7,900 Mile Barn Find: 1973 Jeep CJ-5
With almost a 30-year production run the CJ-5 is one of the most iconic vehicles to come down the pike. Sometimes they don’t even come down the pike or drive on the turnpike or on any public roads, such as with this 1973 Jeep CJ-5. This incredible 7,900-mile barn find is listed on eBay in Driftwood, Texas with a big-as-Texas unmet opening bid of $13,000.
Here’s the as-found state of this Texas hunting vehicle. It must be nice to have so much land that you can buy a new Jeep just to use as a hunting vehicle and never even drive it on public roads! Texas: it’s like a whole other country. And, if you’ve ever driven across Texas you know just how big it is. The seller calls this one a “true barn find survivor recently pulled from back of dry metal shed after a long 10+ year storage.”
Talk about cleaning up well, this is one good looking CJ-5! After AMC purchased Jeep in 1970, things didn’t change too much until 1972 when they were enlarged a bit in order to fit a couple of their own engines under the hood. This one comes with a 150 hp 304 V8. Unfortunately, there are no photos of it. The seller says that it has “an exhaust leak and heater core is bypassed and needs to be replaced” but a photo of it would have been nice to see. It has the “original driveline, runs drives, shifts and stops, stays cools, good oil pressure, doesn’t smoke, lights work.”
Look at the lack of wear on the pedals, that’s very cool to see in such an old vehicle. There is some surface rust on the passenger side floor probably from sandy and/or muddy boots rubbing there. I’d want to try to treat that and put down some mats. Or not. This is also the only interior photo, unfortunately. You’ll have to ask the seller for more photos if you’re truly interested. I’m guessing that most folks would keep up the maintenance and use this CJ-5 as it looks now?
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Comments
Judging from the prices of the other sub 10K miles “purchased and stored” cars and trucks at this weekends Barrett Jackson, like a couple of Fox body Mustangs for 40K plus, this Jeep is a steal.
I watched that silliness too, Fred. I never thought I’d see the day, where a 23 window VW bus brought more money ($145g’s) than a 1968 Shelby GT 350 convertible ( $120g’s) And some of the custom jobs, beautiful creations with paint jobs you could shave in, ( that clearly cost the builders 6 figures to make) struggled to get $25g’s. A humongous loss.
Is that a “bastard” file for the high-low stick? ( actually, it only looks like a file, that’s really what they had) As usual, I doubt the mileage claim. Just not nice enough. And if it is original, it’s going to be a rough 8,000 miles. Perhaps typical condition of a back woods vehicle. Still, a great find, not many like this. They suffered the same fates as the Scouts. While the V8 was top notch, it really wasn’t needed, and the 6 provided all the low end grunt a vehicle like this would need in the woods.
Gotta laugh Rube, noticed the file myself. I had a 76 CJ7 many years ago, transfer case stick was round. Mine had the 6 cylinder. Commuted to work 30 miles each way for two years, only one problem the whole time. Stopped half way to get some coffee, came out and the carb was on fire. I put the fire out and continued to work, you would think I could remember the cause of the fire, cant, to long ago.
No guys, that looks more like a legitimate file; it’s makers were MARRIED. As far as the mileage goes, there are a lot of ranches, from Texas and New Mexico to Colorade, to Montana, to Canada, and many ranch vehicles got put through the mill worse than what the army could dish out. I worked on many rancher’s vehicles and they can get destroyed in a very short time. Had numerous 4×4 trucks with less than 10K miles on them that didn’t have a straight piece of sheet metal on them. Go through a forest of Aspen? ‘Yeah, this will fit between those two trees.’ ‘Well, I’ll be damned! It DID…! Left a little color on the trees though….’ ‘I’m not going back to the ranch for the horse; I can herd that ornery old bull with the Jeep…’ ‘Damn! that bull’s head is hard; he done charged me and bent the fender and grill, even wrecked the radiator…!’ All in the first six months….
Married, very funny!
Agreed as my father owns a smalltime cattle ranch in South Central So. Dak. So many nice low mileage vehicles see the end of their days under my dads ownership. So many replacement parts I had to fit and so many badly damaged body panels i had to work around…. Sadly now that his kids are out of the house his new knockaround car is a 1999 ML430 he got with 78K on it a couple years back. Yes his new MB already is looking and sounding rough.
Never occurred to me that it might be 108K miles, as I can’t imagine anyone driving that far in a Jeep!
Nothing wrong with this one at 7,900 miles that I see. In 1977 my at work vehicle was a circa 1970 International Scout with about 20,000 miles on it. Not beat up or rusty but sure used as a work vehicle. It looked terrible. Owned by NFLs Cleveland Browns & mostly used in the park that became Dollywood I was about the only one brave enough to drive it on the street. Off road wear is different than street wear for sure. For instance if your boots are caked with mud and rock they’re a lot more abrasive on the pedals and floor boards. Heavy leather gloves can wear the steering wheel and shift levers etc. I’m going to have to politely disagree and say I’m at this point accepting the milage claim as legit. If the speedometer cable has broken of course the milage will be higher but what I’m seeing is pretty close to what the seller is saying.
I really like this Jeep and somebody is going to get a jewel in this one.
I thought only Renegades had V8 engines in them. I had a 73, and it came with the Dauntless V6. It could almost keep up with the V8 Renegades and on sand they were almost equal.
The Dauntless V6 was last installed in the 71 CJ5s. AMC started installing their 232 and 258 engines in 72.
Better half says ours was a 70. You’re right as rain. We sold that one and bought a new 73, and that one had the I6. I’m getting too old to remember this stuff.. LOL
nope definitely had v-8 s available rare though.didnt you see the v-8 flags? as the old rancher on whose land near valentine ne i hunted deer for 25 years…{they dont stay new for long out here}
That’s REALLY rough for only having 7,900 miles! Sorry, I don’t buy that mileage claim. Looks more like 107,900 miles to me, which is still “low mile” for a 1973…….especially a Jeep!
where you see rough? Its a jeep.
Being 6’2″ tall, I wish it was a CJ7!…….the CJ5 doesn’t have enough leg room for me. $13,000 starting bid??……..good luck!
Exactly what I was thinking, at 6’5″ I can’t even drive this thing. 8k maybe.
Thank you seller for washing it, I’m so done with the barn find dust.
If I still lived in the country I would love to own this but being a city boy now NO THANKS.
Bought a ’73 SUPER JEEP, it was one of 500… sold it to a “Jeeping Grandma”…she loved it..
Ended: Jan 27, 2018 , 11:02AM
Winning bid:US $13,000.00
[ 1 bid ]
I can’t believe the prices some of these things get these days