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Trying To Help A Buddy With A 72 Cj-5

Discussion in 'Intermediate CJ-5/6/7/8' started by CHUGALUG, Jul 25, 2021.

  1. Jul 25, 2021
    CHUGALUG

    CHUGALUG Member

    Silverton, OR
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    So while I am pretty up on all things Willys I have a buddy who bought a 72 CJ-5 (for way to much money and got screwed a little) He's about as unmechanically inclined as can be.And of course its got some weird problems.

    Anyway a couple photos would seriously help

    A photo of where the steering column goes through the dash and the floor.

    A photo of where the Pedals hang. (his are so high a person can barely get their foot up on them)

    And a Photo of the top of the fuel tank (his is leaking like crazy if over filled. and I want to see if its going to be the Gasket or the Fuel line more likely)

    It has the 258 L6 which thankfully is quite sweet running.

    Someone cut back the front of the wheel houses so far you see almost 2" of the new front in the wheel opening. On the driver side its actually open to the outside.

    If I have time this winter I am going to try to help him out with it. Right now I am lucky to have less then a 6 day week once in a while.

    Thanks
     
  2. Jul 25, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    I have a bunch of pictures here - Index of /~reese/ResizedJeepIPics

    You can look through them. This is a V8 but the dash and floors except for the added 20" will be the same.
     
  3. Jul 26, 2021
    CJ5Jeeper

    CJ5Jeeper Teacher Jeeper

    Apple Valley, CA
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    Just a quick FYI. The '72 Jeep has really awkward pedal locations (for most normally sized people) that are uncomfortably high off the floor. Until I modified my pedals a bit, everyone hated driving my Jeep because of how high you had to lift your foot. The later model CJ's had much more comfortable pedal and steering locations IMO. Good luck.
     
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  4. Jul 27, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

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    Is this true, and only 1972 models? Not something I am aware of, and I was around these Jeeps constantly in 1972 and 1973. AFAIK if you sat in a '73 it would be exactly the same in this respect as a '72. Unfortunately I do not have a parts book that covers the 1972 CJs. If I did, I would compare the sled brackets (between the dash and the floor) and brake pedals between '72 and '73. Different part numbers would be necessary (but not sufficient evidence) for the pedal height to be different.

    A '72 has a different clutch pedal because most of them have been converted from the original cable clutch actuation to a push rod and bell crank. Undoubtedly there are some out there that are still equipped with the cable, but it was very troublesome and Jeep would convert them to bell crank under warranty rather than replace cables. Both the original and the upgraded pedal were different from later years. The bell crank became factory equipment in 1973.

    Maybe CJ5Jeeper is comparing to a '76 or later ("later"), which is completely different.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2021
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  5. Jul 27, 2021
    CJ5Jeeper

    CJ5Jeeper Teacher Jeeper

    Apple Valley, CA
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    I was not trying to say that '72 was a completely unique creature all to its own. Every intermediate era CJ5 ('72 - '75?) has had a completely different pedal and steering column orientation than the '76 and up. That's all I was trying to say. I hope I wasn't unclear. The OP's friend's Jeep was a '72, so it fit into this category. There are many posts online where folks complain about the awkward steering/pedal ergonomics of the intermediate CJ's. Over the years, I have personally found that some folks aren't aware of the changes made in '76 and up.
     
  6. Aug 1, 2021
    SoFla8300

    SoFla8300 Member

    South Florida
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    Here is my '73 pedals. Of course I have only owned a '74 and '73 so this is normal to me. Hope it helps.

    73 Pedals 1.jpg


    73 Pedals 2.jpg
     
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  7. Aug 2, 2021
    Nor Cal CJ5

    Nor Cal CJ5 New Member

    Nor Cal
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    Here's a picture of my 1972 with original bell crank set up. Similar pedal set up to the 1973 above. I wouldn't know any difference from something newer than 72'.


    IMG_7606R.JPG
     
  8. Aug 2, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    [​IMG]

    This picture was posted in this thread - Clutch Overcenter Spring Question

    This looks up under the dash of my '75 that I have now. The topic was the clutch pedal over-center spring, which you can see hanging in the picture, rubbing the paint off the firewall. A '72 that's been converted to a bell crank will be a little different from this. Jeep had a service kit that included all the parts to convert a '72 from a cable to the bell crank. Jeep designed an additional part that bolts to the original pedal and mates with the new push rod. As you can see, the '73-75 pedal connects directly to the push rod.
     
  9. Aug 2, 2021
    52M38-73CJ5

    52M38-73CJ5 Member

    Wenatchee WA
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    In my 73 the petal setup was fine with my size 12 feet. That was true till I installed a 2nd tank from a 71. Now it's a little tight hitting my heels on the tank. Still works and have not had any issues on the trail.
     
  10. Aug 3, 2021
    Nor Cal CJ5

    Nor Cal CJ5 New Member

    Nor Cal
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    Here are some pictures to see where the overcenter spring is located on the clutch arm and steering/pedal support brace mechanism. 1972 model year.

    IMG_5168R.jpg IMG_5169R.jpg IMG_5170R.jpg IMG_7142R.jpg
     
  11. Aug 18, 2021
    JT_Iowa

    JT_Iowa New Member

    Des Moines, IA
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    My 1972 CJ5 is bit of an oddball, I suppose -- has a clutch cable. The manufacture date was December 1971, so suppose the factory still had bunch of them in stock.

    And as I understand it, the intermediate years have plenty of such quirks - guessing AMC got it all standardized by the '76 models.
     
  12. Aug 22, 2021
    Nor Cal CJ5

    Nor Cal CJ5 New Member

    Nor Cal
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    Mine is a September 1971 build date. It's an early one - vin# J2F835TH07575. Who knows why they changed, which appears to be back and forth. Supplier issues?
     
  13. Aug 23, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

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    Nope, wrong. I know, I was there. As I recall, the change to a bell crank came with the 1973 model. I believe all '72s were shipped with a clutch cable.

    Please read my reply above explaining what happened. I don't want to repeat exactly what I wrote above again in this post.

    Jeep issued a Service Bulletin in (late-ish?) 1972 about this issue. There was a parts kit for the SB that contained the parts to convert a '72 from the original cable to the bell crank. The '72 above has been converted to the bell crank at a Jeep dealership.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2021
  14. Aug 23, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

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    Not how I would put it. The intermediate Jeeps were a "refresh" of the original CJ-5. AMC's main goal (as I understand it) was to eliminate the GM-derived V6 and the venerable (like 1930s venerable) F134 and substitute their own excellent engines. The inline 6s required a stretched wheelbase. Other components - axles, brakes, steering, transmissions - were updated. Jeep added components that Jeepers had been adding to their Jeeps already - V8 engines, big brakes (power and manual), Saginaw steering (power and manual). Basically they looked at the market and did what they could to introduce a "new" CJ-5 with the features people wanted, without a complete re-design.

    1976 is that complete redesign. These Jeeps have very few parts in common with the earlier models other than exterior appearance. And they have their own issues (weak transmissions, bad rear axle, tall gearing, rotting frames ... I'm sure there are more).

    Nothing quirkly about the Intermediates compared to any other Jeep. Their main problem - IMO - they had a short run (thus little market for their parts). They share few parts with the later CJs.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2021
  15. Aug 23, 2021
    Nor Cal CJ5

    Nor Cal CJ5 New Member

    Nor Cal
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    Wow - Interesting, I would have never thought that my Jeep was modified from original. Thank you for your explanation Tim, the reality went right over my head. Great to have your insight here (and there!).

    I did see the "left over" spring that left the marks on the firewall, but I was thinking the over-center spring discussed above was the spring that was on top of the clutch arm - and went towards the dash along the pedal(s) support bracket. But that spring was also there on an original clutch cable assembly.


    IMG_5168.jpg


    IMG_5169.jpg


    IMG_7146R.jpg
     
  16. Aug 24, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

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    The defining part is the bracket bolted to the top of the pedal. That's what was included in the conversion kit, and is missing from later vehicles. I expect the rest of the kit contents are the same as what went into regular production for 1973.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2021
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  17. Aug 30, 2021
    JT_Iowa

    JT_Iowa New Member

    Des Moines, IA
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    exactly the quirkiness I'm referring to : not problems, per se; rather, differences from the '76 model onward (even some distinctions from year-to-year among the intermediates)

    and love my 1972 CJ5, 304 V8, T-15 ... even as challenging as it can be for some parts :)
     
  18. Sep 8, 2021
    jeepdaddy2000

    jeepdaddy2000 Active Member

    Eagle Point oregon
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    A thing to note on all "transition" years is the actual build date. New model years come out in about Sept of the prior year, many times giving a date overlap. There have been a couple of folks with 71 CJ's that were actually 72 (model year) even though they were built in late 71 and registered as such. This can lead to confusion with identification and parts ordering.
     
  19. Sep 8, 2021
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

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    I would phrase that a little differently. These are 1972 CJs built in 1971. A Jeep with a J2 VIN is a '72, regardless of when it was built or what the title says.

    Kaiser was the non-conformist. AMC moved to conform to the big three way of doing things. Starting in '72, AMC explicitly coded the model year intot he VIN.

    In that era, the year model change was in the summer. The big three always had the new-models release in Septermber-ish, and many vehicles were built earlier to supply dealers with stock for the big reveal.

    There would be no overlap between the '71 model and the '72 model. Production for '71 stops, the line is torn down and retooled, and production for '72 starts. This was SOP for all the car makers in this era.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2021
  20. Sep 8, 2021
    Richard in AZ

    Richard in AZ I just don't understand the like of patina

    PHX AZ
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    So this new to me jeep built in Aug of 72 is a 73 model since the Vin is a J3?

    [​IMG]
     
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