1967 “LOST SERIES” CJ5 wtf (ebay ad)

found this on ebay today:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360250155538

i was a little put off by the odd drivetrain and wanted to get some input from you all. is that legit to run a dana 18 to a centered rear like that? i suppose it's just wider angle like you would get when you lift a jeep but it still seems unorthodox.

you can read the description in the ebay ad but essentially he's claiming it's some weird "lost series" cj5 that was one of 700 that were made during the willys overland buyout by kaiser, however after about 3 minutes of google search most sources say the buyout happened in april 1953 (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1953-1956-jeep.htm) so things don't really add up there.

also he claims the previous owner did the conversion so all i can assume is that the last guy wanted a 4spd w. an overdrive, found out you could do it with the dana 18 and just winged it by not swapping out the rear for a proper offset 44 or something else that would be compatible.

either way an interesting ebay ad to say the least.

here's the picture he had posted:

 

I've seen longer wheelbase rigs (Scouts, CJ-6s, Willys wagons) running an 18 TC with a centered rear diff, but never a CJ-5!

 

I'd think it would vibrate horribly once you got moving, not to mention all the u-joints it would eat.

 

wow dr. sparky - dookie- really (tech term?) I really did just fall off the chair.

 

FYI you can run a u-joint at an angle like that it just has to stay in the proper plane

 

The Jalopy has the same deal, just reversed. offset axle on centered tcase. can't wait to fix that!

 

hahaha glad to have my suspicions confirmed, the clutch thing really struck me as strange since i figured they all used 10.5" or 11" clutches GM style. i sent the guy a string of questions about in in hopes to see what kind of seller he really is, whether he just doesn't know what he has or if he is really just trying to pull a fast one.

i guess we'll know soon enough. we can at least say the "custom" rear driveshaft is suspect at the very least and that this isn't a LOST SERIES CJ5 hahaha

 

The Jeep M715 had an off set xfer case and a centered rear diff no vibrations from the factory. But the drive shaft was a tad bit longer.
Kevin