While almost everyone relates a Jeep CJ-5 to fun, it’s not on anybody’s bingo card to relate it to good fuel mileage. Nevertheless, that’s what Jeep did in their commercials in 1980, bragging that the CJ offered “21 MPG.” That’s because GM’s 2.5-liter “Iron Duke” four-cylinder became standard in the CJ-5 for 1980, and this very nice original Bordeaux Red example has it. Barn Finder extraordinaire T.J. found it here on eBay in Tualatin, Oregon, where it’s being auctioned as a rust-free Jeep that “runs and drives beautifully.” The current high bid is only $1,000, which has obviously not yet met the reserve.
Believe it or not, the Iron Duke was so popular in the early 1980s that Pontiac stopped building their 265 and 301 V8s so they could focus all their engine manufacturing capacity on the four-cylinder. After all, 1980 was a year when buyers and manufacturers alike were looking to maximize fuel mileage, and even in the not-so-slippery Jeep, the Iron Duke didn’t do too badly. Of course, it had only 82 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque, so there was indeed a tradeoff to make. The seller says that this example runs well but needs a valve cover gasket (that they plan to fix). A video of the engine running is included in the eBay ad; it sounds OK, but the Jeep might need a little exhaust work, and there might be a little sporadic missing (as if it could use a tune-up or a carb cleaning). Phone microphones can distort sound, so I recommend that you take a listen for yourself.
One more note on CJ engines: In 1984, Jeep replaced the Iron Duke with a 2.5-liter engine of their own, so not ALL 2.5-liter round-headlight CJs are powered by the Duke.
As in so many ads on craigslist, Marketplace, and eBay, I would have liked for the photographer to step back a bit to get the whole picture. There are a lot of close-ups in the ad, which is nice, but I like to see things from a little farther back. With that being said, the seller says that the Jeep is all-original aside from these “Bestop” front seats. The CJ will come with its soft top and doors, too.
The lights, gauges, wipers, and blinkers all work, but the heater blower fan does not. The transmission is (interestingly) the “better T176 four-speed manual,” which was standard in the 258-cubic-inch six or the 304-cubic-inch V8. (The Borg-Warner SR-4 was used in Iron Duke Jeeps.) The transfer case is a Dana 300 with a 2.62:1 low-range. Since these pictures were obviously taken with the engine running, I checked out the gauges. The engine temperature looks good. The voltmeter is reading below 12 (at idle), which is lower than I’d like to see with an alternator-equipped car, and oil pressure at idle appears to be about 10-15 psi. I checked out some forums online, and the numbers people see are all over the place. The general consensus (if there is one) is that the Iron Duke will probably run forever with just about any oil pressure, so as long as it rises when the engine speeds up, it’s most likely no cause for concern. Additionally, the gauges could be inaccurate.
By the way, I’m not intending to nitpick, just to make notes as if I were in the market for this CJ-5.
And like so many of the cars that pop up on Barn Finds, I’d love to be in the market. It’s an original Jeep that isn’t lifted or painted a non-stock color, exactly the kind of thing I’d like to drive myself. The seller does point out that the tires predate Y2K, so that should be first on your to-do list; then, you can hit the road and enjoy that decent fuel mileage.
See, the thing with the author, I can add much, he covers practically everything for todays buyers, but t’wasn’t so in 1980. You’d think with the demise of the Scout, it was clear sailing for the Jeep. Yes and no. Jeep had its loyal followers, like Harley however, most that wanted a CJ already had one, but increasing pressure from imports, made the poor CJ seem antique, and it was still basically a glorified Army Jeep. Typically selling about 100K/year, this was probably the lowest production CJ of about 60K. In ’84, the CJ7 rebounded sales dramatically, almost 226K in ’85, but the poor CJ5 had run its course.
Naturally I’d run from the 4 cylinder, I have no experience with the Iron Duke, but 82 HP in a 3500lb vehicle is just that. It can’t be any better, or worse for that matter, than my 2.5. The usual tradeoff there, is the 4 cylinder does get okay mileage, as long as no hills. Oil pressure sounds fine, I’d worry if 0 at idle, and 167 viewers and ONE bid? You know darn well why,,,for the rest of us “shifty” characters, it’s a great find, the bids will come in, it’s still a nice CJ, typically I’d say $5-$8 grand these here days, and a great deal for what you are getting. Just no long trips, eh?
Can’t add much. We’ve come a long ways on BFs, but still no edit on EA.
I actually like to see older Jeeps with their original steel rims and stock sized tires. This one looks solid, I wouldn’t use it as a daily driver, but definitely some fun weekend cruising on the back roads. I wouldn’t change a thing other than any mechanical issues that need to be addressed.