Tailgate Question

I dont have an intermediate anymore but I do have a question about tailgates. I have seen a 75 without a tailgate that looks exactly like my long gone 77 that didn't either and a 77 with a tailgate like earlier years. Whats the deal? Was a tailgate or not an option during the intermediate years?

 

The first year that the solid back panel appeared on the regular option list was 1973. Prior to that, only the Rengade got it. I purchased a non-Renegade '73 with a solid back panel in 1973 - a loaded Jeep, with everything except being a Renegade.

 

Thanks Tim.
So, was the tailgate or the solid back the option after about 75? The solid back didn't look completely finished. I guess thats why people were asking me about the renegade package 25 years ago. I had no idea.

 

The tailgate with side-mounted spare was the standard configuration. Solid back panel was available on the CJ-5 starting in 1973. Any 1973 or later CJ-5 could be delivered with the standard configuration or the optional solid back panel. Renegades had the solid back panel, but from 1973 on the CJ-5 did not need to be a Renegade to have the solid back panel.

 

thank you for explaining this to me.

 

Yea, I learned something. I thought the cj5 tailgate went away completely in '76 and did not reappear until the cj7 came out. Thanks for the lesson. Always seemed to be a foggy area for many us.

My buddies '76 cj5 Levis edition had no tailgate. It had already been wrecked and repainted once by the time I started hanging around with him around 1988 or 89. Not sure if it was a Renegade or not but something tells me it was but was missing it's stripes after the repaint. Still had it's Levis seats at that point but they got replaced many many years later.

 

My '73 CJ5 doesn't have a tailgate, it's a solid back with a hard tire mount.

-Troy

 

You have a superjeep....

 

Any '73 could have a solid back panel. It was on the option list in 1973, and would be an extra cost option on the window sticker. It may also have been included with the Super Jeep package - I don't know.

 

Yep, my 73 is a Super Jeep.

-Troy

 

Indeed, SuperJeep has a solid back and mine shows evidence of having had a solid tire mount on the back. Not sure about Renegade but mine also has a hat channel running across outside of the back panel an inch or two from the top. I suppose to stiffen it for tire mount. Mine cracked through from weight of a big old Power Cat.