Things I wish I knew before.....

I recently bought a '66 cj5. After spending some time fixing it up, I have come to some conclusions:
1. $1,200 for the jeep is not the steal that you thought it was.

2. When you replace the rear seals, and decide to check the wheel bearings, "just for the heck of it", you better get ready to buy a shop press.

2. When you build a new battery box, be sure you space it far enough away from the firewall so you can get the battery hold down clamp in place.

3. A TJ tire / gas can carrier is not "close enough" to a CJ to make it fit without major modifications.

Feel free to add your own.
Lee

 

Don't ever tell the parts house, "You won't see me again this summer!"
It just makes you look like a fool when you are back in the next day.
Lee

 

Changing gas tank from below: $100 gas tank plus a few hours cursing at the danged fool who shoehorned that thing in there.

Changing the gas tank by lifting the rear of the tub: $100 gas tank, $25 parking brake cables, $25 for a few wire cups, $25 poly body mount kit, $500 lift kit, $600 Super Swampers, $125 Kragar white spokes, $75 new u-joints, $20 steering shaft rubber boot, $500 to sandblast and prime rolling chassis, $40 worth of MAP gas, $30 worth of PB Blaster, $150 windshield frame, $50 windshield gaskets, $120 spring plates with skid plates, $350 for another engine, $1800 to rebuild original engine, $50 backup lights, $50 front turn signal lights, $250 radiator, $8 radiator cap, $25 cap, points, rotor, wires, $125 to replace your new cap, rotor, wires with HEI stuff, $75 brake cylinders, $125 stainless brake lines, $75 braided brake hoses...

 

Just because you got the axle nut off somehow, doesn't mean that you have the socket to put it back on again.
Lee

 

A Jeep needs brakes to stop...and $$$ to get them in working conditionR)
An old Jeep is like and old house, you fix atleast two other things before you fix the thing you originally set out to correct, seems to be a theme in my neck of the woods these days.

Last but not least, you need to have an understanding better half to take on any Jeep project.

 

Everyone who drives my old CJ5 wants one.

Air horns are cool on jeeps.

Stock old jeeps are equal to locked cherokees.

 

Triple the estimated job time if more than 3 40-year-old bolts are involved.

Buy all available bolt-out, damaged nut/bolt remover, etc. type tools BEFORE starting any job involving 40-year-old bolts.

Soak entire JEEP in PB blaster BEFORE starting any job involving 40-year-old bolts.

Buy an impact wrench (be it electric or air) BEFORE starting any job involving 40-year-old bolts larger than 3/8" thread.

 

Be carefull about using the impact wrench on 1/4" bolts, chances they will break off and you will then have to learn how to use Helicoils for the above mentioned 40-year-old bolts. (*hint* Rear differential cover)
Lee

 

Never buy a JEEP off of a guy that uses allen head bolts for everything. Lets just face it, allen wrenches don't work well.

Also, PO added aluminum screen door turnbuckles won't work for clutch linkage (broke and hit a tree) and will cause you to curse on video and in front of women and children.

 

Never buy premixed antifreeze.

I like to pay for water.

 

Just because you can bake bread on the floor of your Jeep in the summer doesn't mean you won't need a heater come winter.

 

Murphys Law; What can go wrong, will go wrong. That little bugger follows me everywhere.

 

It took me 3 hours to change a battery in my cousins 1999 Neon yesterday.... terminals had rounded nuts, hold-down clamp was completely corroded and rusted on (and eventually busted), parts store gave me the wrong battery, TWICE......and it was 100+ outside at the time.......talk about Murphy's law.

I can change the battery in my JEEP and our two other vehicles in 10 minutes or less.

 

you buy 3 jeeps to build one,and realize you still dont have enough parts and my favorite,yeh we can have this one up and going in no time

 

Don't trust other people when they tell you... oh thats an easy fix. Because they never are.



Don't trust people who drive TJs, they think they know about early Jeeps and they usually don't.

 

R) I've found that free sometimes is not the steal you thought it was, either. R)