1976 Jeep CJ

Convertible

258 CI

Manual

Clear

Up for auction is this very well built and maintained '76 Jeep CJ5. This CJ was essentially built, no expense spared from scratch about twelve years ago by a friend of mine with the intent of being a nice mix of heavy duty week-end trail Jeep and a practical summer driver. It is an honest and rock solid Jeep that has taken the best and most dependable power train options available on a CJ in what many consider to be the golden era for the CJ and upgraded with more stout components to enhance the vehicle's performance and in some cases, design short comings of the original build. This Jeep has been owner built, enjoyed and maintained and has even been featured a couple of times in JP magazine (copies included-please see the pics). To my knowledge this Jeep has never seen road salt since it's restoration. The condition of the frame, body, soft top and all other hardware that is normally exposed to the elements is strong evidence of where it has been and how it has been maintained. Personally, I have owned and restored countless classics vehicles (including roughly half a dozen or more respectable CJs from the 40's up through the mid 80's). I consider myself extremely knowledgeable about Jeeps and classic vehicles in general and will do my best to represent this Jeep as honestly and accurately as possible. Along with the Jeep also comes about an inch and a half stack of receipts which represent about 2/3 of the build. Over time some where damaged, misplaced, etc...but the bulk remains intact and are included with the Jeep. I am listing this Jeep for my friend as I'm more experienced with offering vehicles on-line, completing transactions and assisting buyers with shipping when necessary. With that being said, I will do my best to answer questions, but may have to defer advanced build inquiries to him. As for a few house keeping notes...Please bid only what you are willing and can afford to spend on the Jeep. Kindly touch base with me prior to bidding if you have less than 10 feedbacks or any recent negatives. I do reserve the right to cancel bids from bidders that look like they have a questionable history and do consider a bid a binding contract. The reserve is set at a small fraction of what it cost to build this vehicle in parts alone. I would personally not consider this a show type vehicle as was never it's intent. Bidders should take into consideration this Jeep was assembled over ten years ago and shows wear and tear as to be expected. It has never been hit or subject to major damage due to rust or corrosion. Only superficial cosmetics have recently been to performed to tidy it up a bit. Please find my description below. I know this CJ pretty well, but don't be afraid to ask questions if I've forgotten some details... BODY AND FRAME: This project began with a near rust free original '76 CJ-5 frame that was completely sand blasted, repaired where necessary and refinished in a super tough epoxy black finish. The frame still looks fantastic. The body was replaced with a BRAND NEW STEEL replacement tub from Four Wheel Drive Hardware Inc. with optional tailgate opening. Some CJ5s didn't have an opening/closing tail gate which was kind of an inconvenience. This tub currently costs about $4,000 not including shipping. The builder did not want to use the much less expensive and less durable fiberglass alternative. The OEM rust free grill, hood and front fenders were purchased from another Jeep buddy/enthusiast off of a southern Jeep. This Jeep is still extremely clean and shows well. It has no noteworthy corrosion or damage to speak of. All of the body rubbers, seals, gaskets, etc...were new throughout and are in exceptional shape. The fender flares on the truck are pretty beat. NEW flares have been ordered, should be here Friday and will installed prior to the sale. ENGINE: The power plant I believe is original to the Jeep but I'm not positive. It is the legendary AMC 258CI straight six that has been bored .040 and been treated to a very "streetable" cam, slightly milled head, Offenhauser intake, exhaust header, Edelbrock Performer four barrel carb (manual choke). It still runs though a traditional point ignition and mechanical fuel delivery systems, sounds killer and has plenty of power and tons of torque. Oil pressure is approximately 70 psi and makes no undesirable noises. The Jeep runs very well once it has been brought up to normal operating temperature. The engine has not received too much run time in the last couple of years and would likely benefit from some fine tuning once it has been given the opportunity to run a couple hundred miles or so. It is a very healthy engine with recently changed fluids. TRANSMISSION/TRANSFER CASE: This Jeep was built with the absolutely legendary Borg Warner T-18 transmission including the "granny low" first gear. It was fully rebuilt professionally by "4xHeaven" truck specialty shop along with the Dana 300 transfer case and front / rear axels. These transmissions are ridiculous duty for a Jeep and were more commonly found in F250 and F350 trucks of the day. However, this one, the bell housing, etc...are ORIGINAL Jeep CJ installed items and were removed from a very low mileage donor Jeep prior to being rebuilt for this project. They were not adapted to fit the CJ5. It's probably worth mentioning that these parts are pretty valuable are tough to come by. AXLES: The axles front and rear are OEM but have been upgraded substantially and are both set up with 4.10:1 gear ratios and lockers. The rear AMC Corporate Model 20 (infamous for it's weak two piece axle shaft design) has been upgraded to a super duty Warn full floating shaft set up. The Jeep also has installed an ARB AIR LOCKER and an on board air compressor as well. The front Model 30 axle consists of a LOCK-RIGHT brand mechanical locker. WHEELS/TIRES: The 33x12.5R15 tires are mounted on (Mickey Thompson?) aluminum rims. The tires have nice flat / even wear and a reasonable amount of tread remaining to get the new owner rolling. There are no notable defects, damage or dry rot to mention on any of the wheels or tires. INTERIOR: The interior is very simple and basic. The new dash had been fitted with matched Auto Meter gauges. The fuel gauge works, but the needle needs to be adjusted to be accurate. All other gauges work perfectly. The seats are modern, upgraded reclining replacements (manufactured by Bestop?) They still show very nicely with no wear, fading or other damage. Floor carpeting is in nice shape also showing very little to no wear. A nice aftermarket double tube heavy roll bar replaced the original. SUSPENSION: The suspension consists of a 2.5" standard leaf spring lift kit and a set of very heavy duty Con-Fer 1" lift shackles. It sets a reasonable ride height and travel while still maintaining good road manners. HVAC: For potential bidders interested it using this Jeep as a four season vehicle, it should noted that this Jeep doesn't have it's original heater components installed as it was never intended to be used in the cold months. For those unfamiliar, CJ's are famous for their simplicity and utilitarian design. The heater box, ductwork and related parts are essentially unchanged between CJ5, CJ7 and Scrambler model vehicles from 1976-1986. Removing / replacing the entire heating unit from a vehicle is very easy and parts can be purchased used from a rusty donor vehicle for next to nothing on Craigslist, for example. The transplant is not a headache like you would expect from a traditional (particularly modern) vehicle where the under dash components are piled on top of each other. OPTIONS/ADDITIONAL EXTRA STUFF: The Jeep is equipped with OEM (disc front/drum rear) POWER BRAKES. The front calipers and rear wheel cylinders have just been replaced. The brakes work well, but perhaps would benefit from some minor adjusting of the rear shoes. POWER STEERING works well with TILT column and Grant steering wheel. The steering is nice and tight and the only notable defect would be the damaged plastic cover over the steering lock, directly below the wheel. It is merely cosmetic, but we feel it should be pointed out to prospective bidders. 100% pre-bent stainless steel fuel lines throughout. Painless wiring system front to back with 100% replaced electrical hardware at the time of the build Warn Super Duty front bumper with winch bracket mounts and shackles (sorry no winch) Heavy Duty rear swinging tire mounting system/bumber High Lift Jack installed/included Full size spare tire with matching wheel Black/denim Bestop Super Top in great shape. The fabric and windows all are in very nice condition with no damage to speak of. All zippers function well with the exception of one. The zipper teeth are in good shape, but would only require the zipper pull itself as it has come off and gone missing. 100% of the bright work (hinges, grill cover, mirrors, etc...) are stainless steel, not chrome. KC Day Lighters, Hella lights and cool Vintage trolling spot all work well 100% Urethane bushings throughout Brand new AM/FM/CD player with remote Overall, this is beautifully executed Jeep and perfect for the individual interested in owning a nice high, turn-key Jeep that will assuredly hold and likely increase in value for years to come if properly maintained. Again, I wouldn't represent this Jeep as a pristine example, however the asking reserve price is set incredibly low relative to the value of the build and comparable that I have looked at on-line. It is a nice, clean, straight example of a vehicle that has slowly found a collectable market and is steadily increasing in value. They're reliable, easy to work on, the parts are very inexpensive and readily available (new and used) Any seriously interested bidders can e-mail me to exchange phone numbers. I'd be happy to discuss and/or set an appointment for viewing in person. ...Under no circumstances will the Jeep leave my garage until my bank has verified the funds are available in my account. ( it's not you...We just don't trust anyone :) )The shipping is 100% the responsibility of the winning bidder. I will assist your shipper in any reasonable way possible. I have sold a number of vehicles to individuals long distance and am located in a residential location that is friendly to shipping companies with large trucks... I appreciate you checking out the listing. Thanks, Rick On Jul-03-13 at 03:54:20 PDT, seller added the following information:As of yesterday evening the fender flares (as promised) and fuel pump were replaced with new. Cold starting had been becoming sluggish and we had suspected a tired fuel pump diaphragm to be the culprit. The Jeep is now starting effortlessly regardless of engine temperature and the fresh fender flares from 4WD hardware really add a nice finishing touch. Receipts available for both....Thanks again for everyone's interest in the Jeep! -RD