I would not go over 60 in a 1958 Jeep, and then only in rare and exceptional circumstances. That little short wheelbase and quick turning radius combine to make it a really unstable vehicle at those kind of highway speeds.
I would not go over 60 in a 1958 Jeep, and then only in rare and exceptional circumstances. That little short wheelbase and quick turning radius combine to make it a really unstable vehicle at those kind of highway speeds.
When designing a vehicle, the drivers safety is the first function of every component.
To answer your question, no I would not recommend anyone operate any vehicle above the speed it was designed for. Vehicles designed to protect a driver at highway speeds are constantly evolving. Classic vehicles need to run at classic speeds when on the highway. If you want to go fast in a Jeep CJ, it needs to be on a track with safety close by and a waiver signing off of all liability.
No one would likely survive a crash in a 1958 CJ5 at 90. The probability of a crash is very high. Nothing in that vehicle was intended to go that fast.
Last edited by bmorgil; 08-21-2023 at 08:04 PM.
Bmorgil and larrbeard are exactly right. Nothing in an old jeep is safe. I've only driven my 56 cj5 a little bit and have already confirmed this. Now my jeep is pretty well built and one of the better handling ones I've seen. I have good modern tires with wider wheels to help stability. I have brand new tie rods and ooe of the tightest old jeep steering boxes I've seen. But still at 35 mph it rides like a cadillac. At 45 you better pay attention because it wants to use both lanes even though the wheels are straight. And 50 feels like the absolute sketchiest 100 mph you've ever witnessed. 80 or 90 would be flat out SKETCHY. Now there are some modifications you can do to improve all this. Im sure someone here will now more about this. you can convert to electric power steering from i believe a early 2000s Toyota. And you can convert to disc brakes. Both things would improve handling a lot. But I still would not recommend going 80 mph. 60 - 65 could be reasonable.
When I heard you wanted to do 90 or 95 I cringedOriginally Posted by LarrBeard
I used to race jeeps in my younger days and I had a blown Buick V6 with over 600hp, we drag raced on a 300’ track and I’m here to tell with all the safety equipment in under the sun at 300’ some of the Big Boys would lose control at the 200-250’ mark at 90-95 mph and I’m here to tell you they would take FLIGHT and the result was ugly, not deadly bc of the safety equipment that they made us use.
So if your thinking of building a CJ5 that’ll do 90-95 on the expressway in Houston or Columbus it’s a death wish for the driver, like Larrbeard said a short wheelbase, sharp turning radius and to add to it the light weight and narrow guide would be dangerous.
What you’re thinking of is like a go kart with 200-300 hp that’s not 2”s off the ground but 20-30”s off the ground.
So No Freaking Way would I go 80 in one, if a cat ran out in front of you at 80 your first response would be to turn and that’s when it will take FLIGHT sideways and roll then roll some more then roll some more until everything is flung clear out of it!!!
56willys has given some good tips on how to make it feel much better at speed. Notice he is telling you it still isn't handling like a modern vehicle. I would at least perform these upgrades if I was even going out on the highway on a regular basis. In addition to those suggestions, a well designed roll bar welded to the frame would be mandatory. The driver must stay restrained in the seat, inside the roll cage.
About 45-50 MAX is the speed your Jeep was designed for. Stock, they require 100% attention at 50 mph.
Last edited by bmorgil; 08-22-2023 at 12:28 PM.
Thank you everyone
Been thinking about your quest for a high speed willys. One thing i noticed driving mine around last weekend. It really handles quite well. Untill you hit a bump or pothole, then your sideways, shaking, and almost in the ditch. The main downfall about these jeeps other than the short wheelbase (not much you can do about that without a LOT of welding) Is the steering system is horrible. likely the cause for wandering, wobbling, and the afore mentioned bumpsteer. There is some tricks you could do to improve this. I've heard of a lot of people swap in a saginaw steering setup from a 1976-86 CJ. This would get you a far superior steering box thats actually designed for highway speeds. And eliminates the complex factory ross system with tons of seperate parts and joints that get loose and sloppy. This setup would be alot safer even at low speeds. and I think would really help keep that jeep on the road. Then if you wanted to have power steering. You could get a saginaw box with hydraulic assist. But you'd have to have a pump on the engine and run lines. Which wouldn't be a huge deal but to be simpler. Get an electric assist unit from a 2009-13 toyota. That just splices in to your steering colum and has 3 wires that need power. This could be easily found on ebay or at a junkyard.
Heres some videos I found explaining this process.
Saginaw steering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRD50RHsxZA&t=772s
Electric assist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlt03cuzyA&t=1427s
Reply With Quote
