Bought A 1960. Have Questions

Just got a 1960 CJ5 and I got some questions...lol

Somebody swapped a Chevy 283 into the Jeep and the cooling system definitely needs help. What's a good radiator upgrade?

This Jeep has a rear PTO as well as the rear PTO shaft. The boot for the PTO is there in the floor but it appears the PTO drive unit that connects to the transfer case is long gone. Are these hard to find?

Lastly, the Jeep gets some good death wobble over 35-45MPH. What are the common culprits?

Thanks for the help!

 

PTO output units are fairly easy to find. There are a number of variants, some are pricey some are not. (Jeep truck units look similar but will not fit CJ). Shafts can be made up from generic parts.

Search death wobble in the archives - there has been a mountain of info discussed here before. In short, every part of the steering system needs to be assessed, including king pins, camber, tie rod ends, toe in, tire balance, wheel bearings, spring shackles, and so on. Be systematic.

 

About driving problems, I changed the tyres and checked the steering system, there was some adjustment to do and it was good.

 

Agreeing with Pete, seems like any of these Jeeps not owned by an enthusiast needs the front end thoroughly gone through, steering wheel to tires. Lots of moving parts in the front end with many points that routinely wear out. Steering gear, drag link, bell crank, tie rods ends, king pin bearings, "oil" seals, wheel bearings, spring bushings, tire balance. I've probably left out something. The FSM covers it well.

For your radiator, popular swaps include from early Mustang, Fiero, likely others. Search for those. I'd start with the aluminum hot rod radiators at Summit or Jegs. Take the measurements and where you'd like the outlets to be, and look through what they offer.

 

Welcome back! I've got a copper mustang radiator with a 4.3 v6 if I were to replace it I would get an aluminum 65 v8 mustang radiator and make a fan shroud. But before buying a new one, back flush the snot out of everything and make sure the thermostat and water pump are working properly. Also check plugs to see if timing or mixture are off.

 

PTO and winch on Denver CL

 

Thanks for all the info! This 283 seems to run good but has a lot of blowby and bad valve seats, I think. I'm tempted to get a TBI era 305 or 350 to replace it with. Fuel injection is definitely handy at the altitude I live at...10,200FT.

Is there a way to tell which engine the Jeep originally had? Just curious more than anything else.

Also, for the spare tire carrier...Did they all have one or was it an option?

 

1960 would be a 134 and spair tire mounted to a spacer on the passenger fender. Don't look back at either.

 

Where do you live?

 

Colojeepguy-Leadville, Colorado....Which is apparently the CJ5 capital of the world. There's atleast 20 or 30 running around here, all short hood.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

Funny. I wish mine had the 134 and I am putting the spare on the pass. rear fender. Lol!

 

Id build a spare tire carrier like several on here have. I plan to do the same to mine. Hows your fan to rad clearance mine is close.

 

There’s only one place at 10,200. I’ll be back next summer for a few weeks. There is a little bike race there I’m fond of.

I thought the same thing about CJs in Leadville. Every 5th house has one! The CJ5 on 6th street seems to be one of the nicer ones.

 

There's the town of Alma, just over the Mosquito Range from Leadville. Also I think Winter Park is close to that elevation.
But I figured he had to be talking about Leadville

 

I believe Alma is at 10,600. I'm most definitely in Leadville.

 

I don't think it's too bad honestly. No evidence of it ever hitting the radiator.

 

So with the rear PTO...what RPM do they run at? Is it a live PTO or does the Jeep have to be in motion? If I were to use a brush hog would I need an over-running clutch? Only PTO's I've ever played with are on old Farmall tractors.

I'd love to get the PTO working and get a 3PT hitch on the back. Can you use a 3PT hitch and keep the tailgate?

 

One last reply....had it out plowing the other night, this thing is a TANK!

How hard is it to put power steering in one of these? It steers good but without it I get worn out fast while plowing haha.

Unfortunately the Jeep seems to overheat after a few minutes running. Radiator looks clear and the thermostat has been yanked. Hopefully it's the water pump but there is no leakage.