Alright Jeep people, got a question....

[EMT/SRT]

....there is a guy who has an '80 something model JEEP. I think it is a CJ. It is the short body. The body is in primer, all the body work has been done. Just needs painting. The frame has been striped and powdercoated black. It has Currie front and rear end diff. and housings.(brand new). It has a GM 350 crate engine ordered out of a catalog, I think Summit. It is a 350 with a 4 speed manual(new). New Painless wire harness. The engine has Edelbrock everything and chrome. Also is a DVD of the engine running on a dyno. The body is off the frame and is at the body shop. The suspension is equivalent to about a 6" lift. This was going to be a mud truck for this guy but has run into some $ trouble and needs out of it. He told us he has 20K in it and will sell it for 10K. Is this a good enough deal?

 

[Roz]

Sounds kinda high to me . . . . Especially with it in pieces. If it was all put back together, interior/top restored, and in good running order I may CONSIDER shelling out $10k.

 

[04rcmoneypit]

I've owned a few Jeeps, and now own a '99 wrangler. You can't do what he has done for 10k, considering body work on an old CJ body. Depends on what you want, I guess.

 

[Scrambler1]

Well if you really want a CJ the things that he's done solve the biggest problems they experience, those being body rust and crummy wiring. The frames can be VERY rusty and weak.

That said, he certainly has more than 10 in it, but you can find a nicely restored one that is put back together for around that price or less. If this is a CJ5 than you can certainly do better as they are not nearly as desirable as the CJ7s. The CJ7 has the same door shape as a new model, the 5 has a more "s" shaped door. The CJ5 rides and handles worse than the larger 7 and are a pretty tight fit for 6 foot tall guys.

I guess for a 7 I'd consider it, for a 5 I'd walk.

Joe

 

[eddie102870]

you can find them at auctions for low money right now too. they wont be modded but anything over a 6 in lift and its dangerous on the highway with a jeep. ive had a few. i miss my 06 tj

 

[76574srt10]

cj5's and 7's were a wild ride with no lift. Add 6 inches and a high power v8 and it will be down right dangerous on the road. for that kind of money you can find a tj with reasonable miles, the 4.0 in those provide decent power and the coil spring suspension provides pretty good highway manners. I think JP magazine did an article a few months back, can't find the exact issue right now, but they rank the TJ as the best jeep yet. The article went further to state that the used CJ7's are over rated and over priced.

 

[76574srt10]

Furthermore, I sold my 2000 Tj about a month after buying my 10, and I'm suffering with the shakes. I recommend that if you really want a jeep test drive both.

 

[eddie102870]

the new 4 door jeeps drive like a car. the handle a 4 to 6 in lift pretty easily. we installed a 4in on my dads jeep a while back and it didnt hurt the ride. i had a 06 tj with a 6in lift and it was still pretty highway friendly

 

[EMT/SRT]

It's not that I want a Jeep. Nor do I need another toy. But it is just sitting in my dad's shop and has been for about a year and a half and just thought if I bought him out of it, sold the engine and trans, and axles and put the jeep back together pretty stock and sell it and try to make a few dollars.

 

[76574srt10]

if he still has stock axles and with the tires that usually accompany that kind of lift I would wait until he blows his axles and buy even cheaper.

 

[tidnab]

as someone else said... would DEFINITELY stay away from a CJ5... if it's a CJ7 it's probably a decent deal... if you're going to part it out you'll be fine.... I prefer the old land cruisers over the old CJ's as the LC's were built like tanks... if you're going to part something out... I've seen FJ40's with 350's for ~10K on ebay as well which you could part out easily...

good luck

 

[thjones3]

I have built several CJs, a YJ, and a TJ. Like everyone else says, if it's a CJ5 then walk away. If it's a CJ7 then I would consider buying it, but probably not for 10K. That is a little high, especially considering it is in pieces. The value of CJs has dropped dramatically in the last few years. You can buy a already-built one for much cheaper than you can actually build one.

The safety concerns raised above are dependent on the build quality and the driver. The last CJ7 rock crawler I built had around 10"-12" of lift total, but I could drive it 70 on the hwy with no problems. I would be interested to know how the lift is put together. Is it just a spring-over? What springs? 4-link? etc. I assume the axles are probably a 9" rear and maybe D44 front (since they are currie units)?

You know JEEP=Just Empty Every Pocket right?

 

[76574srt10]

I missed the currie diff's.