help with 1970 cj5

[mike1970cj5]

I recently got a cj5 1970 and soon after geting it i realized that it was not quite all right..... The dash board in not the same and any jeep setups that i have seen im not sure if its because when i got the jeep the old owner put in a roll cage and that made it nesseery to make a custom dash but as of right now only my light switch works and i only just began to try to sift threw the wires that are all over the place.

[CJ]

Hello mike1970cj5 and welcome to our site!

You really didn't ask any questions - so what do you need? A wiring diagram, some info on the CJ?

[IOPort51]

from the Republic of Texas.
Relax Mike, you didn't think this was going to be easy did you??
If owning a CJ was easy, everybody would have one.

Can you post us some pictures?
Tell us about the jeep?
Tell us about your self?
Do you have a pair of pliers and a couple of screw drivers and know which end of them you are supposed to hold in your hand?
Here is a biggie, do you have a volt Ohm meter?
Have you ever read a wiring schematic?
Do you own a service manual?

The best part about having a CJ is that you can't just buy one, you have to build it. You just joined a very exclusive club.

The best part about having a problem with your CJ is that you feel really good about yourself when you get it fixed and right.

[mike1970cj5]

sorry i was a bit flustered already....so the jeep has had 4 owners including myself and has had a very wierd history. the second owner ended up cuting off 2 of his fingers while trying to put on a power steering pump. the first owner however i dont know much just that he put a custom roll cage which cause a problem in how the dash is set up. I dont know what happend but in the pics you can see the speedomiter is to the left of the pull tabs(which dont work so i have no clue what there soposed to do.) to be honest nothing works on the dash but the lights.

now im going to get the Jeep CJ Rebuilder's Manual, 1946-1971: Mechanical Restoration, Unit Repair and Overhaul, Performance Upgrades for Jeep CJ-2A, CJ-3A, CJ-3B, CJ-5 and CJ-6 and MB, M38, and M38A1 (Paperback). this is my first jeep and im really excited to start so sorry if im a little inexperenced at this. the engine is a v6 225cc buick dauntless and im not sure anything else at this time. here are my questions:
1. what is with my dash and answers on why its different?
2. is that manual im going to get a good one and if not what would you recommend?
2

[IOPort51]

Looks good and you take good pictures as well. I am afraid I can not help a lot with the original lay out and which cable is supposed to do what. We have a resident Shaman of older jeeps than will appear later in the show and will more than likely have pictures of what it looked like when it left Toledo. I can recommend you look for a Factory service manual or at least a reprint of a factory service manual. These are a bit pricy but the diagrams and schematics are a bit bigger and easier to read than the Haynes or Chilton’s.
The second choice is the Haynes or Chilton’s, there is nothing wrong with either one, I have one of each for my CJ and factory manuals also. The Haynes should be available locally but you should have no problem finding any and all of these on Amazon. If you don’t have a decent volt ohm meter I would suggest you get one. Electrical problems are going to be your #1 source of entertainment for some time to come, enjoy.

How well does it run, shift, drive in a strait and crooked line?

[mike1970cj5]

thanks...the jeep runs ok then the dash dont work at all lol. it is not easy drivein it because the alignment is off and is a little all over road....it shifs good and def a good jeep to start with but like you said the jeeps electrical is just a horror show and i need to clean it up...there are wires every wear and they lead no wear so i have to def fix that up...when buying the jeep i got some parts like the rest of the parts to set up the power steering and to make the jeep into disc breaks(with very little nohow on how to install).

[IOPort51]

Originally Posted by mike1970cj5 thanks...the jeep runs ok then the dash dont work at all lol. it is not easy drivein it because the alignment is off and is a little all over road....it shifs good and def a good jeep to start with but like you said the jeeps electrical is just a horror show and i need to clean it up...there are wires every wear and they lead no wear so i have to def fix that up...when buying the jeep i got some parts like the rest of the parts to set up the power steering and to make the jeep into disc breaks(with very little nohow on how to install).

what to do after getting that CJ home

Check this out, there is some good stuff in this thread.

[BajaEdition]

Owning a 70 CJ6, I will tell you that guy has really modded that dash
first thing I would do, is figure out what each and every switch does, and decide if you need it. If not, get rid of it.
Once all that is done you will have a lot less of a mess behind the dash and could decide what to do.
Now for a bit of advice for anyone with a 71 and earlier Jeep about the wiring. Remember first, they came from the factory with no fuse box, so a wiring upgrade should be on the list of mods, they are not hard, just take a bit of time.
First, just repair it until you are ready for a major project and have added any electrical accessories you want.
Then get a good wiring kit with fuse box. Painless systems are a bit pricy here is a link for a good cheaper system, Wiring Harness
When you decide to do the rewire you can do it in a couple of weekends with a shade tree's additude, I did one in 8 hours but missed my beer breaks.

[mike1970cj5]

Ya thx for that link and the info. There is a bunch of wires everywhere its going to take more then a couple of beer breaks ha ha. There is a fuse box(I think) I will post pics when I get to a computer other comp then my phone.... I really appreciate the help its my first jeep and I'm 20 so I got time to figure things out

[Sasquach]

"the second owner ended up cuting off 2 of his fingers while trying to put on a power steering pump."

Do I dare ask? No I'm not gona. Ouch.