My 16 yr old is buying a 74' CJ5 w/ V8 and I need advice. Please help!

[Jasen]

I promised wife we would do everything possible to ensure safety on this 1974 CJ5 V8 3 speed rocket. Is there suspension etc that will reduce the ability to roll under normal driving conditions? Are there any recommendations regarding front captain seats for model/year? How do we install over the shoulder seat belts (connect to roll bar?)? Does anyone in KC stall 6 point full roll cages? Keep in mind the 16 year old is paying for the majority of this so cost is a factor. I appreciate any assistance you guys might provide.

[ericfx1984]

the best thing you can do is get out and teach your child to DRIVE... no amount of add-ons or equipment will make him/her a safe driver... and no matter how 'safe' the car/truck/Jeep is it is only as safe as the driver operating it and the drivers around him/her...

teach him/her to be aware of his/her surrounding, to make safe choices... and after that if you still what to wrap him in a bubble go for it... but my guess is after you know that he/she knows how to be safe in a car/truck/Jeep... that this worry will be much less... that and you and your child will get a chance to bond

[Jasen]

Gee thanks for the parenting advice Dr. Phil. I thought I was posting on a Jeep forum not the "it takes a village to raise a child" forum. I didn't ask what add-ons / equipment will make him a better driver. I asked if suspension can reduce roll factor and if so to please educate me. If you go back and read the post you'll notice I'm asking because knowing that I rolled my Cj7 back in '80 something, the wife/mom is worried and this is more for her instead of his 'bubble wrap'. If you have any useful advice I would welcome it but if you're just going to act like an old codger that thinks everyone else is stupid....Thanks anyway.

[cjmoon]

to keep it from rolling, lower it make it longer with wider axles???? the 74's have pretty narrow axles. even the wide track 81+ are better than nothing. I bought my 85 when i was 17 and still have it. 4 engines, 4 front axles, 5 rear, 3 trannies, a lot of leaf springs and drive shafts, and a whole lot of fun

[treedawg]

My experiencewith a CJ5 that the wheelbase is extremely short and on wet pavement they will spend around quite quickly.Please express this to your son more than once based on my experience owning one.The headlights set high so everyone will be flashing their lights at him even on low beam.Other than that their a great vehicle.And if it has the stock trailer hitch on it where shin guards.

[ericfx1984]

a more aggressive wheel with a backspacing that sticks the tires out and a wide tire would help (plus it would look cool)

[ovrszd]

the best thing you can do is get out and teach your child to DRIVE... no amount of add-ons or equipment will make him/her a safe driver... and no matter how 'safe' the car/truck/Jeep is it is only as safe as the driver operating it and the drivers around him/her...

teach him/her to be aware of his/her surrounding, to make safe choices... and after that if you still what to wrap him in a bubble go for it... but my guess is after you know that he/she knows how to be safe in a car/truck/Jeep... that this worry will be much less... that and you and your child will get a chance to bond

Your quirky way of looking at things continues to amaze me......

So if your above logic was valid no Jeep would have a rollbar?? All they would need is educated drivers.....

I don't think the original poster was looking for a lecture on how to teach his Son to drive. He was simply asking for guidance to make the vehicle safer knowing it's being driven by a teenager.

I'm afraid about the best you can do is keep it low, mount up some short wide radial tires on at least 8" wheels, make sure it's got a good belt system. Good luck to you and your Son. May God bless him and his adventures.

[Jasen]

Thanks. I figured that was about all I could do but figured it was worth asking.

[Jasen]

Good advice. Thanks.

[ericfx1984]

Your quirky way of looking at things continues to amaze me......

So if your above logic was valid no Jeep would have a rollbar?? All they would need is educated drivers.....

I don't think the original poster was looking for a lecture on how to teach his Son to drive. He was simply asking for guidance to make the vehicle safer knowing it's being driven by a teenager.

I'm afraid about the best you can do is keep it low, mount up some short wide radial tires on at least 8" wheels, make sure it's got a good belt system. Good luck to you and your Son. May God bless him and his adventures.

I am sorry if I have offended you... It's just that in every other civilized country, potential drivers go through extensive training, both on the road and in the books... here in the USA the kids barely get that... and you know what 'they' have found in studies? Turns out that the countries that require potential drivers to go through extensive training (Germany, England, etc, mostly European countries) have a MUCH lower collision/accident... and you know what else... when they do have a wreck, the fatality rate is much lower as well...

I know what he was asking... I understand what he wanted... but truth is a vehicle is only as safe as it's driver... and an educated driver is WAY safer than one that is not

what amazes me is that everyone is so quick to throw money/parts at the problem... when more often than not a little training is what is really needed

I think this is something where we should just agree to disagree :)


back to the subject at hand, widen the Jeep is possible, this can be handled with a wider wheel with an offset that pushes the wheels out further... further more you will want to use a tire that does not spill over the rim much... so maybe a 8-9" wide wheel for a 10.5" wide tire... or a 7-8" wheel for a 9" wide tire

the reason for this it that a wide tire on a skinny rim is less supported... ie a 12.5" wide tire on a 7-8" wide wheel... in this case the 12.5" wide tire would have 2.25"-2.75" or tire spilling over on each side...

a stiffer spring might help(within reason), a better set of shocks, as for tires, I would avoid the Mud terrain style and stick with an All Terrain(I find that they are safe, esp in the snow and rain), an updated steering stabilizer will make the Jeep a little more forgiving (did the CJ5 even come with a stabilizer?), also all new Poly urethane bushings will really help out with making the Jeep more stable on the road

as for updating the seat belts... if you do the research and figure out where to weld the upper seat mounts I would be willing to weld them up for you

I mean you could go on and on

[Jasen]

Good info thanks. I'm undecided on widening the wheels. I will definitely look into the poly urethane bushings. Thanks for offering to weld but I've got that...just wasn't sure where to mount but have that now. And no offense taken at all, just wasn't a useful answer for me. This was and I'm appreciative.

[RedTJ]

A good quality shock can make all the difference in the world on any jeep, I'd recommend OME's or Bilsteins. Check out the bushings on the steering as well. Props to a 16 year old with a little taste, I wanted a TJ when i turned 16, mom wouldnt go for it lol.

[Guest]

my first jeep was a cj7 with a v8 400 out of suburban, they only advice i might give to him is make sure the rear end is still good and be carefull when it gets snowy, i did several 360's while driving due to all the power... he will be the envy of all the highschoolers for sure...

[Grumpy Dwarf]

nevermind.

[SoonerJeepMan]

I wish I had a V8....my old 75 CJ5 had a 232 inline 6 banger...

LOTS of power...but fun! I had that on, a buddy had a new 79 CJ7 with a v-8...he rolled his, I never did...it's all about the driver!! (or put a 4 banger in there...LOL)