NOVEMBER 2019 jpmagazine.com Jp 44
Why This Jeep?
Not every Jeep has to be modified
for radical rockcrawling action or
neck-deep mud bogging in order to
be cool. Sometimes, a rig like Matt
Stof fregen’s 1974 C J - 5 is much nic er
just being more of a restoration than
a complete rebuild. Although some of
this C J - 5 isn’t exac tly as it c ame from
the factory, a few things were made
better—without losing the Jeep’s
original character.PERFECTION
centered rear output that is quieter than
the Dana 18s that were used up to 1971.
It is tough as nails with its cast-iron case
and gear-driven internal, but they have
a reputation for marking their territory.
Matt had the transfer case apart three
times in order to figure out how to keep it
from leaking.
The axles are original as well,
although disc brakes were added to the
front Dana 30 axle. The factory 4.10
gear ratio is pretty deep for the relatively
small 31-inch-tall Goodyear Wrangler
DuraTrac tires, but given the three-speed
transmission only has a 3:1 First gear
ratio, the axle gears work out pretty well
for both the trail and driving around
town. And let’s be honest, that is where
t h is Jeep w i ll likely spend most of its li fe.
Is it possible t hat t h is ’5 is ac t ua lly too
nice to wheel?Enzo Fer r ari is credited with saying, “The Jeep is the only real A merican spor ts car.” Driving an
open-air C J with no rollcage and low-back seats makes it easy to under stand what he meant by
this. While it isn’t a canyon carver, the CJ-5 definitely puts a smile on the face of its driver.
Factory gauges and knobs were used in the factory positions and wired with a Painless
Performance complete replacement harness. Any extra holes in the dash and the firewall were
welded shut prior to paint and bodywork. We dig the color contrast between the buttery tub
and the black windshield frame, which is held in place with hinges from Advance Adapters.
Custom floor mats were cut using a period-correct type of rubber. Jeep never offered anything
like this from the factory, but Matt didn’t want to scuff and scratch the refinished floor, so he
made his own easily replaceable floor liners.The last year for straight framerails under
a CJ was 1975. In 1976, AMC widened the
framerails in the rear and changed to wider
leaf springs. Matt’s Jeep still rides on the
narrow stock 1^3 ⁄ 4 -inch-wide leaf springs front
and rear, with factory shocks on the short
factory shock mounts.
Mat t didn’t see the need to do any thing to
the rear Dana 44 axle other than freshen it
up. Jeep switched from two-piece axles to
the infinitely stronger one-piece flanged
axleshafts in 1972 with the change from
the of fset Dana 18 to the centered Dana 20
transfer case.