Need Some Help With My 1972 Cj5

Hey guys, first post here! I just brought home a 1972 CJ5 that my mother in law gave me in exchange for the service of removing it from her property. The thing started right up after I cleaned the points on the distributor. Anyway, I'd like to eventually get it pretty close to stock. That being said I have two questions:

How can I tell if the suspension has been lifted at all so I can decide if I want to revert it?

What's the best way to go about wheels/tires? The ones that are on it are definitely too wide I think. I've read that larger diameter tires will get me a slightly higher top speed, which I would like. I probably won't be taking it on the freeway, but I also won't be doing super hardcore rock crawling with it. Do you have any suggestions for a good wheel/tire combo for my purposes?

Thanks very much, and I'll include some obligatory pictures of my new baby.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qtqpjK2TTgM

 

Wow that looks like an excellent jeep! Judging by the front shackles it looks like it may have at least a couple inches of lift. The tire question is a can of worms, but the 72-75 intermediate years have Dana 30 axles, they can handle larger tires than the stock early jeeps, ie up through 71.
That is one heavy duty winch!
Welcome from Oklahoma.

 

Thanks a bunch! So how would I go about getting it back to a height closer to stock? What do I look for, what parts do I need?

Then, how would I find the width and diameter of stock wheels and tires for that year?

Oh, also, there's no way this is a stock roll cage, right? I doubt that any piece of it is stock judging by where the bolts are in the back. How can I tell for sure?

 

The back half the roll bar looks to be stock. The front spreader bars above your head and the front hoop have been installed and are definitely aftermarket.

Any 15x7 or 15x8 a long with e 30" 10.50 15 tire will bring it back to stockish looking and ride. Stock cj wheel from 76-86 are easy to come by and will fit your jeep. The left front wheel and tire in your pic looks to be a stock wheel and thats a comparable size looking tire for a stock height 72-75 cj5 or cj6.

I'd just opt for stock springs front and rear. There's a few aftermarket companies still making them but if you are lucky enough to have a spring manufacture in your town or state I would call them and ask if they have the specs for the stock springs with whatever engine you have and see what the price is.

 

Thanks for the great info! Do you happen to know how much that effects the realistic top speed? I'd like to be able to sit in the slow lane on the freeway from time to time.

 

You got a good starter rig, for free, everybody hates you.........................

Looking at the rear wheel well, I would guess a 4", but hard to tell till we get some pictures of the undercarriage. The front has extended shackles, but they may be in there to offset the weight of the winch.

I prefer a 2.5" lift over both the 4" and the stock springs. I feel that gives just the right amount of clearance while allowing for enough frame/axle clearance to keep the pothole strikes as comfortable as possible.

IHMO, 31" tires seem to be the "perfect" combination height.
Jeep shared a 5X5.5 lug pattern with pre metric Ford and IH among others. you MUST insure your rims have the large center hole or they won't fit over your hubs. Stock Ford rims and some IH offerings have the small hole. Most aftermarket rims have the large hole so double check before buying.

My in order list of repair:
Always brakes first.
Fluid levels
Steering
engine
drivetrain
then everything else

You'll need to give us some details on your rig and pictures, especially of the engine compartment, drivetrain, and undercarriage.

 

I know, but everybody I show it to still looks at me like I'm crazy.

Thanks for the great advice. I'll get some more detailed pictures soon. It's parked at my parents' currently. I gotta go see what size brake drums are on it. Is there an easy way to do that without taking the drum off?

Here is a (bad) picture of the engine compartment if it's of interest. I feel like something weird happened with the firewall but I'm not sure. There's a major fuel leak around the filter so I'm gonna get that replaced immediately so I don't burst into flames driving it in and out of its parking spot.

 

These dumbass bolts are the reason I suspect the back half of the roll bar is not stock, or at least has been "reinforced" or mounted differently somehow. It has a long corner plate that connects the front and rear bars and bolts into the top of the wheel well as well as through the side. The bolts overhang these bends and have also bent the body in which really annoys me. I'll get some pictures of the inside next time I go out.

 

You are crazy. Here, I'll help you by taking it off your hands

I would start by removing all four drums and inspecting the brakes. Check for contamination, fluid behind the cylinder dust boots, brake lining serviceability, auto adjustment and mounting hardware (be sure to check each adjuster), grooving or damage with the drums, serviceability of all the soft lines, and the smooth operation of the parking brake cables. Replace as needed. If everything looks good, a quick bleed to get some fresh fluid in the system would top your inspection off.
What you want to avoid is "we got the motor running, lets take it for a test drive", then veer into a tree or loose the brakes and plow into a neighbors car.

Looks pretty stock. 232/258 I6, manual steering, manual brakes, points ignition, and typical cobbled wiring. Again, dirty but looking pretty solid. A good platform to start out on.

Don't forget your fluids. Nothing says "new Jeep" like transmission bearing damage while revving the motor.....

 

You have a winner there. Welcome.

 

You are right, I should just bite the bullet and accept that it's going to be two work days: One inspecting the brakes and one after replacement parts arrive. Also, yeah, the brakes do nothing right now. We almost drove it into the trailer once already.

 

those dumbass bolts are stock

 

Wtf really?? That is pretty astounding.

 

Cool Jeep! Was the miner heed ornaments a popular thing back in the 70’s? I have seen more than a handful of old CJ5s with this same miner bolted on.

 

http://www.ewillys.com/2018/04/12/the-gold-miner-ornament/comment-page-1/

My mother in law lives right on the rubicon. This whole place is crazy for jeeps, so I'm excited to get involved and with this guy I'll fit right in.

 

Thanks for that. I had no idea.

 

Yes sir!

 

Awesome Jeep!

 

wild I have seen a scout with a miner on it out here

 

What a great looking Jeep, not even accounting for it being free! I'll echo what others said: worry about primary functions first. Stop, run, steer, safety. Brakes are important, yours should be 11" drums, which are good unless you do a lot of water crossings. Even then they'll still stop you fine. The 258 is a great engine and is the predecessor to the storied 4.0.

As for lift, it looks like yours has onen but it's hard to tell from the pics what it is. You might be able to find a part number on one of the springs to match up.

I'm also going to agree that a 2" kit looks the best on our Jeeps, with 31's or 33's. BDS makes a good kit.

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress, keep posting pics!