'76 CJ too buy or not to buy

[BroncoFan]

I've been approached about trading my '98 Harley FatBoy for a 1976 Jeep CJ5.
This CJ5 has less than 60K original miles, 6 cyl, t-18 tranny etc....
Is there any mechanical issues that I should know about prior to buying? Is this particular Jeep a sound purchase?

[supper_slash]

Ok a CJ-5 Jeep is not a street toy, it dose not have any sway bars, if you would like to have sway bars, then you will need to make them your self. So as far as an on road toy not too sweet. But as an off-road toy the CJ-5 is at the top of its game Lots of off-roader mods. The insurance is great price. I am only 24 and when I added my 74 CJ-5 it only went up 25.00 a year. (Liability Only) Also depending on your state, you can get "Antique Plates" for anything 25 years old or older. The engine is nice gets good Mpg, and over all is a good engine. However if you do wish to swap engines then you have a world of possibilities to choose from.

For mature on road drivers it will be fine, but not for hotroding. Do not get me wrong they will eat up the road, From a dead stop i can smoke a mustang, and my CJ is stock. But it will turnover easy. So have fun and enjoy.

[MagicRat]

I hate to be a picky pain in the ass, but later CJ's (like my '81) came with factory sway bars that will fit on earlier ones. Home made bars are not necessary.

[Stites]

Your weak links in the CJ will be the 2-piece axles in the rear(unless you're blessed with a Dana 44), and the smallish Dana 30 front axle. There are tons of mods for these issues, though. I have an 85 with wider axles that widen the stance of the Jeep, helping some with stability in curves as well as looking better in my opinion. If you can find a pair of axles out of an 82-up CJ, they'll be the wide-track axles and will bolt right in. Better yet, look for a set from an '86 model, as you'll VERY likely wind up with a stouter Dana 44 rear and won't have to replace the weak 2-piece axleshafts. Better yet, find a pair of front and rear Dana 44s out of an International Scout. Even better still, look for a set of '77-earlier Ford Bronco axles(D44 front, Ford 9" rear. STRONG.)

If you don't want to deal with a complete axle swap, then grab a set of 1-piece axleshafts from eBay, any 4wd store, you name it. That's the weak link in the AMC 20 rear end. If you're gonna get stupid with your Jeep, truss the housing to keep it from bending. The D30 front axle will benefit from things like 4340 alloy inner and outer axles from Warn(4340 alloy is used in 1000-hp, 10,000-rpm crankshafts, rods, and such), an internal splined hub conversion, and Spicer 5-760X U-joints.

Other than the axles, you'd have a fairly bulletproof drivetrain. The T-18 4-speed is the stuff of legend, and the Dana 20 transfer case is plenty strong despite is rather tall low-range gear ratio. And long after the nuclear holocaust of WWIII kills us all off, and cockroaches die out from lack of food, there will remain the AMC 258 six-cylinder engine. It's not a screaming engine, but then it doesn't have to scream. In stock form, the 258 will uproot trees at a high idle. With this reliability in mind, I'm in the process of gathering parts to try to break the 300-hp mark with mine. Wish me luck!

Oh, if you're gonna go offroad, splurge for a Detroit Locker for the rear, and a TrueTrac limited-slip for the front.

[bdiamond69]

Originally Posted by supper_slash

Ok a CJ-5 Jeep is not a street toy, it dose not have any sway bars, if you would like to have sway bars, then you will need to make them your self. So as far as an on road toy not too sweet. But as an off-road toy the CJ-5 is at the top of its game Lots of off-roader mods. The insurance is great price. I am only 24 and when I added my 74 CJ-5 it only went up 25.00 a year. (Liability Only) Also depending on your state, you can get "Antique Plates" for anything 25 years old or older. The engine is nice gets good Mpg, and over all is a good engine. However if you do wish to swap engines then you have a world of possibilities to choose from.

For mature on road drivers it will be fine, but not for hotroding. Do not get me wrong they will eat up the road, From a dead stop i can smoke a mustang, and my CJ is stock. But it will turnover easy. So have fun and enjoy.

79 cj-5 came with a front sway bar to