If you woke up from a coma and had no idea what time of year it was, you could probably tell just from what colors the decorations in the hospital were. Red and green? It’s Christmas. Bunch of pastels? Easter. Red, white, and blue? Fourth of July. And of course, if everything is black and orange, it must be Halloween. So it only seems fitting that we look at some orange cars this week, and the two that caught my eye were these two old four-wheel drives.
Yesterday we looked at two spooky white Mustangs with blood-red upholstery. Neither one was the engine or transmission you would want, but they both ran and drove, so they would at least get you around reliably. At least, until you’re in a movie and someone is chasing you and you have to get away, at which point even a brand-new car will fail to start. Most of you picked the newer and better-looking Fox-body Mustang, despite its lackluster four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission.
Ordinarily, I’d take a Fox over a Mustang II, but between these two specific cars, I think the II is where it’s at. Let’s face it; I’m never going to do an engine swap, as much as I like to think about it, and the Mustang II is the more interesting car as it sits. And as much as I dislike Landau tops, at least that one matches the paint.
Orange seems like a strange color to associate with a spooky holiday. It’s bright and cheerful, not gloomy or scary. But once Jack-O’-Lanterns started being made from pumpkins instead of turnips, the color was forever associated with Halloween. Which is just as well; nobody is going to sit in a vegetable garden and await the arrival of the Great Turnip.
(A quick aside: I once dressed as Linus for Halloween and spent the night handing out pamphlets preaching the “Good News” about the Great Pumpkin. Got a lot of laughs, but no converts.)
All right, enough off-topic waffle. Let’s check out some four-by-fours. October is, after all, truck month.
1961 Jeep CJ-5 – $8,000
Engine/drivetrain: 134 cubic inch F-head inline 4, three-speed manual, 4WD
Location: Pauma Valley, CA
Odometer reading: 35,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
First – and this is vitally important – nobody tell David about this Jeep, or the fact that it’s just a couple hours south of him. I have never met his blushing bride, but I do not want to end up on her bad side from three thousand miles away. He cannot know that such a nice, good-running Jeep is up for sale so close by. And it really is nice; the seller restored it to be a good driver, not a showpiece, but it looks great in the photos.
This is an old CJ-5, back when Jeeps were still made by Willys. It features its original “Hurricane” F-head four-cylinder engine and Borg-Warner T90 three-speed transmission. It probably tops out at about fifty miles an hour, but it’ll go anywhere you point it off-road. The engine, transmission, and transfer case were all rebuilt as part of the restoration, and all work as they should.
Inside, it’s a good old bare-bones Jeep, with absolutely nothing that isn’t strictly necessary. The front seats look like the original style, and it has a rear seat that looks like it came from a later 1970s or ’80s Jeep. Be warned: If safety is your primary concern, this is not the vehicle for you. Not only are there no seatbelts nor a roll bar, but the gas tank is right under the driver’s seat.
The flat-orange paint outside has a rough texture to it; I suspect it’s Rhino-Liner or something similar. The seller made no effort to fix any dents or wrinkles in the bodywork before paint, but hopefully they repaired any rust that was there. This Jeep was built to drive, not to sit around at car shows, but you still want it to hold together and look good.
1980 Chevrolet K5 Blazer – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, 4WD
Location: Duncanville, TX
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives
The original Chevy Blazer was the first of what would come to be the standard full-size SUV template: it’s just a K10 pickup truck, shortened by about a foot, with the cab and bed as one piece and no wall between them. The top is removable; in the early days, the entire top came off, but starting in 1976, the roof above the front seats became fixed, and only the rear section was removable. It’s common to see these Blazers with the top off in nice weather; I knew someone who removed the top from theirs in May and refused to put it back on until November.
The classic drivetrain for a K5 Blazer is what this one has: a 350 V8 and a Turbo 350 automatic. Six-cylinder engines and manual transmissions were both available, but rare. The engine and transmission in this one have both been rebuilt, the transmission only eight hundred miles ago. It has a bunch of other recent mechanical work done, and though the seller doesn’t explicitly say that it runs and drives, I see no reason why it shouldn’t. And the photos have been taken in a bunch of different places. I doubt they towed it all over town just for photos.
We don’t get any good, clear images of the interior, but what I can see doesn’t look too promising. A lot of these Blazers end up trashed inside, so it’s not too surprising, but it is disappointing. The seller spent a lot of money cramming a big stereo into it, but didn’t take the time to tidy up any of the wiring for it. And you just know those seats are a nightmare of cracked vinyl and leaking padding underneath those covers.
I don’t know if this truck was originally orange or not, but I think so. Orange was available, and the door sills and radiator support seem to match the outside. The paint is toast, and one fender needs to be replaced; you can see it in some photos but not others. Also, I just noticed that someone has added “truck nuts” to it, actual nuts hanging on a chain, which is less disturbing than those fake-scrotum ones, but still ridiculous.
Off-roading is hard on vehicles; you don’t really want something that’s too pretty. Sure, if you start out with something good-looking, you should do what you can to protect it, but I think it’s better to just start out with something a little bit beat-up already. These would do nicely. Which one appeals to you?
Jeep all the way. That blazer looks like it suffers from Squirrel Immunodeficiency Virus.
I prefer a Blazer but not that Blazer at these prices. Jeep today!
The Nuts hanging from the rear of the Blazer means you’d have to be nuts to buy it.
Clicked on the Jeep. Then read the article. Joe Dirt can keep the blazer.
I can tell by looking at the pics of the Blazer what kind of owner we’re dealing with. Pass. Gimme the Jeep.
Jeep, all the way. Really no discussion there.
If I had the slightest inkling of buying one that Jeep is not too far from me and would be a lovely example. I would ordinarily prefer the Blazer but that’s a lot of bro-dozer cringe right there.
How much does the Jeep seller want for the Smyth Jetta ute conversion in the background?
Man I hate Jeeps. I utterly loathe everything about them, and have no idea what is wrong all of the deranged weirdos that claim to love these horrid, wretched, awful things. Jeeps are the absolute worst.
Anyhow, I voted for the Jeep.
Jeep is way too clean for David, though I would say he should tell them to list it on EBAY and use it for his jeep project probably.
I wanted to go Blazer just because CJ5’s are tight quarter for a 6 foot person anywhere north of 200 lbs. I suppose if I managed buy it though, in the LA area, I imagine I could find an old 5 inch round chain steering wheel from Pedro De Pacas for a deal.
You are correct, I am 6ft and north of 200lbs and when I drive my friends 49 cj there is very little room.
The Jeep is too expensive for what you’re getting, but the Blazer is just about toast. Voted for the Jeep.
Normally the answer is never Jeep, and I’d usually be all over the Blazer, but it looks like it would need so much work to get it back to less silly. And the interior looks hashed. I really don’t want either, so passing today!
I had high hopes for the Blazer, but once the details came out and the pictures examined, it’s just too beat up and modified (poorly, no doubt) to be a legitimate contender. The Jeep is straightforward, and is probably a fun runabout in limited quantities.
Honestly I would neither buy or drive either. Holding a pew-pew to by head, I’ll choose the jeep. Just to save David, since that would be the honorable/moral thing to do.
Well, this was an interesting line up. I’m a multi-time Jeep owner, multi-time GM truck owner, and avid offroader, and I’m not sure I’d touch either one of these for the prices asked. While some may disagree, the F-head is a turd, and that CJ just seems…off. I love those K5 Blazers, but that one is way too beat and questionably modded to consider it. I guess if I have to pick one I’ll go for the Blazer because it is less money, but I feel like I will need to hazmat suit-up to drive it.
I am not sure the D25 would make it around a mall parking lot
My heart is with the Blazer, but it would be a passion project to fix the shoddy wiring and make it a comfortable place to spend time for me though. I have a sneaking suspicion the Jeep looks a lot better in photos than in real life, and it costs more, but at least it it sounds like it is mechanically sound so I picked the Jeep even though I have no use for a vehicle that can’t do freeway speeds.
Me and CW McCall…
We was screaming through the valley
Where the Nishnabotna flows
Through the mud and crud and cornfields
Where the marijuana grows
Crossed the railroad tracks at Persia
Down the hills and up the dale
Had a CJ-5 with four wheel drive
And Smokey on my tail…
Beat me to it! That Blazer is a country song as well but not the fun kind.
Thanks for that! Was deciding what to listen to at work today, just threw Wolf Creek Pass on the turntable. I think this is the first time my hand has been forced to vote Jeep so I suppose it’s extra appropriate.
I’ve made some pretty regular trips to Pagosa Springs with friends, and listening to Wolf Creek Pass at least once was mandatory.
Lol I was just through that area on Saturday! Really hilly in that part of the state. I kept it on 80 though.
Pretty sure that truck must originally be from Shelby County not Dallas, substitute 1980 for 1957.
“Well we all went past the chicken house, through the hog pen, down to the tractor shed, and then wound up in a field of cowpies. And sittin’ right there in a pool of grease was a half ton Chevy pickup truck…..
Well I kicked the tires and I got in the seat and set on a petrified apple core and founda bunch of field mice livin’ in the glove compartment. He says, Her shaft is bent and her rear end leaks, you can fix her quick with an oily rag. Use a nail to start her, I lost the key. She use a little oil but outside of that she’s cherry.
I says “what’ll it take?” He says “what’ve you got?” I says “Twenty eight dollars and fifteen cents.”
That’s the NP for this cowpie. CW for the win today.
The Jeep is adorable and I am nowhere NEAR enough of a redneck to be seen in that Blazer. Jeep it is, save David from the wrath of Elise (not her real name).
…well, THAT threw a wrench into my personal theme for this week.
The Jeep is far too nice to do anything to it. The others this week…other than maybe the Mercedes…you could at least make a case for hot rodding. And Jeeps make good, if T-bucket level sketchy, hot rods. But that one doesn’t deserve it.
On the other hand, a K5 blazer has all the wrong proportions for a drag truck. Front like a brick wall, “bed” that’s incredibly short proportionally, visually very much a brick. Mud race or do a Farmtruck style build, but she ain’t winning prizes at a car show.
…if I stick to the theme I set myself, the Jeep would become sort of a Munsters-ified, altered wheelbase T-bucketesque thing. But I don’t think I have the heart for it. I’d still pick it and keep it over the Blazer, which would probably be flipped on Craigslist to someone from Chillicothe IL who’d tow it away with their smoke tuned 3/4 ton while smoking Marlboros themselves.
What is with this CONSTANT need to screw with classic vehicles around here? This Jeep is PERFECT exactly as it sits. Maintain it and use it for what it was intended.
If you want to make a hotrod Jeep, find some shitty, unloved YJ to mess with.
I think you missed that I’m trying a theme with my voting this week because it’s Halloween and I wanted to try something different. And also that in all seriousness I wouldn’t.
The seam where the side body panel meets the floor looks… questionable on that Jeep, but I would be insane to give the owner of that Blazer $8,000, let alone half that
I love me a good Jeep but maybe not this one. I’m probably just too old but no doors and no seatbelts just make me squeamish.
But the Blazer just screams vape, Redbull, questionable decisions and hack mods.
I guess I’ll go with the Jeep and I’ll add in seatbelts and a roll bar. Now get off my lawn.
Blazers are cool, but that one looks a wee bit too…yeah.
Maybe overpriced Jeep, but I haven’t priced CJ5s lately. I did, however, drive an orange JK for ten years, so I’ll take orange jeep.
How is this even a choice? Methed-up malaise-era or basic, but jank-free (as much as possible given the make) Jeep?
I voted for the Jeep. If you think $8k is too much for a restored driver-grade CJ5, you haven’t been paying attention. It may not be the deal of the century, but it is a reasonable price. I have been looking for a Jeep lately (I’m mostly interested in a YJ, but I would consider a CJ5) and it is find to get a rust-free Jeep (Wrangler or CJ) for much less than $8k, and those Jeeps usually have a lot of other problems that need fixing. I agree with others that there appears to be some low quality body work, but if the body is at least 80% metal I’m not overly concerned. I would consider this Jeep if it were for sale locally, but I would bring a magnet when I looked at it.
My inner redneck absolutely loves the Blazer, though, even if the logical part of me thinks it is an overpriced ode to jankiness. I like the rebuilt engine, rebuilt transmission, and new lift kit, but everything else seems like a disaster. For $3k, though…
I have owned 2 CJ5’s the first was bright orange with a chevy smallblock shoehorned into it. That was a little much but could cruise at highway speeds in 3rd gear.
My current CJ5 is a 1967 with the dauntless V6. It is a restored driver in a bit better condition than the one here. The dauntless is a lot easier to live with as it is more powerful and lighter than the boat anchor F head. I have no idea what it would sell for but it is probably a lot more than I paid for it.
All that being said, CJ’s are super uncomfortable and I would rather take the Blazer than a 4 banger CJ.
CJ5s are uncomfortable, but the Jeep I’m looking for is strictly going to be used as a toy. I am just looking for something to take off road or drive along the beach. This CJ would be fine for me, even if it would be a bad choice for almost any other use case.
At the price point I have been looking at (under $6k), I have mostly found 4 cylinder automatic YJs. That combination is more than adequate for what I am looking for, so I think a 4 cylinder CJ5 would be fine.
I have always felt that a CJ or YJ is a great alternative to a side-by-side as a toy or farm vehicle. I have used mine for things like hauling firewood, moving a couple hay bales or driving tools out to a tractor that broke down in a field. The nice thing is you can throw some plates on it and drive it into town now and again.
For one summer, I had to daily my smallblock CJ5 when my XJ had a catastrophic failure. It was fun for a bit but grew old by August.
This. Why would you buy this over a MUCH more modern Jeep to use as a daily driver? It’s just a toy – and for sure would be a great farm/ranch implement too – that is basically what they were intended for. If you want something that you can comfortably drive to work every day at highways speeds other Jeeps have you covered.
These two are a “no” and a “hell no”.