New to CJ's and have a question.

I have been into Jeeps for years and currently own a 02 TJ not quite as classy as a CJ, but it has alot of trail worthy and daily driver mods to it and I like SOME of the modern creature comforts...
My Mother was bit by the Jeep bug and has been wanting one for years and insisted in a CJ. After a long time of looking I found her a 1972 CJ-5 304 4spd and a twin stick t-case appears to have a D-30 open knuckle in front and a D-44 in rear, and it was interesting to me with around 40k on it.
Bare with me as I said I have owned newer jeeps and alot of older vehicles but not a classic jeep.
The jeep sure has alot of stuff that I am curious if it was factory or special order or?
for starters:

11 leaf spring pack in the front and around 13-15 in the back.

It has the indent by the door for the gas fill tube but it was never been punched. Instead it has a 20 or 25 gallon I believe 25 gallon tank that fills from the rear of the vehicle.

storage comaprtment under the seat.

Tow package.

Are these standard options?

Like the drive train a twin stick t-case I thought from reading up on these I thought they were discontinued in 71. I'm guessing its a ealry 72?...its Bright orange with black hard top and accents.
Any input if this is just normal or a special edition model?
Any suggestions are appreciated
Thanks for your time,

 

30 wasn't offered until '72, I know some intermediates could be had with the 304 but Im not sure if it was '72 or a year or two later . 44 was standard. Is the pumpkin centered or offset? '72 would have been centered. Twin stick transfercase was not offered in '72 but there are aftermarket kits available to convert. I believe the stock rear tank was around 15 gallons. The unpunched indent on the side was standard from around late '70-'75.

 

Sounds like a whole lot of leaf springs..I bet it rides like a dump truck. Don't let that discourage you though, it'd easy enough to change springs.

 

A '72 is an intermediate model - we have a forum just for intermediate (72-75) CJs. Mods, I suggest this post be moved there, so that it doesn't expire.

A '72 with the HD suspension option should have something like 8-10 leaves, front and back. Jeep used a lot of different spring combinations, so it's difficult to say with any certainty whether these springs are original or not. That said, replacing/upgrading the springs is a very popular upgrade for these Jeeps. Old leaf springs are usually worn out and flat, regardless of the number of leaves.

Door indent w/o punch through is correct. Jeep switched from the under-seat tank to the rear tank in mid-70 due to DOT reg changes. All the intermediates have the rear tank.

Tool box is original, and they all had it through 1975.

Tow package? Do you mean the draw bar? That's a popular option.

"Standard option" is a contradiction in terms. In the day, features were either standard or optional. I think you're looking for "factory option" v. "dealer installed" v. "aftermarket" (installed by a previous owner aka PO).

In '72, orange was either a fleet color or available with the Renegade package. You may have a paint/trim tag on the passenger side firewall, which will tell you what was delivered from the factory. These tags are usually gone though, since they were glued on.

The only hard tops from the factory were the white steel Meyer cabs, full or half. No black or fiberglass top was available in the day.

Welcome from Boston.

 

Hey Jeepr...welcome. Let us know where you're from.

In case you need some reference material for parts and/or the Technical Service Manual, you can find a '74 version here. While not identical to the '72 it's close enough in many many areas.

My '74 has spring packs like what you described and based upon the paint code I know it's a Renegade version (Renegade Plum).

 

There's a '72 manual here: http://trailforge.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=30

You can see a picture of the trim tag in section A, figure 3.

 

Also, '72 was the first year for the V8 in a CJ. The 304 was the only V8 ever offered. In '72, the only transmission available with the 304 was the T-15 3-speed. So the 4-speed is not original, nor is the twin stick transfer case controls, as Nick mentioned.

You can tell a few things (engine, transmission, suspension) about original equipment from the VIN number. Look at the manual I posted above for VIN decoding, or post up the VIN.

 

THe 4 speed and twin stick are not factory, BUT they are both desirable upgrades. Sounds like you've got a great starter point for a nice street and trail jeep.

 

Wow I was not expecting such a large and quick response. To answer questions, the rear is diff. is centered, it indeed does ride alot like a dump truck...,Tow package as in a older style of bolted into the rear bumper that has just a ball on it. As for the front it has the brackets for the bar. The hardtop is steel and it appears to have been repainted after looking at it closer, it was white at some point. As for the transmission it has a low granny gear and three other gears forward. Thanks again for all the information, this is a great help.
Eric

 

The low granny would point to a T18 transmission...very good for you. There were two versions, one with a 4:1 first gear which was a factory option for CJ's - just not in your year, the other is a 6.32:1 first gear, which is a popular conversion to put into CJ's. Either way, good for you.

The rear tow bar is usually just that, a tow bar, not really a true bumper. It's a piece of angle iron with braces that go to the frame on the outside of the shackle area and usually a couple that are vertical that mount to the face of the rear cross member.