Looking for a CJ7, solid base, project car.

[Bobo57]

Any thoughts, leads, opinions, etc. welcome.............
Thanks in advance,
B

 

[SpectraMike]

Interested in a 78 cj5 by any chance? Might be looking to move mine for another venture. I dont have any photos, will be home in a couple days

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[Bobo57]

Wasn’t thinking about a 5 but you never know. Send pics when you can.
thx
b

 

[SpectraMike]

Sounds good, ill send some tomorrow

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[Bobo57]

 

[socalrzr]

I have a 69 cj5 that I would love to sell.... Let me know if you can convince the wife. lol

 

[Runs2rch]

I have a 69 cj5 that I would love to sell.... Let me know if you can convince the wife. lol

Any pics?

 

[socalrzr]

Any pics?

I can get some but its my wife that you have to convince

 

[Bobo57]

Lol....

 

[ridebig]

I sold this awhile back. Pics are for inspiration, money pit but so much fun. Frame off, Chevy 350 with turbo 350 trans, 4 wheel disc brakes. I really regret selling it.

 

[Bobo57]

Wow that is really cool. Keep the pics coming, love the inspiration.

 

[PaPaG]

Ridebig, that yellow jeep looks great, should have kept it... Bobo this is what I hopefully will be working on someday soon. I have owned this for over 14 years and drive it around when I have the time....for now it sits in storage waiting for me to get my garage built so I can decide if I want to restore or not....... 1978 CJ7 Jeep Golden Eagle with Quadra-Trac, 304 V8, TH 400 trans with low lock, Levi interior option, hard top, hard doors, soft top and doors, new BFG Mudders. I need to do the entire interior refresh, I have either a trans pan needing to be replaced because we already did a reseal so it may be a small trans leak from a bad pan or from the fill tube that looses fluid so that is my main concern to fix...was thinking of pulling the motor and trans and going through them both just to freshen them up, going through the suspension and replace all the rubber and anything else that is missing, maybe even a full repaint to match but not sure yet. One thing for sure, They are fun to work on and great project vehicles tons of parts everywhere...

 

[Bobo57]

Love that Golden Eagle, should be a fun project.

 

[Ol Man]

Why do you want a CJ7? I owned one from 1992 til I bought my JK in 2008. Loved it at the time a spent a bunch of money making it a fairly good rock crawler; ARBs, low gears, T18 trans, 4:1 transfer case, 35 inch tires and so on. Time has moved on. Stock they ride like shit. Coils ride nice. As a minimum I would start with a TJ (1997 to 2006) with a 4.0 and automatic transmission. Good building platform and nice power for general driving. If you think you would get more serious about more hard core wheeling, I would get an LJ, which is the long wheelbase model. Get a hard top, much more pleasant to ride in and can be taken off fairly easily.

For background, my JK rides on 37s and I am a regular at the Hammers with my rockcrawler.

 

[Bobo57]

Why do you want a CJ7? I owned one from 1992 til I bought my JK in 2008. Loved it at the time a spent a bunch of money making it a fairly good rock crawler; ARBs, low gears, T18 trans, 4:1 transfer case, 35 inch tires and so on. Time has moved on. Stock they ride like shit. Coils ride nice. As a minimum I would start with a TJ (1997 to 2006) with a 4.0 and automatic transmission. Good building platform and nice power for general driving. If you think you would get more serious about more hard core wheeling, I would get an LJ, which is the long wheelbase model. Get a hard top, much more pleasant to ride in and can be taken off fairly easily.

For background, my JK rides on 37s and I am a regular at the Hammers with my rockcrawler.

looking for something inexpensive to start the hobby. Can’t afford a big ticket item at this time. It’s also my understanding that the 7’s have more leg room.

 

[t&y]

looking for something inexpensive to start the hobby. Can’t afford a big ticket item at this time. It’s also my understanding that the 7’s have more leg room.

7's are cool. Yes the newer Jeeps are capable, and ride nice, and every soccer mom from here to the east coast drives one... but they are not the Jeeps of the past.
Everytime I took my CJ 5 out I got nothing but thumbs up from random people. Those 5's and 7's have old school cool. My only suggestion would be stay 76 and up as the aftermarket options are huge. 75 and before is very limited and you will have to modify most things.

If you are interested in a CJ 7, I'd also suggest looking at the old FJ's. They are hard to find, but very similar in size.

 

[Bobo57]

7's are cool. Yes the newer Jeeps are capable, and ride nice, and every soccer mom from here to the east coast drives one... but they are not the Jeeps of the past.
Everytime I took my CJ 5 out I got nothing but thumbs up from random people. Those 5's and 7's have old school cool. My only suggestion would be stay 76 and up as the aftermarket options are huge. 75 and before is very limited and you will have to modify most things.

If you are interested in a CJ 7, I'd also suggest looking at the old FJ's. They are hard to find, but very similar in size.

good info. I’ll keep looking

 

[evantwheeler]

good info. I’ll keep looking

When I was just out of college me and my roomate both bought projects to build into capable off-road rigs. I spent $3500 on a Toyota FJ40 on 35's. I ended up spending another $12k or so on it for roll cage, wheelbase stretch, springs, power steering upgrade, 37" tires & new built axles that were wider than stock with all the chromoly and air lockers. I spent 2 years working on it, and the body is still a pile of rust. But it's unique and cool. Cool to drive around town and on the trail but that's about it. Stock straight 6 is gutless and it rides like a covered wagon.

My roomate bought a lightly wrecked 98 jeep TJ for $3500 weeks after I bought my FJ. He craigslisted it for a not-bent Dana 44 front axle our of a rubicon and some used fenders, I welded on a new rear quarter panel for him. He set it up on 4" lift and 35" tires. He had less than $8k into his whole rig and it was much more comfortable inside, rode WAAAAAYYY nicer with the linked suspension, and he spent 1.5 years using it while I was still working on my junk. When we eventually got to go wheeling, his went everywhere mine did in Moab.

Moral of the story, if I was to do it over and looking for a project, I'd find an inline 6 TJ that needs some work and start there. Hell, you could even have AC! I currently own two FJ40's, the first one that I built, and the second one I bought complete. They're cool, but nothing about them is cheap. There is farrrrr more aftermarket support for Jeeps. If you're already open to owning something with Jeep on the grill, I'd buy a TJ 100%.

 

[t&y]

Good info. For perspective, my stock 74 bronco, open diffs, 31" tires and an auto trans was very capable if you didn't mind a little body damage.

What gets people with these projects is the constant upgrades when you really don't need it.

We went to Moab and rented a TJ with a 2" body lift on 32's. It started life as a Rubi so it had the auto locking hubs which was nice. That little jeep went all over Moab on the highly traveled trails (we didn't try the escalator lol) and was VERY capable. They really don't need much to enjoy off-roading.

In regards to Old vs New... You can't compare the ride of a 30+ year old Jeep with a new one. Two different worlds. That is like trying to compare the first RZR to the current RZRs on the market.

 

[t&y]

@evantwheeler Those FJ's are badass. I'd bet if you put either one next to a newer cookie cutter Jeep and asked people what they want to take for a spin, they'd chose the FJ all day long... Now they might chose the cookie cutter in the long run when it's time to pick up kids and groceries, but everyone respects old iron.

 

[evantwheeler]

Good info. For perspective, my stock 74 bronco, open diffs, 31" tires and an auto trans was very capable if you didn't mind a little body damage.

What gets people with these projects is the constant upgrades when you really don't need it.

We went to Moab and rented a TJ with a 2" body lift on 32's. It started life as a Rubi so it had the auto locking hubs which was nice. That little jeep went all over Moab on the highly traveled trails (we didn't try the escalator lol) and was VERY capable. They really don't need much to enjoy off-roading.

In regards to Old vs New... You can't compare the ride of a 30+ year old Jeep with a new one. Two different worlds. That is like trying to compare the first RZR to the current RZRs on the market.

The best thing you can do to make any rig off-road capable is #1 selectable lockers front and rear, and #2 drivetrain upgrades so that everything lives because you're locked up. Lockers put a ton of stress on axle shafts, ring & pinions, u-joints & hubs. A good friend's dad built up his mid 1950's willies Jeep on 31" tires. I laughed at him. Put 5.38 gears and Detroit lockers front & rear. That little bastard went everywhere my Orange FJ40 on 40" tires went through the Rubicon and in Moab. If we went to Johnson valley, sure, the small tires would keep him out of a ton of stuff I could walk thorough. I was blown away how capable it was without all the high dollar fancy shit and huge tires on it.

 

[No Butt No Putt]

Ford bronco market is crazy hot.


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[schweeng]

Just sold this.... dumped a bunch of money in her but got it all back and then some....... miss it now!!!

 

[Dana757]

I really like my TJ but if you want a cheep Jeep and can deal with leaf springs YJ's can be had on the cheep.

 

[Deckin Around]

I really like my TJ but if you want a cheep Jeep and can deal with leaf springs YJ's can be had on the cheep.

Ha I did that, stretched it on leafs with 1 tons. That sucked. Then it was stolen and gone for 3 years, now 3 linked front and 4-linked rear on kings. They are great with $30k+ in them

 

[Bobo57]

Just sold this.... dumped a bunch of money in her but got it all back and then some....... miss it now!!! View attachment 949728

Great looking Jeep

 

[Bobo57]

Ha I did that, stretched it on leafs with 1 tons. That sucked. Then it was stolen and gone for 3 years, now 3 linked front and 4-linked rear on kings. They are great with $30k+ in them
View attachment 949793
View attachment 949792

Love the looks of the stretched Jeep