Trying To Identify My New Jeep Cj5

Just purchased what I thought to be a 1958 CJ5. The title even has the year as 1958. After a bit of research and a conversation with someone at Kaiser, it appears my Jeep has to be a 1968 or newer based on having the windshield wipers on the glass instead of above. All of the build tags seem to be missing, so I'm left looking for some kind of identification or serial number to help me get an exact year of the Jeep. Any advice? Does have the Buick V6 in it (which the previous owner thought was not original, but now I'm not so sure).

 

Is their a vin on the tub? Does it match the title? I'd personally be worried if there is not a vin. How would you know the title is for the jeep you bought?

 

Alan, he says "all of the wild tags are missing" in his post.

As Howard says, so much stuff can be swapped around on these things that it can be very difficult to decode what you actually have. From the windshield frames and tailgates to complete bodies and frames getting swapped around over the years, it could be any mix-match of this and that. Follow Howard's advice and try to find the frame number and go from there. Just know that you could have a '58 frame, a '65 body and a '71 hood and fenders with a '68 engine, '70 axles and seats from '87 Fiero all in one package.

 

That's a joke? I thought that's just how that question was answered.
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Which jeep…?

 

Hey bunkers, nice to see someone close to me.....

Where did ya get the jeep ????

 

Hey Dan! Bought it from a guy in Alvord, IA. I used to play amateur football in Estherville a number of years ago, small world. If I knew how to post pictures on here, I could post a bunch for you guys right now. I don't see a VIN on the tub, but I could also be looking in the wrong places. I'm going to see if I can locate a frame number in the place Howard suggested. Thanks for the help as I'm new to the old CJ5 world and still trying to figure out what I bought! I was able to grab some information from the motor that leads me to believe it is a Buick 225 V6 3.2 Fireball. Sound possible?

 

Here are some pictures of my Jeep. I can also grab one of the engine here shortly. The dash is not original is what I was told from the PO. Again, the title says '58...but the title from Iowa also had the make as Wilson and the model as Jeep.

 

No roll bar in '58.
Wrong tailgate ('71 to '81) and tailights.
Front indicators/grill are late model.
Electric wipers and w/s are later type.
Steering wheel is definitely not '58.

Tub, hood, and fenders could be '58. (reinforcing ¼ patch, snorkel cutout, no running light, battery delete cover.)

 

And here is the engine.

 

Thanks for the info! Like many other older Jeeps, it sounds like a combination of different parts from different years. I still can't locate the frame number yet though.

 

Nice jeep.

 

What he said. Probably started life as a '58 and may have a '58 frame and tub but was hodge-podged over the years with newer replacement parts.

 

As long as you have a good title, don't worry about the numbers. You can order an exact duplicate vin tag for the firewall with the Vin off your title from dataplates4u.com.

 

I will admit that I am a relative novice to Jeeps. I have been dealing with high-end muscle cars for the last 20 years and am hypersensitive to the legitimacy of vehicles. There are a lot of cobbled together cars and it negatively affects the value. In those circles, we nitpick missing or altered tags down to the fonts and rivets. I wouldn't want to nor will I buy a vehicle without an authentic pedigree. My remarks above were rendered in that context.

It's a nice looking Jeep and I hope that you get what you are looking for. Cheers!

 

I'll agree with others that this is likely a "mostly" '58 from the pre-'64 tub and a few other features like the metal clutch and brake pedals. The Buick V6 was a very popular swap, even before they were available from tha factory in '65.
If you can get the casting number off the rear of the engine block (behind the head right next to the bellhousing), I can tell what engine it is. There was a 198 Fireball from '61-'64 with the "eared" bellhosing pattern, and the 225 Dauntless from '64-'71 with the conventional Buick/Olds/Pontiac pattern bellhousing. There were other variations of the 231 from the mid-'70s on.
Also, what was the original color on the firewall? It looks pale yellow in your photo.
-Donny