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Identifying a Jeep -
An In-depth Spotters Guide to the
72-75 AMC
CJ-5
When
AMC acquired the Kaiser Jeep Corp in 1971 they
made many changes to the Jeep line starting in
1972.
Identifying a 72-75 CJ-5 is actually a rather
easy task. In this article we cover some
of the key features that ease identification.
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Longer front
end - 3 inches was added to the rear of
the front clip to allow the AMC I-6 and
V8 a better fit. As a result the
CJ-5 wheelbase increased to 84" from
81". |
72-86 CJ |
Pre 72 CJ-5
and CJ-6 |
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Engine
Changes: AMC V8 or I6 -
The Hurricane F4 and GM V6 were discontinued in
the years after AMC purchased Kaiser. |
232 &
258 I-6 |
304
V8. |
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Rear mounted gas
tank - a larger fuel tank was now available and
was mounted under the rear between the frame
rails. |
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Low mounted rear
brake lights and high mounted reverse lights |
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Hanging clutch
and brake pedal and floating
accelerator pedal.
In previous
years the clutch and brake pedal passed
through the floor. In the 72 and
up CJ's the master cylinder was mounted
on the cowl. The gas pedal was
mounted to the cowl and not to the floor
as in pre-72 CJ's. |
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Steering column
through the dash - On pre-72 CJ's the steering
column is attached to the bottom of the
dash. 72-75 CJ's used a
non-locking column that went through the
dash. Post 1976 CJ's use a locking
column. |
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Saginaw power
steering and tie rod/drag link steering arms.
This improvement made steering easier
and alignment better. |
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Dana model 20
transfer case - Upgrade from the Model 18.
Obvious difference - rear shaft exits on
the top, front exits on the bottom.
Model 18 - both exit on the bottom.
The Dana 20 was an improvement in that
only the top gear was rotating while
running in 2WD. This cuts down on
wear and noise. Dana 20 transfer
case uses a single selector lever. |
Dana 20 |
.
Dana 18 |
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Dana 30 open
knuckle front axle with drum brakes - Prior to
72 CJ's used the closed knuckle Dana 25
and 23. |
Dana
30 (Disc brakes not available until
1976) |
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Dana 25 |
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T-14, T-15 or T-18
transmission
The T-14 and
T-18 was used in 6cyl equipped Jeeps and
the T-15 was used in the V8 models. |
T-14 |
T-15. |
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High "Jeep"
stamping in the side of the body in
front of the door using fancier, upper
and lower case lettering. |
72-75 Stamping |
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Pre-72 Stamping |
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Rear Dana 44
with a centered differential. With
the use of the Dana 20 transfer case the
Jeep required the use of a centered
differential. |
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