CJ questions [Archive] - ILOVEJEEPS.com Forums

lordnight

07-08-2002, 07:22 PM

OK heres the deal. Right now i own a 97 TJ good jeep just not what i want exactly. So i found this 81 CJ in the paper. It has a 190k orig miles but it has correct me if i'm wrong a 66 willys stright 6 rebuilt with about 30k miles. Also a rebuilt tranny and trans case with bout 1000 miles on them. 4in lift with 33 12.5 brand new and new rims. Locking hubs on front and rear. Rebuilt diffs. 5sp, everythign works, its kinda a funky brown but hey who cares bout paint. Hard top with full hard doors but he has full soft doors that need redone. Hes asking $5500. Good price assuming that everything he says is true?

Anything i should be aware of or look for in CJs?

Thanks for the help in advance.

lynn

07-10-2002, 10:01 AM

Well, there's alot to talk about here.
First, an 81 CJ (I'm assuming a CJ7 and not a CJ5?) has narrow track axles. In 1982 through 1986, the axles are 4" wider than the narrow track, giving the 82 and later CJ7s better stability.
Stock axles are front D30, rear AMC20. You say that this has locking hubs on the rear? That means a full floating axle kit has been installed. That's good, and would cost over $1K if you had a shop install it.
Of course, this could have some other front and/or rear swapped in...

The stock engine in '81 was a 258 in-line 6, AMC design. A good engine, good low-end torque. 30K on the rebuild means you could get ~100K more miles with proper maintenance. As for it being a 66 Willys engine... not likely, but REMOTELY possible.8O

A 5 speed was not an option in '81. If the 5 speed is a T5, found in CJs from about 84 to 86, it's a fairly weak tranny. Expect it to not last long, even if it is recently rebuilt. If it's not a T5, then we need to know what it is to make a judgement on it.
Tcase should be a D300, a good, strong, gear-driven case with 2.62:1 low range.
Rebuilt diffs is a good thing. What gear ratio?

4" lift should have a dropped pitman arm on the steering box, and possibly have the skid plate (tranny/tcase) lowered with spacers, about an inch. Drive this unit; if it was done correctly you should not get any vibes; no clutch chatter pulling out or backing up.
Watch for bumpsteer when driving along and hitting bumps. A sudden movement to the right when hitting a bump is bumpsteer.
Check the tub for rust along all the seams of the front floorboard, the step-up to the back, and around the roll bar mounts.Check windshield frame for rust. Check the frame at the fixed spring mount locations, front and rear. Take a screwdriver along and jam it into suspicious areas. Frame rust-through is common and expensive to fix. Also check the frame in the area of the engine mounts, especially at the weld seams where the frame is boxed. Check the steering box for looseness at the frame. This CJ should have a steering box brace; if it doesn't, add it to your "must get" list. Check the intermediate steering shaft (betwwen the box and the column) for any slop at either joint. Push/pull on the shaft; any movement at all in the joint requires replacement.
Does it have extended shackles?
Does it track straight and true, or does it "wander" driving down the highway? Is it hard to "keep between the lines" on old country roads? These are signs of something amiss in the alignment or steering geometry.
Does it idle well? How is throttle response? The stock Carter carb on the 258 is known for problems.
Jack up one side of the front axle and grab a tire. Grab it at 12:00 and 6:00, and shake it. If you get movement here, it needs ball joints. Repeat with hands in 3:00 and 9:00 position. Movement here means wheel bearings need replaced.

As for the price... in my area, for $5500 I expect a damn nice CJ. In other areas, $5500 may only buy something that is marginally passable.
If everything I mentioned checks out OK, $5500 may be a fair price in your area.

There's lots more to look for, but I'll let others chime in, I'm getting a cramp in my two fingers that do the typing ;)
Good luck!