fix what you want and enjoy.

 

I think it looks good as is!

 

X2

I think it's perfect! Get it running good, upgrade the brakes and enjoy it. Nothing wrong with a rattle can paint job, either

 

Sand it to a fairly smooth surface. Clean it with air and a damp cloth. Allow to dry then apply a product from Skyco called OSPHO. It does contain phosphoric acid so brush it on. It's just like water, dries clear and will stop rust. Then primer and paint.

 

Yup, I'd say you're hopelessly hooked and it's going to take over your life

 

Hey before you take it anywhere check the brake and fuel lines, if a brake line goes out its a wild ride...take it from experience. Have fun man I know I am. I think mine cost $1200 when I bought it and it paid for its self in the first week...what a blast.
P.S. Don't forget to wave.

 

Thanks for the advise...I will definetly check the brakes. I finally got the engine to run like a charm...I need some seats and tires and I can move it out of the garage and take it for a test drive. So far, I would say that I have the bug...although I had an 83 CJ7 that I put a new suspension on, replaced the plastic valve cover, timing chain, oil pan, etc...these are fun to work on and obviously pretty easy. As long as you can find the parts for them. I am having a hard time finding the seat brackets and orig type seats...

 

By the way, its an M38A1, not a CJ. It's a military version of the CJ.