[Guest]

I am looking at a 85 cj7 for my next daily driver. It has a chevy 350, sm465, stock axles, not lifted, fiberglass body, painless wireing kit, hard top. How are the these jeeps as daily drivers. I realize that the fuel economy wont be all that good and the ride will be rough. I am looking for some input from people who have these as daily drivers. Are there any specific problems relating to cold weather. Does anyone have any complaints, things to watch for when looking at one to buy.. ect. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[858]

If you can get a CJ with a fiber tub & the wiring has been re done, you are off to a good start.. These are 2 of the major problem areas with older jeeps.. More so if you live in a northern climate with snow and salt on the roads every winter..

Another major part to watch for is the frame.. They will tend to rust out by the front driver side leaf hanger..

Other then that, as long as the engine is strong, it sounds like a good jeep for DD...

Of course that all depends on how much the guy is asking also..

Hope that helps..

 

[1652]

As you said: fuel economy will not be great and it's not exactly plush ride, but it's not all that bad (on the contrary it can be very fun and entertaining). Acquire as much info about the jeep as you can, check over the frame for obvious cracks, check all drive train components, etc. See this thread - LEVE has some good points.

HTH and good luck,
Igor

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the help. It also has had all the brake components replaced, as well as having the frame cleaned and painted when he had the old body off. I will check it over for rust and cracks for sure though.

 

[fratt77CJ7]

If it has the stock suspension it definitely not gonna be a caddy but I drove my CJ-7 for several years as a DD. It's all a matter of what you are willing to put up with in terms of comfort. I have been driving my '62 CJ-3B for the past 3 weeks here in NJ and I love it but again, I don't care about comfort, heat, going over 55 mph,...

. The other concern is how good a job the guy did with all the upgrades. It sounds like he did a lot of converting and such so it's tough to say whether or not it'll be a reliable DD. I did all the work and fixing on my CJ-7 so I knew what to look for when things broke, etc. Good luck.

 

[MarineOpLaw]

I drive my '82 Scrambler daily... at least when it's not broken!

I love it as a DD.

Of course, it is 22 years old and it will give you conniptions on occasion... And, in keeping w/ the 'Jeep Corollary' of Murphy's Law , the tribulations it gives you are usually at the worst possible times: bitterly cold, raining cats & dogs, during a trip when you are in the most remote area or furthest point from home

, etc... - that kinda stuff.

With that said, there is nothing to compare to driving a vintage Jeep w/ it's old Jeep smell, surrounded by no-kidding real steel interior (in my case), draftiness, cramped, relatively bumpy ride, loose, wandering steering, various solvent-dripping components... LIFE JUST DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER!

If structurally & mechanically sound - BUY IT! And, DRIVE IT!

like there's no tomorrow!

Your life will be richer for it and I doubt very much you'll ever be sorry. (Now, your wife and disposable income... they may have issues w/ your new acquisition...

However, if you tread carefully here and plan your strategy well

, you can minimize these potential areas of friction.

)

Godspeed!

 

[995]

I did not like the soft spring sway drive down the road ride that I had with the stock stuff. I do like the ride with the new tires and new lift and the new shocks and the drop arm. I would like to tell you about all the guys that had jeeps in high school,I know that 2 guys that were a few years ahead of me both had jeeps one had a 427 chevy CJ5 with 31's and one had a 258 CJ7 stock tires,and with in weeks of getting out of school they both had rolled them. If you don't drive to fast then I would buy one, but if you think you might have a few to many beers then drive a car. A cheep car to go along with the jeep would be a good idea. I would like to know where in Wisconsin you live, north or south,east or west.

 

[445]

Do you plan on just street driving this jeep or will it also be your wheeler? When i was in high school i wheeled my daily driver (i'm guessing your 17 from your user name) and if i was smart i would have gotten at least a little pos car as a dily driver or a pick up to tow the jeep to and from wheeling and then a real cheep beater to wheel. Towards the end of senior year my jeep was no longer streetable and i bit the bullet and got a tow rig and trailer. It is really really nice having the tow rig and trailer. My unstreetable jeep is gone and now my current trail jeep is streetable just not the most reliable thing in the world but it sure is fun to drive.

I'm not sure if i'd want a jeep with an engine swapped in, buying a vehicle that has been modified can be opening a can of worms. If the guy that is selling it is the one that modified it get a list of every part he used in the swap and what it's out of. Check the frame especily by the rear spring hangers/ shackels and steering box mounts. The heat in older jeeps isn't that great even with a hard top. If the 350 is carbed it can be a pita to start, i know my 258 can be fun to start in real cold weather but my fuel injected truck starts right up. If you ever need parts check these guys out www.ultimate4.com they are a great local shop in appelton with great prices, they are straight up about everything they sell, are very knowledgable, and tell em andy sent ya. I don't think he has any jeeps for sale, i know a guy off the board just bought a jeep from him. If you are looking for a "mechanic" to check out the jeep your thinking of buying i'd bet they would check it out for you for next to nothing.

BarrelRoll

 

[CJ7Taz]

I've been using the same "80 Jeep for a daily driver for 17 years and I haven't ever thought about replacing it in that time. About 12 years ago, it got a fiberglass body and about 10 years ago, it got a 305 TPI Chevy engine.

The TPI increased my fuel mileage to about 20 mpg but I drive almost all interstate highway. That fiberglass body will help with the high center of gravity. I ran up beside a guy I work with on the interstate, he was driving a Ford Probe. The exit for work is dual lane because it's also the exit to the stadiums. He knew he couldn't outrun me with the TPI, but he thought he could out corner me on the exit. He didn't. His first words when he got out of his Probe at the parking lot were, "That thing corners pretty well."

There are times that I really wish for a more comfortable ride and times, even at stock height, that I wish it was easier to get in and out of but overall I'm very happy with it.

I could afford to buy another vehicle. Even looked at a Jaguar and one of the new T-birds but I knew that I'd never drive them more that once every month or two. I'd still be driving the Jeep and letting anything else sit most of the time.

 

[Guest]

I also found out that he swapped the whole drivetrain from the same chevy truck, so it wasent pieced together from a bunch of different years and things like that. I had also looked into installing fuel injection to help with the cold starting, although he said that he drove it in the winter and it started every day with no problems.

The way that i am looking at it is, it wont rust out with the fiberglass body, the brakes,ignition and wireing have been entirely replaced, it has a 350 in it, which i should be able to find parts for about anywhere, should it need it. It has heat and cd player, stock springs, so the ride should be tolerable at least. Is there somthing that i have totally overlooked??

 

[445]

It's getting to be almost 20 years old so things will start wearing out. Are you also planning on wheeling this jeep or do you allready have a jeep for wheeling? If you all ready have a wheeler get a tow rig instead of another jeep unless it's a full size.

Barrleroll

 

[Guest]

its not going to be for hard core wheeling. Its mostly going to be for normal daily driving with the occasional light trail or mud hole.

 

[445]

Then i'd go for it, but when you give a mouse a cookie he wants another. I know that's how wheeling went for me. If i have 2 shortwheelbase jeeps life would be interesting. It's hard to haul axles and other things in a swb jeep.

BarrelRoll

 

[1607]

It sounds like most things have been replaced, so very little is 20 years old anymore. I've been driving my 86 CJ7 daily with stock suspension (exept for the shocks of course), and stock 258 (except for the top end rebuild and MPI) for 11 years. I love it. Especially with the hard top, you'll be fine.

 

[Guest]

I also drive an 85 CJ7 as a daily driver. Just remember the heating systems suck, but you can put a new heater motor from a 77 or 78 chevy full size blazer with a/c in it. This jumps the air flow up. You will have to cut a larger hole in the firewall to do this, but worth it. The motor is around $20. Also a plus to park in a garage. If the price is right do it. If you think you are a real man do it. It takes a special person to drive one every day.

 

[Guest]

I had a 78 CJ7 that I drove every day to and from work(35 miles one way!). I loved it!! The heater sucked, it was lousy on gas, and it was noisy, but I thought it was the best rig I ever had to drive. I had it for 6 years, did a lot of work on it (routine maint. on one of these rigs can take up a lot of time), and really did not want to get rid of it. The frame had some cracks in it, and I found a good deal on my (now gone in favor of the Wrangler) 78 Chero.

I say go for it, and use it all of the time. There are not many people who drive them every day and it is a rare treat to see one on the roads, especially in winter!

Keith

 

[803]

1 more for the daily driver club.

Having a CJ for your daily commute makes the weekend projects into "Crunchtime".

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the input and encouragement, i am going to go take a closer look at it tommorrow afternoon, we will see how it is after that.