NOVEMBER 2019 jpmagazine.com Jp 41
While the Jeep brand has
been around for more t han 75
years now, it has had several
different masters over the past seven
decades. Willys-Overland. Kaiser.
American Motors Corporation. Renault.
Chrysler. Daimler. Fiat. Not surprisingly,
some of these went better than others. By
Matt Stoffregen’s estimation, the AMC
years were some of the best for Jeep, and
for the CJ in particular. “This CJ-5 is still
pre-smog in California, but it benefits
from the torquey inline-six, Saginaw
steering, and a much stronger frame than
the Kaiser-era Jeeps,” Matt explains.
“That said, it still has the classic styling
of early Jeeps, which I wanted to retain.
That is why, for instance, I removed the
rollbar and threw it in the trash bin.”
While prices have reached the strato-
sphere for first-gen Broncos and FJ40
Land Cruisers, early CJs have not seen
t he sa me i nc rease i n pr ice. To some
extent, these vehicles are victims of
their own success. Jeeps are the original,
and they always outsold Broncos, Land
Cruisers, and Scouts. But just as rare
Plymouths are now worth more than their
more-popular ponycar counterparts, the
popularity of Jeeps makes them inher-
ently less valuable.
Matt thinks all of that is going to
change though, and he is setting the bar
high for the CJ market. The restoration
began with a complete blasting of the
chassis and body, including the engine
and drivetrain. He refers to his work as
“blueprinting” the body and frame, the
same way you would blueprint an engineHARD FACTSVehicle: 1974 Jeep C J- 5
Engine: 232ci I-6
Transmission: T-15 three -speed manual
Transfer Case: Dana 20
Suspension: Factory leaf springs
(front and rear)
Axles: Dana 3 0 w/ disc brake c onver-
sion (front), Dana 44 with flanged
axleshafts (rear), 4:10 gears
Wheels: 15x 8 Pro Comp 97 Series
Tires: 31x10.5R15 Goodyear Wrangler
DuraTracThis CJ-5 has
the long front
fenders and hood
that became
standard in
1972 in order to
fit AMC inline
six-cylinder and
V-8 engines
under the hood.
The gas tank is
located under the
rear of the
tub instead
of under the
passenger seat,
another factory
change that
started in 1972.