1957 cj-5

Hi, my name is Mark and I'm from NW Oklahoma. Grew up on a farm and been farming 46 years and a contract oilfield pumper for 35 years. That means I have lots of experience trying to keep old stuff running. Wife and I were driving a couple of months ago and saw a Jeep sitting on a corner for sale. Stopped to take a look and called the guy and made the purchase. Drives good and runs great, but a lot of things cobbled and body looks good but inside and under is pretty bad. One thing has led to another and it's turning into a project.

Welcome OkieMark,
Purchases end up being projects more often than not. You already have the needed skills to get your 5 back in good shape, but if you need anything we will be here for you. Please send in some photos of your gem, we will be happy to see them.

A CJ5 with some nice tires has always been a cool looking rig! Good luck on the find! What motor do you have?

It has the 4 cylinder F head. Purrs like a kitten. I have a feeling this motor has been overhauled at some point. I know the pan has been off. The guy I bought it from put new shocks and springs, went through the transmission and transfer case and steering box, put new tie rods and tie rod ends, steering wheel and steering column, exhaust system is like new, tires are about 90%, has been converted to alternator and electric fuel pump. I started out fixing the battery mount which was all cobbled up, then decided I would power wash the motor and strip it down and paint everything which I have done. The distributer was froze up in the block and I got that freed, then I decided to just take everything off the front and shine up the frame and go through everything, cleaning up the differential, brake shoes, replace all the rubber brake hoses and anything that needed fixing. I didn't like the spring shackles so I got new ones for that. I just started priming the frame yesterday. Mind you the body is still on it and I'm just working in front of the firewall now. The wiring in junk and I am totally rewiring it. I took the plunge and ordered a total tub kit after figuring the cost of parts to fix the body would cost at least half the cost of the kit, not to mention the labor and time. I'm not trying to be completely original, just wanting something that looks good and in tip top shape. Got a new speedometer, light switch, and dimmer switch, and am adding a voltmeter and mechanical oil pressure gauge. This will keep me busy most of the winter. Mark.

All Jeeps are projects. My 63 Cj5 looks good from a distance from a previous owners paint job, but they did not do very good body prep or frame work before painting. Enjoy the time you have with it and make sure to get it out in the sun. Attachment 5266

Yeah, this jeep has been cobbled on its whole life looks like to me. Parts put on that don't belong, odd or bolts that are too long. It has obviously spent much time just sitting outside. The body looks OK from the outside but everything inside and under is rusted out. The previous owner had done some good work getting the drive train and suspension upgraded but he didn't clean anything up when he worked on it. I'm about to get the front end done and will taking the body off pretty soon. Getting the new body painted will be a challenge, trying to work around the weather. My work area is warm but I don't have room enough to paint a body in there and wouldn't want to anyway. May have to wait til the weather warms up in the spring for that. For now I have plenty to do getting the back half gone through.

You've made some great decisions on the project okiemark. I am happy with the body kit from KW on my CJ3A. It did need some work to make it fit. I wrote about some difficulties I had with mine. I have seen guy's like gmwillys make the parts from sheet steel. These people are artists! I am just not that good. The body kits are an excellent alternative.

Since you are putting a kit on it. You may find it much easier to just lift the body off now. Once you do that, its like working on a go kart. Everything is right there to work on. From the sound of your previous post, I think you are heading into a really fun restore. Your goal is a good one! In my gallery I have some shots of a total frame off restore. I think you will see, once the body's off it will give you a great view.

Yeah, this thing has actually evolved from wanting to just clean up the motor and paint everything to going ahead and taking everything off the front and shining up the frame. I've got that done and going back together. When I get the wheels back on the front, I'm pushing it out and getting the body off so I can work on the back half. Cleaning up the frame outside will be better and not so messy for my shop. As for the body, I just couldn't justify spending the money and time on it. Figured I might as well go new.