1967 Jeep CJ5
1967 was an odd year for Jeep. Jeep experienced a significant transitional phase as it moved from being under the ownership of Willys-Overland Motors to American Motors Corporation (AMC). This period was marked by uncertainty and change, which contributed to the "weird" nature of the year for the brand. Willys-Overland, which had been producing Jeeps since World War II, was sold to Kaiser Industries in 1953. However, by 1967, Kaiser was looking to divest its automotive division, leading to AMC's acquisition of Jeep. During this time, Jeep was in flux, grappling with changes in corporate strategy, management, and product development.
The transition also led to shifts in Jeep's product line and branding. Jeep's iconic vehicles, such as the CJ series, were undergoing updates and redesigns, while AMC was working to integrate the brand into its own operations. The introduction of the AMC badge on Jeep vehicles symbolized this new era but also created a period of brand ambiguity. AMC's influence began to shape Jeep's design and marketing strategies, setting the stage for future developments while the brand navigated the complexities of this transitional phase.
But in 1967, these changes hadn't made their way in quite yet. This can be seen in the branding, which is remarkably bland with no Kaiser-Willy's or AMC branding. Just "Jeep." The most notable change was with the engine. The Buick "oddfire" 225 dauntless engine made it's way in, and that was about it. Everything else stayed about the same. Straight cut first and reverse gear, with synchromeshed second and third.
My CJ5 had a bright red paint job, which was like lipstick on a pig. The top coat looked nice and shiny, but the chassis was a rust bucket. From a distance it looked great, but even a slightly closer inspection revealed the grime and decay. But it was cheap and it drove, so I didn't care. When I bought it, the synchro ring had broken on third gear, meaning it could only shift into first and second. It also needed tuning up, as it was misfiring and running roughly. The misfire was easy enough to fix. Some troubleshooting showed bad spark and some totally fouled-up spark plugs, so new plugs, new plug wires, and a new ignition coil were in order. With a little bit of adjustment in the timing and a point job, it was running better than I thought it would.
With the engine sorted out, it started working on the drive-ability. The brakes were sticky in some wheels, and non-existent in others. I was tempted to start the transmission work, but being able to stop had to happen before I dared take it any faster. Drum brakes are always a pain, but I got the shoes unstuck and everything bled without stripping any rusted out bleed valves.
Eventually, I got around to taking the transmission out. A rebuild kit was fairly inexpensive, and step-by-step rebuild guides were plentiful. I ripped it out and rebuilt it on my college dorm room desk.
After getting the transmission rebuilt and freshened up, I slapped some new paint and got to work putting in a new clutch and pilot bushing. The bushing came out easily enough with a slide hammer, and the clutch re-installation went great. Getting the transmission back in went... less great. Being a college student meant I had limited resources, space, and time to work on the CJ5. To get the transmission in and out, I would just lay a 2x4 across the door wells, take the floor off, and raise and lower it with ratchet straps. It was as sketchy as it sounds.
On my first attempt to get the transmission back in, I botched the input shaft alignment with the clutch and bent the clutch when I tried to seat it in place. This meant taking the transmission back out and replacing the clutch. Again. By this time, it was winter and my younger brother and I were doing this in the freezing cold. With the soft top keeping the snow out and a 1000W electric heater by our sides, we got the now-broken-new-clutch out and the not-broken-newer-clutch in. With a bit more gentle touch on the installation, the transmission went in without much hassle. After connecting it back up to the transfer case and fingers crossed for a test drive, it was running great. The synchro meshed smoothly and I finally had third gear. It topped out at about 65mph, but because I hadn't done too much for the suspension and steering, I didn't spend very much time there.
I drove it off and on for the better part of a year, fixing little odds and ends, but without putting too much time or money into it. I just had fun with it! Beyond the wiring harness almost catching fire after an aftermarket seat belt light that someone slapped on it to get an off road permit years before shorted to the frame, it was fairly uneventful! The wide tires and narrow width of the car meant that it didn't sit well in the normal slight ruts in the road that most cars don't even notice, which meant that you had to pick a side of your lane and stick to it. But once you were off road, the car felt at home.
After much convincing that it was finally running well (we had broken down in it enough times due to the rats nest of a wiring harness that she and the CJ5 had trust issues), I was going to take my wife on some trails. We were going up a very steep road to get to the trail, and suddenly I couldn't shift out of second. I looked behind me and my spirits fell: A nice long trail of fluids from behind the car. It turns out, the transfer case hadn't quite seated against the top of the transmission, meaning on mostly flat ground the transmission didn't leak. But, on a steep hill, it leaked a bit. Of course I had taken it on a very long, very steep hill and just totally drained the transmission. The second gear synchro was shot. I popped open the transmission (which was just a few bolts thanks to the bare metal floors) and used a hammer to get it out of gear, dumped some engine oil in there (it was all I had stored in the car), and drove all of the way home in first gear. My younger brother had just pulled up in his truck to rescue me as I got it back into first gear, so he followed me home. I had my tail between my legs, especially since this was the big trip to show my wife that I had finally gotten it running well...
Understandably, I wasn't ready to pull the transmission out of the car a third time, so I listed it for sale. After lots of tire kickers, I saw a 1970 Opel GT for sale in Idaho Falls. We both took some videos and I trailered the CJ5 up there and traded straight across. That was it for the 1967 CJ5. I learned a lot, especially on the mechanical workings of a nice and simple transmission. I made some mistakes and learned some hard lessons, but looking back I'm glad I took the time to learn how to do them.