1978 Jeep CJ

SUV

8 - Cyl.

Manual

j8f83ah043404

Clear

Gasoline

1978 CJ-5, V8, 4 SPEED. DANA 300, ALL STEEL Up for sale is my 1978 Jeep CJ-5. I have owned this vehicle since 2007. I purchased a new Wrangler, so unfortunately it is time to sell this one. Beginning about 10 years ago, this Jeep underwent a total body off (and a new STEEL body) restoration. I have receipts for approximately $15,000, not including the cost of the vehicle. It has been driven 4,000 miles since the restoration. Body/Frame This CJ was ariginally from Alabama. The frame is perfect. It always was and it has had no modifications or repairs. The body was replaced with a new steel tub, fenders, hood, grill, etc. purchased from Leon Rosser Jeep in Bessemer Alabama. The tub was sprayed inside and underneath with high quality Linex material. The tub, fenders and hood etc were painted with basecoat/clearcoat and installed on the frame. The windshield frame was replaced and new glass installed. All lights and lenses were replaced. Every fastener was replaced with stainless steel other than those requiring grade 5 or grade 8 bolts. As you can see from the pictures, all body hardware, hinges etc. was also replaced with stainless steel. The paint job is nicely done and is not doubt better than the original done in 1978. Fender flares are new also. This Jeep has never been in snow or mud, and it has been stored inside since. Interior New seats, new seat belts, new Tuffy center console and a one-of-a-kind well made custom dash with Autometer gauges. speedometer, odometer, trip odometer, voltmeter, gas guage, oil pressure guage, temp guage all work and indicate correct functions. Sun visors, rear view mirror, wiper motor assembly, duct work and defroster vents, shift boots, knobs, lights etc. all replaced. The sound system is an ancient Panasonic tape deck with Pioneer speakers. It sounds good, but it's outdated to say the least. The heater/defroster and wipers work. Top The top is a Bestop". I removed it the day I got it home. I just reinstalled it for pictures. The fabric, stitching and zippers are all excellent. The windows have some scratches on them, especially in back, but they aren't yellowed or opaque. The top frame is the original and it is in good condition. The doors are in good condition, latch properly and have good weatherstripping. Winch The winch is a period-correct and working Warn model 8274. This winch is still manufacturered today and costs about $1,700 new. It has one of the highest rated line speeds available. This one is in good condition and the cable is like new. The controls are integrated into the vehicles dashboard with a "power", "in" and "out" switch. It is mounted to a custom built heavy-duty bumper that is powder coated. The rear bumper and reciever hitch are also powder coated. Mechanical 304 V8 was rebuilt before it was installed. Have recipts. It has a mild cam with a slight lope. It sounds great, especially with the side exit headers and exhaust. It starts quickly and idles well. New Holley carb. The orginal Dana 20 transfer case was replaced with a Dana 300 Currie twin-stick. The rear axle is a AMC 20 and the axles have been replaced with Moser hardened 1 piece axles. The transmission is a 4-speed fully syncronized. All 4 springs were replaced with Pro-Comp springs. Have receipts. I think the lift is 3 or 4 inches. Shocks and steering shaft were replaced. In 2009 I had all rotors, drums, wheel cylinders, calipers, master cylinders, and wheel bearings replaced at a cost of $1,300. Have receipts. I also replaced the tires because I didn't like what was on it. (They were TSL Thornbirds) with 4 new Toyo MT 13.50 x 33 x 15 on new American Racing Baha 15 x 10 wheels. In addition I installed 2" wheel spacers. They are expensive billet type and have been on it for four years. Jeep did not come out with "wide axle" models until the 1980's and I didn't like the way it looked, so I had these installed. It made the Jeep look better and it drove better too. With the tires it gave it a 6" wider stance which is a good feature on a Jeep CJ-5. The entire wiring harness was replaced with a Painless Wiring high quality wiring harness. There is no 30 year old wiring to deal with, no electrical gremlins and the wiring harness was installed by an electrician. The gas tank and filler hoses were also replaced. A new clutch was installed along with new shift forks in the transmission. This Jeep does have power steering and power brakes. Summary This is a well done CJ-5. Far better than nearly all I've seen. But it is still a 50 year old design and rides accordingly. This is probably not a vehicle for an inexperienced driver. While it drives straight with no shimmy or pulling, it is a handful to drive on a bumpy crowned country road, especially at high speeds. It is also rather loud. I personally like how it sounds, but it is not quiet. I have used this Jeep mostly as an around town cruiser. I'm sure it is quite capable off-road, but I couldn't do that to it. On a flat expanse of road, it rides fine. On uneven pavement it rides rough and hard. It sits 99.9% of the time and it will always start, even if it's been 3 months. It also has developed some minor leaks from sitting. It can sit 3 days or 3 months and it will leave spot about the size of a quarter under the engine near the inspection cover on the bellhousing. It also will leave a drip under the power steering gearbox and ocasionally from the front diff cover plate. When this Jeep was restored, the previous owner did not re-install the parking brake because he did not want to cut holes in the tub to accomodate it. For this same reason he located the radio antenna next to the rollbar, so it has no parking brake. Not a problem in flat Northern Indiana, but something to consider in other areas. The horn doesn't work and the KC lights aren't hooked up. It has two 1" scratches back by the license plate. These are it's known deficiencies. I have a free and clear Indiana title in my name. When the new steel body was installed, the correct original VIN tag was installed in the correct location and inspected by the Alabama State Police. In Indiana, any vehicle form out of state must have a pollice inspection to get a title. I had that done, so there are no worries about VIN number/title discrepancies. Everything matches. IF YOU ARE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT OWNING THIS VEHICLE DON'T BID. IF YOU NEED PERMISSION TO BUY THIS JEEP, GET IT BEFORE YOU BID. THIS IS A SERIOUS AUCTION AND I INTEND TO SELL IT. RESERVE IS REASONABLE, BUT I WON'T DIVULGE IT HERE. IT IS NOT FOR SALE ELSEWHERE AND THIS AUCTION WILL RUN IT'S COURSE. IT WON'T END IT EARLY. I WANT TO BE PAID IN FULL WITHIN 4 DAYS OF THE AUCTIONS END EITHER BY WIRE TRANSFER OR CASHIERS CHECK. IF IT IS A CASHIERS CHECK, THE JEEP AND TITLE WILL BE RELEASED WHEN THE CHECK CLEARS MY BANK AND YOURS. ALL RECEIPTS AND PAPERWORK WILL GO TO THE NEW OWNER. I HAVE TRIED TO PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME TO TALK ON THE PHONE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CALL ME AT 260-310-4207. MY NAME IS PETE. PLEASE DON'T EMAIL... I AM NOT ANYWHERE NEAR A COMPUTER DURING THE WEEK, SO I WON'T SEE IT. Thanks for reading all of the above.