New '70 CJ5 Owner

I have just purchased my first Jeep, a 1970 CJ5 with a Dauntless V6 engine. I am going to pick it up in a few weeks. It is in CT and I am in TN, so this is going to be a fun first drive. I have the ability to tow it back, if I need to, but would prefer to drive it home. In preparing for this, I am wanting to compile a stock of parts to take with me I may need (belts, hoses, etc). Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should acquire, what I should watch out for, etc. The person I had look at it for me said the engine runs great, rough when idling, but smooth once the RPMs get close to 1000. It has a brand new over drive, etc. Paint is in good shape, very little rust, no bondo. Shifts smoothly, etc.

Thanks in adavance for your advice!

Robert

 

It is really hard to say without looking at it. Spare parts like belts and hoses wouldn't be a bad idea and also some antifreeze, oil, and maybe some spark plugs too. Make sure to take a good selection of tools and be prepared to have to tow it home. That is a pretty good distance to try to drive an old Jeep like that that you don't have any prior experience with.

Oh yeah, welcome from middle Tn. What part of Tn are you from?

 

Welcome from Southern California.

 

Most of the emergency parts you might need (belts, hoses, fluids) can be picked up at a local parts store along the way if you need them. I'd carry baleing wire, hand tools, duct tape, water, and extra oil (gear and engine). Pick up yur Jeep and find a parts store nearby, park in the lot or nearby and do a very thorough inspection (maybe the PO will let you do that in his driveway). Familiarize yourself with how to check the oil in the axles, trans and transfer case before you go, and be sure to do it before you drive any distance. Inspect the brake backing plates for leaks, master cylinder for level, and condition of the brakelines and hoses.

Other than that, take it easy and enjoy! Make it an adventure!

 

Welcome from Ohio. Sounds like a great first CJ.

Good call on not driving it home. Hate for you to get stranded along the way.

 

Greetings to all and thanks for the replies! I live in Nashville, but am buying the jeep to go play on the Cumberland Plateau. I love climbing, backpacking, etc and my car simply couldn't get me to some of the areas I was interested in.

blevisay, I actually spend a lot of time close to your part of the world. The girl I am dating lives in Gallatin.

MCSCOTT and timgr, thanks for the advice. Hoses, belts, etc should be available at a parts store? I looked online with Autozone and a lot was either special order or not available, which prompted me to work on putting together a parts list. A huge thanks for the pre-flight checklist.

This WILL be quite the adventure, no matter what happens! I have 5 days to make the 1100 mile drive.

 

If the town in CT has a decent parts store, it may be best if you acquire your spare parts when you are at your jeep. You may never know if the previous owner had done any parts swapping, or if a component that has been replaced is slightly different, like a radiator swap with a different size neck, a pulley replaced with a different diameter one, (you get the picture) I have been down that road before, and long distance purchases can get a little surprising. If you do have the means to tow or trailer it home, it would be recommended that you do.

BTW, welcome to the board!

 

Not to hijack the thread, and since you are from TN, this is a new place I just found out about. Any of yall heard of it yet??
http://www.brimstonerecreation.com/

 

That is Brimstone Mountain. At one point it was strip mined for coal and has since been rehabed. If you are familiar with the Big South Fork, it is very close by. The entire area is phenomenal. Great hiking, kayaking, rafting, backpacking, hunting, climbing, off roading, etc. I highly recomend this area. I was just up there a few weeks ago. A road I attempted to take my car down to get to a climbing wall was what prompted the jeep purchase.

 

Hey 70CJ5NTN, best of luck in your travel! You have a little more road to travel than I did when I bought my 67'. I got mine out of New Jersey. I live in Kentucky, so it was about 700 miles there. That translates to 11 hours of driving! I took the easy route with a deisel truck. I don't know how my old Jeep would have moved on the Interstate with a 6' snow plow attached to the front. R)

Get her home safe! :driving:

 

That is what I was going to say about that place. I am into pretty much everything they have listed on their site and the four wheel drive VW in the pic is a guy that some of my club members know. He also has a pic in I think it is this month's Four Wheel Drive & Sport Ut. mag with a guy I use to hand out with (blue YJ) Berkey. I am a good ways south of there, but have thought about trying to take a week or so to go up there when I get to the point where I can take another trip.

Hope you get your Jeep home safely, and I am sure you will enjoy it. I don't know how much you have looked through this site, but the guys on here can answer any question about it that you might ever have.

 

would trailer it. BUT if you plan on driving it anyway, would replace the alternator, battery and repack all the wheel bearings and change all the oil/coolant within 20 miles of departing.

 

I was about to weigh in with the negative side of driving the Jeep back home until reading Boyink's comments. My Jeep was also bought from a distance but I chose the safe route and had it shipped. Boring..... Go fer it!

 

I have only been lucky enough to be able to drive a couple of my Jeeps home from where I picked them up at. One was the 73 but it was only about a 1 mile trip. The other one I drove back from Franklin, but it was an 01 with only about 3 miles on the Odometer. The rest of what we have has needed some engine work to get them running or brake work. As long as it has good tires, runs good, you keep a check on fluids, and the brakes are good, you should be ok.

You are going to have somebody following you aren't you, or are you flying in to get it?

 

And yet another mid TN (Nashville area) welcome.
Need to hook up with us sometime at one of the mid state doins.