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Near-original '67 CJ5

Discussion in 'Early Jeep Restoration and Research' started by maurywhurt, Dec 18, 2009.

  1. Dec 18, 2009
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2009
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    873
    I'm new to this forum, though not to old jeeps. I've had a restored 1942 GPW for several years, but just acquired my first CJ last week.

    I'd been looking for a classic CJ for awhile when I found a jeep advertised on Craigslist in a town not far from where I live. The ad said it was a 1967 CJ5 that had originally been owned by the seller's father-in-law. The seller, Herb Switzer, told me that his father-in-law, Clyde Trammel, bought it new, and drove around town and made hunting trips in it until he passed away unexpectedly a few years later. Mr. Switzer said he had owned the jeep from shortly after then until this year, and that he had maintained it well, always garaged it, and had changed very little on it since then.

    It sounded almost too good to be true, but when I went to see it, I knew I was looking at a rare vehicle indeed. The jeep was in amazingly good condition, with virtually no rust except for a few spots the size of a pencil eraser in the sheet metal that had yet to come all the way through. The alterations to it (beyond normal maintenance items) more or less amounted to the addition of a radio in the late 60's, aftermarket hubs, and seat covers; a repainting in the original color and the replacement of some of the original exterior hardware in 2004; a new Bestop installed in 2006; and new wheels and tires being put on a couple of years ago when the original rims got too rusty inside to hold air any longer.

    It has the original (un-rebuilt) V-6, which runs great, and the 4WD drivetrain is still remarkably tight. When Mr. Trammel passed away around 1970, the jeep had about 40,000 miles on it. Mr. Switzer subsequently drove it fairly regularly, but only on short trips, which added on average about 1000 miles a year over the past 39 years. Today it shows just under 80,000 original miles on the odometer.

    Here are a few photos of the jeep as it looks today:


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    Along with some parts and the original owner's manual, an old manila envelope from Kaiser Willys addressed to Mr. Trammel came with the jeep. In addition to some original Jeep brochures from the mid-60s, it contained several very small black and white photos of the jeep and the travel trailer that Mr. Trammel took on his hunting trips. Here are the enlarged and cropped versions of those photos, which must have been taken within a few years after the jeep was purchased new:


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    My plans for the jeep at this point are to replace the wheels and tires with Glacier White-painted 15" Willys rims and new tires (as close as I can find to the original tires); to replace the seat covers, floor mats, and rearview mirror with correct versions; and perhaps to add a back seat so I can take my children for rides without my wife getting upset.

    I feel very fortunate to have found a classic jeep in such excellent condition - thanks largely to the fact that Mr. Switzer took such good care of it - and particularly one that was owned by the same family since it was new. Since this is my first CJ, I guess I should chalk it up to Beginner's Luck!
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2018
    Thean and skratch like this.
  2. Dec 18, 2009
    EricM

    EricM Active Member

    Southern California
    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2007
    Messages:
    1,019
    Wow!

    and welcome.
     
  3. Dec 18, 2009
    bkd

    bkd Moderator Supreme Staff Member 2022 Sponsor

    K-Town Tenn.
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    Apr 29, 2007
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    3,294
    Wow indeed!......very nice looking Jeep
    welcome from so-cal......you might go to introduction forum and say hi so everyone can get to know you
    Jim S.
     
  4. Dec 18, 2009
    Patrick

    Patrick Super Moderator Staff Member

    Los Alamos, NM
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    8,360
    Wow again! That thing is nice!
     
  5. Dec 18, 2009
    USMC_LB

    USMC_LB Member

    Tipton Co, TN
    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2009
    Messages:
    129
    A '67 with no backup lights.

    Very clean CJ!

    TimD
     
  6. Dec 18, 2009
    aallison

    aallison 74 cj6, 76 cj5. Has anyone seen my screwdriver?

    Green Cove...
    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2006
    Messages:
    1,929
    Either Mr. Trammel or Mr. Switzer is or was a Shrinner. As a general rule, Shriners take real good care of their stuff.

    I would love to have found this jeep. Good job and I'm glad you're keeping it stock. Welcome to the site.
     
  7. Dec 18, 2009
    jeeperneil

    jeeperneil New Member

    Owosso Mi.
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Messages:
    49
    Great find. Welcome aboard.
     
  8. Dec 18, 2009
    SKT

    SKT I Like CJ's...

    Location
    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2006
    Messages:
    641

    X2...please continue to share pics of this Jeep!
     
  9. Dec 18, 2009
    918jeeper

    918jeeper New Member

    Arizona
    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2009
    Messages:
    37
    Very Nice Find! Any pics of the engine?
     
  10. Dec 18, 2009
    Patrick

    Patrick Super Moderator Staff Member

    Los Alamos, NM
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
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    8,360
    My '67 doesn't have them..
     
  11. Dec 19, 2009
    Walt Couch

    Walt Couch sidehill Cordele, Ga. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    cordele, Ga.
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    Mar 29, 2007
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    5,916
    Love it.. Need pic's of V6 engine bay. Welcome from SoWeGa..
     
  12. Dec 19, 2009
    Long&Low

    Long&Low Active Member

    Geauga County, OH
    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2009
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    1,212
    Very nice, you have a piece of history right there. I'd keep it as is, an unrestored survivor. Very, very cool.
     
  13. Dec 19, 2009
    technologyteacher

    technologyteacher Member

    Elkin NC
    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2009
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    894
    where in western NC are you?
     
  14. Dec 19, 2009
    garage gnome

    garage gnome ECJ5 welder

    Western MA
    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2009
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    3,083
    :drool: That documentation is so cool along with the vintage pics.
     
  15. Dec 19, 2009
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Dec 12, 2009
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    873
    Thanks for all the kind words! I'll be sure to get some photos of the engine bay and post them.

    Re. the fact that this 1967 CJ5 does not have backup lights.....this is probably due to it having been produced very early in the '67 model year. The serial number indicates a manufacture date of August 1966.

    Also....I live in Black Mountain, NC, up near Asheville.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2012
  16. Dec 19, 2009
    USMC_LB

    USMC_LB Member

    Tipton Co, TN
    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2009
    Messages:
    129
    Yeah, there was a discussion thread about the number of '67s with and without backup lights. I just keep seeing more and more '67s without them. My CJ-6 has backup lights and to my knowledge, they are factory.

    I enjoy seeing un-molested Jeeps like this one!

    TimD
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2009
  17. Dec 19, 2009
    USMC_LB

    USMC_LB Member

    Tipton Co, TN
    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2009
    Messages:
    129
    We have family that lives in Asheville and I have visited some of their friends in Black Mountain. Someday when the CJ-6 is done I will have to come and visit!

    TimD
     
  18. Dec 20, 2009
    Tom in RI

    Tom in RI Member

    Rhode Island
    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2008
    Messages:
    234
    Great jeep find. Are you going to go for 16" or stick with the originial 15" wheels? It looks like the wheel for the spare is original - it has the three bumps for the hubcaps. Your jeep may have come through with 15s originally.


    Tom
     
  19. Dec 20, 2009
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    873
    Tom, Good eye there. My plan is to look for four more original jeep 15" wheels to match the spare wheel, and to try to find tires that are as close as possible to the original style and size.

    Note added 11/2012 - See link re. tires in the next post below.

     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2012
  20. Nov 22, 2012
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Almost three years after my initial post on this jeep, I thought I'd share some current photos and a list of all the work that's been done on her since then. Here's what has been accomplished to date since I acquired it:

    Engine Compartment and Running Gear: I rebuilt the original carb, replaced the water pump, had the original distributor rebuilt by Advanced Distributors, and replaced all other ignition parts and the voltage regulator. The original 35-amp alternator was replaced with an NOS 55-amp. I replaced the fuel pump, installed a new heater air intake hose, and new battery, cables, and battery clamp. (Note: see updates covering tranny, transfer case, engine, and steering gear rebuilds below). The brake master and wheel cylinders were rebuilt and sleeved by White Post Restorations. I had a new clutch put in, and replaced the original open rear differential with an Auburn Gear High Performance Limited Slip diff. I also replaced the aftermarket wheels with original 1960s 15" jeep wheels, blasted and painted the original Glacier White, and mounted new Nanco All Terrain tires in 7.00 x 15 (see Copy of Firestone Town & Country Tire in 7.00-15), which are as close as I could find to the tread pattern and size of the original 6.70 x 15 Goodyear Suburbanites.

    Body and Interior: Rather than trying to repair the dash, I opted to replace the old Motorola radio, which was added during the original owner's tenure, with a 300 Watt Custom Autosound USA-740 unit, two new 75W coaxial speakers and a 150W dual-channel woofer located out of sight behind the dash. I put in a new floor mat, new Rugged Ridge front and rear seats, a new side rear view mirror to match the original. I removed the side steps, which though original, stuck out from the sides too far and I found rather clunky. The black body parts were repainted. I replaced the tail lights and trailer wiring, and installed a new fuel sender unit. The faded original speedometer was replaced with a matching NOS unit and the new odometer was set to the actual original mileage - which just turned 80,000. I also replaced the shift and dash knobs.

    That's about it. The only other significant change I plan to make to this jeep is to add a roll bar. Though I hesitate to do it out of a desire to maintain as much originality as possible, ultimately, the need for safety overrides this.

    The man I bought this jeep from, Herb Switzer, came out to visit yesterday. He inherited the jeep from his father-in-law, who was the original owner. Herb subsequently had her for nearly 40 years, and took wonderful care of her during that entire time. He would occasionally drive her to work, where some of his co-workers nicknamed her "Tweety", due to her color being close to that of the cartoon character Tweety-Bird. Here are some current photos of "Tweety" (who at this point is going topless)!:


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    Lastly, in my first post in this thread, I included some photos that were taken of this jeep by Clyde Trammel, the original owner, in 1967. I thought some of you might enjoy seeing those 1967 photos paired with with the corresponding ones from above taken 45 years later. I didn't have the old photos with me when I took the new ones, and was judging the angles of view from memory, but they came out fairly close. It's hard to tell at this scale, but in the last pair on the right, the 1967 license plate in the old photo is the same one that's still on the jeep!

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    Update Sept. 2013: TRANNY & TRANSFER CASE REBUILD: Long story short....after the original T-86 tranny unexpectedly and very thoroughly ate 1st gear only a few months after (and a few yards from where) these pictures were taken, I had the transmission rebuilt by Herm Tilford ( Herm The Overdrive Guy | Shift into High Gear! ) with new T-90 innards. JCar Transmission in Asheville, NC did a great job rebuilding the original transfer case and installing Herm's hybrid T-86/T-90. The resulting drive train is excellent! The only remaining issue is to lengthen the shift cane Herm sent to better approximate the original t-86 cane, which a good friend with formidable machinist skills has kindly offered to assist me with.

    Update Jan. 2016: ENGINE REBUILD: Last year, after driving my brother-in-law's V6 CJ5 which had recently had a valve job, I realized that his V6 had quite a bit more "oomph" than mine. I figured that after 80,000 miles, mine was probably in need of a valve job too. I took it to a very good local engine builder who took the heads off, only to find out that several lobes of the cam were very seriously worn down, and some of the lifters were in bad shape as well. So....I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and rebuild the entire motor. This Youtube video shows the finished results:



    Externally, the rebuilt engine appears stock. Internally, it has been line bored, balanced (both rotating assembly and weight-matched), and ported. Cylinders were bored to accommodate 231 pistons, block was decked, and heads were shaved, yielding a compression ratio of 9.18:1. A custom Comp cam (based on modified 260H design specs) was installed, along with new oversized valves, springs, seats, guides, pushrods, hydraulic lifters, and new bearings throughout. TA Performance adjustable oil pump and Cloyes double roller timing chain & gears were also installed during the rebuild.

    The original distributor was rebuilt and recurved by Advanced Distributors, and the original Rochester 2G carburetor was rebuilt and restored by The Old Carb Doctor (Jeff Dreibus), Nebo, NC. The original alternator was later replaced with an NOS 55-Amp Motorola unit.

    Engine was rebuilt by Thomas Lassman at Carolina Speed, Black Mountain, NC.

    The newly rebuilt engine idles remarkably smoothly (particularly for a Dauntless!) After the rebuild, mid and upper ranges have significantly increased power, with no noticeable loss of low end torque.

    Update Apr. 2016: STEERING GEAR REBUILD: With the help of Moses Ludel through his forum on the 4WD Mechanix website, I rebuilt the CJ's Ross steering gearbox, using NOS parts to the extent possible. This rebuild and the subsequent installation of the gearbox is thoroughly documented in the following two threads:

    Rebuilding the Jeep Ross TL Cam and Lever Steering Gear

    Ross TL Steering Gear Installation and Wheel Alignment


    Update Jan. 2017: NEW WIRING HARNESS & IGNITION SWITCH REBUILD: The original wiring harness was replaced with a new one built by Carl Walck at Walck's 4WD. The quality of the new harness is superb in every way. I subsequently rebuilt the original Pollak ignition switch using parts from a similar NOS Pollak switch, again with Moses' help. That rebuild process is documented here:

    Refreshing/ Rebuilding An Original Jeep Ignition Switch

    Update Feb. 2017: GAS PEDAL REPLACEMENT: I replaced the original (but awkward) accelerator pedal with a longer, better-fitting NOS gas pedal from a Ford Bronco, as shown here:

    Easy Replacement For V6 Hanging Gas Pedal

    Update Mar. 2017: WIPER MOTOR REBUILD: I rebuilt the original American Bosch electric wiper motors and installed a new wiper wiring harness (also from Walcks'), and documented the process here:

    Rebuilding American Bosch Wwf Electric Wiper Motors


    Update June 2017: OIL BATH AIR CLEANER CONVERTED TO PAPER FILTER: The original oil bath air cleaner was internally reconfigured to accept a paper filter element, as shown here:

    ( Early Type ) V6 Oil Bath To Paper Element Air Cleaner Conversion



     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2021
    Thean likes this.
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