Original vintage 1976 American Motors Corporation Jeep CJ-7 advertisement.
Dimensions: 8 inches wide by 11 inches high.
The Jeep CJ models are a series and a range of small, open-bodied off-road vehicles and compact pickup trucks, built and sold by several successive incarnations of the Jeep automobile brand from 1945 through 1986. It began with the Willys "Universal Jeep," the world's first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive car.
In 1944, Willys-Overland, the primary manufacturer of the World War II military Jeep, built the first prototypes for a commercial version – the CJ, short for "civilian Jeep". The design was a direct evolution from the war jeep, but the most obvious change was adding a tailgate, and relocating the spare wheel to the side. Also, besides adding basic civilian amenities and options and legally-compliant lighting, the CJ required a sturdier drivetrain than the war jeep, because the targeted rural buyers would work the vehicles hard and expect years of durability, instead of mere weeks as during WWII.
From then on, all CJ Jeeps consistently had a separate body and frame, rigid live axles with leaf springs both front and rear, a tapering nose design with flared fenders, and a fold-flat windshield, and could be driven without doors. Also, with few exceptions, they had part-time four-wheel drive systems, with the choice of high and low gearing, and open bodies with removable hard or soft tops.
A few stand-out changes during 42 model years were the introductions of round-fendered vs. flat-fendered bodies (1955 CJ-5), straight-6 and V8-engines, automatic gearboxes, and different 4-wheel drive systems. The 1976 CJ-7 stretched the wheelbase by 10 inches (25 cm), and made doors and removable hardtops common items.
The Willys CJ-5 (after 1964 Jeep CJ-5) was influenced by new corporate owner, Kaiser, and the Korean War M38A1 Jeep. The CJ-5 repeated this pattern, continuing in production for three decades while three newer models appeared. "The CJ-5 has the distinct honor of being a vehicle that was hard to kill off... equaling the longest production run of note."
Kaiser Jeep was sold to American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1970, and the Buick engine was retired after the 1971 model year. The "Trac-Lok" limited-slip differential replaced the "Powr-Lok" in 1971, and PTOs were no longer available after that year. AMC began marketing the Jeep less as a universal utility vehicle, and more as a sporty one, notably increasing its performance and features.
The 1972 model year brought significant changes to the CJ-5. AMC began fitting their own engines, which also required changes to both body and chassis. The base Willys 4-cylinder was replaced by AMC's Torque Command straight-6 engines, giving the entry-level CJ-5 the power of the previously optional Buick V6. Standard became the 232 cu in (3.8 L), and optional the 258 cu in (4.2 L), which was standard in California.
Also in 1972, AMC's 304 cu in (5.0 L) V8 engine became available, which upgraded the power-to-weight ratio to a level comparable to a V8 muscle-car. Other drive-train changes included a new front axle - a full-floating, open-knuckle Dana 30, which was both 25 lbs lighter and reduced the turning circle by 6 ft.
A dealer-installed radio became available in 1973, air conditioning became available via dealership in 1975. Electronic, breaker-less distributors replaced breaker-point Delco distributors for the full engine line-up, and a catalytic converter was added to models equipped with the 304 V8.
The demise of the AMC CJ5 model has been attributed to a December 1980 60 Minutes segment where the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) staged a demonstration to illustrate that the CJ5 was apt to roll over "in routine road circumstances at relatively low speeds."
Years later, it was revealed the testers only managed to achieve eight rollovers out of 435 runs through a corner. The IIHS requested the testers implement "vehicle loading" (hanging weights in the vehicle's corners inside the body, where they were not apparent to the camera) to generate worst-case conditions for stability.