Hello,
I have recently puchased my first car. It is a 1956 CJ5. It's still factory drivetrain. F-134 Hurricane, t90 3 speed, dana 18 tcase, d25 front, d44 rear axle. Currently there are no brakes at all. It dosen't even have drums on the front. The electircal system is a mess. Also dosen't have a gas tank the previous owner ziptied a 1 gal. lawnmower tank to the e brake cable. But aside from that it starts and drives extremely well. The body is in very rough shape. There is only one passenger side body mount that's actually strong. I also got a factory hardtop and doors from a 1964 model. The top has a small crack in the fiberglass rain gutter but is in good shape. The passenger door is complete, drivers is missing glass and inner door panel, both have some rust on the bottom. I've already pulled out all the wiring except for ignition. It would start with the key off and the one light that worked randomly turned on and sparks came from under the dash. It was alredy 12v (not sure if factory or conversion). I have a universal fuse block and wiring harness that I will install. I mounted a Warn M8000 that my Dad had from another jeep in the past. The windsheild glass is gone and frame is rusty so I got a used complete one. It is the 69-75 style with the wipers on the bottom. At first the oil was turning white and foaming. But it had sat for almost a year without being started. And it also didn't smoke and coolant stayed clean and the level never changed like it would with a blown head gasket. So I was told just to run it for a long time to heat it up and burn out moisture. So i changed the oil and filter then drove around the yard over 2 hours and now the oil is staying clean. Mission succesful!
My plans for it is to not restore it just get everything mechanically reliable and safe. Patch the rust so the body is structually sound and hopefully have it roadworthy for when I get my drivers license in a couple years. But mostly just have fun and learn about old cars. I am excited to work on this Jeep and share my progress here. I also have a YouTube channel @jacobnovosel Here's a link to one of the videos of the Jeep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFYaISC_ps&t=22s
I am completely new to vintage Jeeps but am willing to learn, so any insight you might have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jacob.
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