Sopchoppy Florida is not a big place. In the Panhandle of Florida, it is the worm-grunting capital of the South. It is also the place where I found this 1966 CJ-5 for sale. It had been in the barn and used occasionally around the property of the previous owner. I am not your typical restoration guy. Not knowing much, I had mentioned to my buddy that I wanted to ride over and pick it up. My friend realized that I was probably in over my head, when I mentioned that I wanted to drive it home (Sopchoppy is about 200 miles away from me). It took some convincing but I agreed to bring a trailer “just in case”. Arriving, I immediately liked this jeep, it fired right up, it needed some work but looked pretty solid. I bought it and trailered it home. I was pretty glad for the trailer especially when I found out that 50 mph was about all you could hope to get out of it. That would have been a long trip. Anyway, getting it home, my wife asked, “This isn’t going to be one of those hood up every weekend kind of vehicles is it? Oh no.. It needs just a couple of things and it will be good to go. It took about a year to get it good on the road.
One of the first fixes was the brake linkage. It broke as I was pulling into a parking spot. No brakes, going 15 miles per hour into a spot isn’t good. The shrubbery in the Olive Garden parking lot might never recover. It slowed me down before hitting a fence. At about a year, we had worked through from bumper to bumper. Then I decided to paint it. It took eight weeks of working nights and weekends to get the body ready to paint and believe it or not, we painted it under the old hay barn. It turned out pretty good, considering. It is my daily driver. From the beginning, I said that I got it to drive it and that’s just what I’ve done. Yep! I believe I’ve become a pretty good student of the American Icon, The Jeep. I have come to the understanding that it’s probably going to be a life-long class of learning.
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Matt Glover
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No brakes was kinda a common issue. It is good to remember where the ignition key is. Just shut the engine off quick while still in gear. I have done that a few times. Now have a hydraulic clutch linkage that has worked fine for over 20 years now.
Always fun to see the 60’s CJ’s used and enjoyed. Seem to be the “lost generation” of Willys-Jeep enthusiasts. Currently am doing a frame off on a 1964, keeping it all original. Found the Willys in NH, met the seller, had been in the same family since new, owned by his wife after her dad passed. Conversation came around to where it had spent its life, turned out it was in Melrose Ma and that very Jeep was owned by the next door neighbor and lifelong friend of our best man at our wedding. They are all still friends from Childhood and I have named the CJ “Elliott” after the family Dad. The CJ and I were destined to be together. 3 families following the restore
with the brake weakness you probably were wise to trailer the vehicle, but With an overdrive I have driven 5:38 geared CJ’s across 1/2 of colorado with no difficulty. If it has the model 18 transfer case check the grease level in it occasionally as they would displace grease from the transfer case to the transmission. Dave
Very nice looking Jeep. Glad you put it to good use. Instead of having it as a garage conversation piece. I have a 65 and waiting for the weather to warm up. As you make repairs as time goes along. Before you know it. You know a good bit and find out the easy ways also.
We have a 1964 that I painted the same Sierra Blue several years ago. It was my daily driver, winter and summer for several years. We have taken ‘Eeyore” to Jeep runs in five western states. They are really fun vehicles. Yours is really a head turner.
Love your CJ. I love all CJ’s.
In 1986 I bought a 1979 CJ7. It literally went under water at the boat ramp in Lake Perry. The owner let the bank repossess it as he was afraid of it. I bought it from the bank on a closed bid. It had 54000 miles and now has 72000. I especially wanted it because it was the last of the 302’s with a four speed. Way too much motor! We don’t drive it too much, about 3 or 4 hundred miles a year. I live in the Midwest so need a top.
Good luck with your CJ.
Reminds me of a 1965 CJ-5 we bought that had been used for a Boy Scout troop. We immediately named it Scruffy because of it’s paint brush camouflage paint job, rust everywhere, three seats that were all different colors and welded tailgate. We bought it to get wood out of places deep in the woods but the welded tailgate didn’t go along with. We had fun with it, even after hitting a stump that knocked a big chunk of bondo off. After several years sold it with a $300 profit and made someone else happy.
Jeeps are fun!
Harold