cj5 laredo

I found an 81 cj5 for sale and had a couple of questions. This particular cj5 is all original with very little rust. Anyhow it doesn't have a tailgate. I thought all cj5 and 7's had a tailgate. Does anyone have any input on this. The body definetly looks original. The spare tire is mounted directly to the rear body panel/ area were the tailgate should be. So is this normal, did laredos not have tailgates? and or was there a period of time during cj5 production that there wasn't a tailgate. Incidently there is little if any rust on this laredo, a tiny bit in the floorpans, mostly surface. It has 102,000 miles.
thanks

 

don't recall any 76-85 CJ5 having tailgates. All I've had or access too didn't. May have been available just can't swear to it.

 

My cj5 is a 79, and it does not have a tailgate.

 

The upscale Renegade and Larados were built without a tailgate.

 

Thanks guys,
I am most familiar with the pre 71 cj5s and cj7's so I wasn't sure, it definetly looked stock I just wanted to know if it was a laredo specific thing thanks again

 

Certainly the intermediate Renegades had no tailgate. By '73, the solid back panel with rear center mounted spare was an added cost option for all CJ-5s. It may have been available in '72, but I think that '73 was the first year. The solid back panel was never an option for the CJ-6.

I don't have much first-hand knowledge after 1976, but I would guess that the option continued to the end of the CJ-5's run. Seems that the Laredo package included the solid back.

 

tailgates were available (standard) thru 1986, end of the CJ run.
any that had the factory swing out tire carrier most certainly had a tailgate

 

Thanks Jim couldn't remember knew the ones I had during that era didn't have 'em was kinda hoping you'd chime in.

 

my 78 cj5 does not have a tailgate, my friends 76 cj5 also does not...

 

Don't tell my 75 CJ-6 that, it might think its special. All the 6s I see have a tailgate, except mine (factory solid rear).....what sucks is I want it to have one.

I was under the impression that 5s and 6s pre 76 had the option of tailgate (chain style) or not, and CJ 5s from 76 on had none while all CJ-7s and 8s did.

It had nothen to do with the package, just year and body style.

 

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