CJ-5 Daily driver?

Hi, as you guys know by now I just bought a 1966 CJ-5 and I have been reading far into the archived posts and found a post where alot of you did not recommend a CJ-5 as a daily driver. I am a little worried because I was planning to use it as one. I was mostly just planning to drive to school which is a mile away and show off but how are they on the highway. Can it hit 55? How stable are they if you drive them for what they are. My mentality is that a Jeep is a Jeep, not a sportscar so I shouldnt drive it like a sportcar. I would just like some comments/ advice. Thanks guys

 

Tuxman: You are correct, sir, a Jeep is not a sports car. They can, and will, tip over. BUT, that doesn't mean you cannot have fun in them. Drive it like a Jeep was intended to be driven and you'll be fine. If you want to have fun, put it in 4low-4wd and IDLE over the parking lot berms. See if the local "ricer" can do that!!!

I drive mine daily, but I do not call it my "daily driver". I have a Yukon for that. But the Yukon, I only take out at night when in town. During the day, I'm in my '68 Jeep. With 5.38's it's about 60 for the Hwy. It's just plain FUN to drive!

 

Go for it! I drive mine to and from work and all over the area, freeways, construction sites and to and from the country club. It is an eyecatcher at the least, and an outrageous statement when parked next to the Porches, Mercedes and BMW's at the country club. Like Jim, I had a Tahoe for a daily driver until I traded it on an '05 Wrangler. I suppose the Wrangler is the "daily driver", but not by a wide margin. Enjoy your CJ every time you get a chance!

JK

 

I wouldn't worry about it. i have 5.38's in mine and it handles 60 mph very well. It's just plain fun to drive

 

You would be better off w/ an overdrive if you have the 5.38 gears.

 

If this is a 66Tux with a v6 it should have at worst 4.88 gears but might have 3.73 gears, if it has the 3.73 it is capable of driving on the interstate at the speed limit and far beyond if you can brave it, but you will need to realize before you do this that driving one of these on the road like that is for a lack of a better word work. Don't get me wrong I drove mine on the interstate several times over 100 miles and drove it hunting 65 miles away on 2 lane highways alot and will do so again when it is put back together, heck I plan on driving mine to Tellico (180 miles or so) this May and have my wife follow me there in my truck just to give the new motor some quality time on the road to break it in.

But for general driving around town they are perfectly fine.

 

the originial plan for mine was to be my DD but then my car died well before i could get my jeep running soooo i drive a dodge neon around town. so i say go for it.

 

Kodiak: I totally agree! You wanna buy me one "installed"?

 

I just went 100 miles on the highway today in mine. Makes me smile. I have a V6 and 4.88's. Where you are located it will be trying at times due to the lack of a heater/defroster (compared to modern standards). But, if you are only 1 mile from school you can walk if all else fails (and it will from time to time)

 

Thanks for the replys, you guys have given me confidence in that Ill be able to use this to go back and forth from school and trips on the highway every once in a while.

Edit: Yes It does get very cold up here and this is my project for the next year. I have gotten my garage ready and sealed all the doors and installed a kerosene heater. Im all set to get working and when Im in the jeep I plan on installing one of those Mojave heaters? Just for the winter and possibly take it out in the spring/summer

 

I see you're near Albany, I'm near Buffalo... My Jeep goes away for the winter! I daily drive mine 80+ highway miles round trip to work all summer. I have a Chevy 283 with 3.73's and it cruises comfortably at about 62 mph. Any faster and it just doesn't "feel" like it wants to go that fast. Just don't forget it's a Jeep and take your time getting wherever you're going. Being 5 minutes late is better than rolling it! Good luck with it!

 

Hmmm....a cage? How easy do these jeeps roll?

 

i daily drive mine no mater what the weather. even when it gets down to -30c i have an insulated hard top i put on for the winter and my heater is suprisingly good, so for the most part its not bad. when the roads are super tragic i will take it easy and have the hubs in so i can go between 2&4.

 

best heater mod was the blazer fan motor. wouldn't seal the garage too well if you have a kerosene heater, the fumes need to get outside.

 

I love the idea of a tux as a DD! But be sure to have another, reliable vehicle at your disposal...you'll be WAY more secure in using the tux more often. My DD is a cheap, super-reliable '92 Honda. So I'll drive the '71 when I feel like it. There are days that I don't feel like taking it out, so the cheapo Honda works well for those moods.

Do you know what gears you have in your axles? I've got either 47/11 or 48/11 (I forget) in my '64/'66 tux, and 55 mph is asking alot, lol.
I'd vote against a roll cage unless you plan on frequent off-road excursions, or unless you're a reckless driver.

 

Although I never labeled my CJ-5 my daily driver, I did however drive it thousands of miles to "trail events" from Maine to Virginia at speeds exceeding 70 at times (V-8 304)and loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute of it, lying under it in the rain and the temperature reading 28 isn't always what people call fun.

 

In my opinion a cj can make a good daily driver...I started with a '76 as a DD several years ago, graduated to a '73 which was my DD for about 3 years till a "65 impala knocked it out from under me and then I got another '73 and ran it for another couple of years...I started contracting and driving across country and had to have a truck then so I sold it...Now I'm setteled down and have upgraded once again to a '66...It was my DD for about a year till my boss gave me a new company van and insisted that I drive it....As a personal choice, I don't like cages...I got my jeep cause I like the way it looks as well as how it goes, and I don't like the looks of a cage...Just my opinion