1978 Jeep CJ5

An early version initially called the “Willys Overland” morphed from military GP, (general purpose), vehicle to the mass produced CJ, short for "civilian Jeep”.  More than 1.5 million CJ Jeeps were built, having continued the same basic body style for 45 years since the Jeep first appeared.  Widely regarded as "America's workhorse”, the CJs have been described as "probably the most successful utility vehicle ever made".  The word Jeep is an acronym of the letters GP.

The call of the wild, the great outdoors, into the great wide open, getting a little mud on the tires, all representative of this 1978 CJ5 which has undergone a full restoration, a 2.5" suspension lift, a drivetrain upgrade, and now can take you anywhere, anytime, in any weather.   You decide, the wild is your oyster…(sic.)

***Due to modifications of the emissions control devices installed by the manufacturer, please check your local, state, and federal laws to determine if this vehicle is applicable for use on public highways in your area.***  

Exterior
All straight and true, all tricked out with extra Hella lighting, a Champion Power Equipment winch, new bumpers, full black vinyl Bestop as well as vinyl door and a 2 Bikini tops, 15-inch black painted wheels and tires in the form of 33x12.5R15LT mudders including the spare.  Midnight blue painted steel and fiberglass is all good with no rust and just a few war scars, but they are minor.  The existing top includes the full door side panels that can easily be removed for an airer experience.  Black Rhino lining covers the iconic Jeep grille, leading hood edge and front edges of the lightweight plastic fenders are bolted onto the blue.  On either side the climb in is aided by small bars bolted to the rockers, which is a pretty cool idea and interesting way to fabricate a step!  In back a hitch mount is on the bumper along with dual tow hooks, and now we are hearing the call of the wild!  Wahoooo wahoooo…. wahoooo whaooo whaooo! (Think Mandalorian)

Interior
A swing of the black vinyl exterior and steel tubed famed door reveals the back side of the vinyl and inner door workings.  Plastic windows abound again for weight loss and give panoramic views from any seating position on the inside.  Speaking of which as we slip inside on the high back vinyl buckets which are in very nice condition and have integrated headrests.  All covered in smooth vinyl.  In the center is a large lockable storage box topped with a padded vinyl for the armrest.  As we move forward from this box the floors are finished in black textured matting for easy and quick clean up.  The long arm transmission shifter  and the factory 4x4 twin stick shifters reside here just prior to the dash.  This dash is bathed in textured black and is peppered with all the essential gauges and then some.  Toggles and pulls abound as does a bank of illuminated rocker switches and a CB radio.  In front of the passenger is a black steel “Jesus” bar and a glove box door.  Fronting the dash is a faux carbon fiber rally style steering wheel.  Note the front windshield can be lowered for extra versatility.  In back, the rear seat has been removed and now resides a black lockbox installed in the factory seat mounting holes.  Also, a roll bar encircles the roofline just in case you are a bit too ambitious on the vertical climb.

Drivetrain
Under the flip up hood is a gleaming Ford 351ci Windsor V8 from a 1974 Torino.  It gleams with its light blue paint, silver intake manifold and Holley 600cfm 4-barrel carburetor.  On the back is a Borg Warner T18 4-speed manual transmission and turning the tires out back is a AMC 20 axle with a Detroit TruTrac locker with the auto lock feature disabled.  The front axle remains intact with an auto locker differential and we note trusses welded on the rear axle housing for a stronger structure.  An aluminum radiator is in to keep things cool and twin electric fans are on and thermostatically controlled. 

Undercarriage
Patinaed black paint is everywhere for the floor pans and frame which is rust free and solid with only minor surface rusting appearing in a few locations.  4-wheel leaf spring suspension with a 2.5" Old Man Emu YJ conversion lift kit installed by Mt. Zion is providing the ride, and front power disc braking up front works with power drums on the rear.  A full on stainless steel exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers is climbing its way rearward from the headers.

Drive-Ability
I just love the ingenuity that goes into some of the CJ mods and this one does not disappoint.  I climbed in over the rocker bar and was off to the test track.  Here it did very well as expected, great acceleration, solid bias free panic stopping and good handling.  I did go into 4x4 mode, and it worked well, but did not get to actually climb anything!  Speaking of climbing, our consignor states that the owner before him had taken this Jeep on the Moab along with a few of the front face trails of the Rockies.   All functions were spot on save for the speedometer reading lower than the actual speed, the wipers not wiping, the heater not blowing and the CB not able to raise any trucker chatter.

Grab your groover, mount the kayak and go exploring, climbing, camping and whatever else we do in the great outdoors.  Let's get a little mud on the tires!

J8F83AH154232

J-Jeep
8-1978
F-3 Speed Manual
83-CJ5
A-3750 GVWR
H-304ci V8 2bbl
154232-Sequential Unit Number

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.