New Here, Need Some Input

Hi Everyone, I'm looking at a 1968 CJ5 to buy and need some advice. I'm not very mechanical but this board seems to have allot of nice folks around for help. The Jeep has the Buick :v6: , 3 inches of lift, new 33’s, new chrome wheels and a new Best Top. Front locking warn hubs. The tub, frame and paint are in perfect shape no rust etc...The motor and all the running gear is stock. No pwr steering, no power brakes, 3 speed tranny, original brakes all around. Cosmetically, this jeep is flawless. I drove it and it does have steering play and the brakes are less than to be desired. The motor runs strong, tranny, clutch are smooth. The tires rub on full lock and will prolly need spacers. When I drove it there was a rather loud gear whine noise in the cab. I guess this is just normal for a 40 year old Jeep with bare floors? :?

He wants $4800. I’m in California. What do ya'll think?

 

Howdy from Western NY. Sounds like you've found a nice Jeep there. Mike is right about the steering stops. Look at the front axle out at the ends by the knuckle, you'll see them. You do NOT want wheel spacers. A little tire rubbing never hurt anybody anyway . These old Jeeps are notorious for having sloppy steering. Take a good look at all the linkage they use and you'll understand why. It is pretty easy to swap in a Saginaw steering box. If you don't want to do that, there are parts available to rebuild your entire original steering setup. It is completely normal for these Jeeps to make some gear whine noise. The Dana 18 transfer case is a gear driven model and is somewhat noisy. Mine makes a nice whine . If it seems abnormally loud, the intermediate shaft is probably sloppy. It's not a big deal, it can be repaired with the T-case in the vehicle and is pretty cheap if I remember correctly. It's also very easy to convert Jeeps to 11" brakes over the stock 9" brakes. It makes a HUGE difference.
But for $4800, I'd go get it. Got pics?

 

The noise could also be the howl of the gears because the bearings in the transmission are bad, my jeep howled bad when I first bought it, it was the front bearing in the transmission that caused it.

Welcome from Alabama!

 

Sounds like a nice CJ. The gear whine very well could mean a T-case / tranny rebuild in the future, but all D-18's are somewhat noisy.What size brake drums? If the're 10" then that could be the problem, small brakes trying to stop large tires/wheels.It's just something you learn to deal with( allow more stopping room in front of you!) , or upgrade the brakes later on. Price doesn,t seem out of line for what your getting. Good luck and welcome.

 

Welcome from Ohio (and former Ca resident ). Sounds like a nice Jeep. $4800 is still a lot of bread IMO. Steering slop is one of the simplest probs to troubleshoot and fix without spending alot of $$. The whining noise? Could be as described above....but first I'd verify proper fluid levels in the tranny and transfer case. There's a couple square-lookin' plugs on one side. Take a 9/16" open ended wrench and unscrew the uppermost one. Gear lubricant may or may not slowly creep out the hole. If so, good. If not, stick your finger in there and dip it low into the case. You should feel gear lube. If ya don't, it's not filled properly, and who knows how much fluid is in there if any. Perhaps filling it up with 80W90 gear lube (until it starts to flow out the hole) might quiet 'er down.

 

Yes.

Mechanical problems (steering, gear whine, brakes) can be fixed by the home mechanic. Check for bondo over rust, frame cracks, make sure that it's complete and doesn't have any title issues.

Re frame cracks, look around the spring hangers and where the front cross-member meets the frame. Other members here will tell you where else to look.

Tire rubbing on the inside of the rear wheel wells is normal, and not a problem.

 

Hey folks-
Thanks so much for all the replies. As this is a big purchase for me, I really appreciate all the help, insight and experience. I'm picking her up tommorro. Wish me luck!

Harry

P.S I will post pics ASAP

 

good luck Harry.

Now plan on bringing it to Big Bear in June

 

Welcome from middle TN.
Looking forward to pics.
'68 should have the 10" brakes by the way.

 

welcome from iowa! enjoy your new "friend".