People talk about patina all the time but rarely with a good sense of the distinction between what makes a vehicle honest and loved versus unrestored and neglected. To me, patina carries much more weight when the vehicle in question remains in original condition because the long-term caretaker has gone to great lengths to keep their vintage car or truck in daily driver-ready condition. That’s certainly the vibe I get from this highly original 1978 Jeep CJ-5 listed here on craigslist for $8,000 in Houston.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader T.J. for the find. To further explain my point above, patina can sometimes be misconstrued into a positive when it really just represents more work for the next owner. I often wonder how many sight unseen purchases of a project car or truck advertised as having “‘patina” results in some very disappointed buyers at the other end of the transaction. This Jeep, however, has all of the hallmarks of a vehicle that’s been loved for many years, and plenty of traces of the previous owner still evident throughout. One of the cooler features of this little 4×4 is the rare Jeep Equipment Meyer’st top, along with a tailgate and a side-mounted spare.
Seeing this completely sunburnt paint job is a great reminder that this Jeep has spent most of its life in Texas. In addition to being rust-free, what’s most impressive to me about the body is how un-messed with it is. There’s no evidence of modifications, large or small, to the bodywork or the dash. The steering wheel and seats remain in remarkably nice condition, and the gun rack center console is about as perfect as it gets for an old Texas Jeep. The seller also notes that the vintage Ramsey PTO winch, which has almost certainly been attached to the front end since the truck was nearly new, works flawlessly in tandem with the transmission. I love that you can still see the sticker on the hardtop indicating this is an OEM Jeep accessory.
The Jeep powerplant was humble and made around 100 horsepower, I believe, in this configuration. The seller has addressed some of the more sensible maintenance improvements you can make to a vehicle that’s been used but perhaps hasn’t been overly-restored; in the case of the Jeep, he’s installed a new header back exhaust, brake kit with new brake lines, radiator and cooling system components, and an intake and carburetor. Overall, this Jeep seems like a perfect runabout for the parade circuit and beach trips this summer, and the asking price seems quite reasonable for a survivor like this one.
Not sure this happens with other vehicle owners, but when I see a Jeep, it almost releases endorphins, like petting a dog. It just feels good. I read, the tilt column was available, although I’ve never seen one, the which is a driveshaft driven unit, from a PTO off the transmission, and I had one on my Landcuiser. A noisy, vibrating thing, put would pull itself off the truck. The “ready-rifle” gun rack, while screams Texas, is not necessary, in my world anyway. It should be known, 1978 was on the cusp of Jeep lawsuits, and get this, it was highly flawed. I read, in testing, out of 478 tries, only EIGHT resulted in a rollover. You can see what happened there, still, stalwarts knew better, even though sales were down, it was still a big seller. It may have some comforts, but make no mistake, it’s not far from its military heroes. Try and remember that bouncing across the rocks or that RAM dually crawling up on your rear.
I was thinking this would be great to drive around a ranch, and for that the gun rack makes sense, whether for shooting coyotes or deer season. Of course, people now love their fancy side-by-sides, but I’d rather scoot around in this.
I certainly don’t get that rush when I see 4 door jeeps, that’s for sure. They’re so dime-a-dozen, two lifted identical ones with the same stickers can often be seen next to each other. When I see any old CJ or unmolested YJ, it definitely turns my head (especially the person with the yellow Islander).
As for this one, I’d clear-coat it as is and then start looking for some property near the mountains where I could drive this around. I could just picture it traversing the rolling hills at dusk, rifle ready in the back in case of coyotes.
Thought I was gonna be first to post , it was gonna say,”what about this one Howard/HOA”
Got to get up earlier than that,, :)
Should be on the money love the top leaving bed open like early broncos
Just a thousand miles too far from lower Michigan
Timeless design concept immitated by every 4×4 since.