Wanted: CJ Owners/Experts Advice

[CravenCJ]

Hey there, I'm Ron. I'm looking to buy a CJ 6 or 7 soon and need some help with my search. Hope to meet some CJ owners on here and get some tips and advice. I'd appreciate it!

I will use my (future) CJ as a daily driver, so is there anything I should consider when looking to buy?

What's the best place to look for good reasonably priced CJs? Trade mags? eBay? Anyone have any advice on buying CJs on eBay? Or any good internet links to buying one?

If I have to, I'll buy a Wrangler, but I've always loved the look of the CJs (since I was a kid) and would love to own one. So I hope to meet some good ppl on here and get some inside info on them.

Thanks and have a great day!

~Ron

[NAILER341]

welcome to the board... ebay is a good resource for everything.. but your local paper, or truck trader might be better.
here in california, we have the "recycler", which is real hard to beat.
take a look at it just to piss yourself off
www.recycler.com

[sarah]

Hey Ron thanks again for joining us -- Here's an idea, find a Jeep in the Recycler, come to Cali to buy it and then head out with us on some trails! Hehe

[CravenCJ]

Sweeeet. Sounds like a plan. lol. Thanks guys.

~R

[rick]

Make sure you get an '83 or newer... Wide track is the way to go. The '82 and earlier CJs are too narrow for my taste. Get an '86 with a D44 if you can find one , and you can be buying custom axleshafts like me... That's the only year they put a wide track Dana 44 under them. Apparently the market for shafts for it is not so great, because nobody sells them. Get the inline 6 if you are planning on keeping the stock engine, but figure on putting a Weber carb or throttle body FI on it to make it driveable. The stock Carter carbs on the 6 are junk. If you are into working on stuff, find one with a blown engine, go buy a junkyard 4.0L slap it in there. Let us know how your search goes...

[Sully]

Originally posted by rick
Make sure you get an '83 or newer... Wide track is the way to go. The '82 and earlier CJs are too narrow for my taste.

No, 82's have wide tracks. 81 was the last narrow axles.


Welcome to the board. Will find a good deal in the recycler.

[rick]

D'oh... my bad. '82 it is. So since the Carter carb was not computer controlled until '83, I think that might make the '82 the ideal CJ... minus the D20 rear end. Unless of course you are going to EFI anyway...

[tonkadave]

I used to have a CJ till the frame and body rusted out (used to live in Michigan) but I found a 90 wrangler cheap and swaped eveything over to it including the front clip. it looks like a CJ (outside) and inside looks like a wrangler. The wranglers have a better frame and it's wider so makeing the swap to full size axles was easy. but a jeep is a jeep no matter what kind it is!