Does anyone know if a frame off of a 82 CJ 5 will work on a 72 CJ 5? Also the seller says the frame has a slight tweak in the front right. Should I be concerned?

A 72 frame is narrower in the rear then a 78 cj-5 from. But I think the body mounts are the same.

The only problem I see is the '72 frame is an open c-channel frame and the '82 is boxed. The boxed is stronger, but they usually rusted out.

[ 10-22-2001: Message edited by: DE Jeeper ]

The gas tanks wont fit thats for sure..

But besides that, even if the 72 is an open c channel frame boxing it is really easy. Especially if its just the frame

It will work but the body mounts are different.Also the 72's wheel base is shorter than the 82,So you will need to use the front clip off a '73 or newer.I have a 75 body on a 79 frame and I had to use rectangle tubing on top of the body mounts to support the body.I would think the tank will work,since the 72 frame is narrower.I would take some measurements on the frame to see if it is tweaked beyond usfullness before you start swapping.But it is not a bad way to go.You will gain wheelbase and rear driveshaft length.(Probally need to lengthen yours.)Blazin <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/usa.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by blazin:
<STRONG>It will work but the body mounts are different.Also the 72's wheel base is shorter than the 82,So you will need to use the front clip off a '73 or newer.</STRONG>

You're close, but not quite. The year that they lengthened the wheelbase was 1972 (due to using the AMC straight six and V8 instead of the Buick V6), not '73. The '72 body will work on the '82 frame with the some mods for the body mounts. The '72 gas tank will also fit in the '82 frame with some custom mounts made. The spring mounts will be different as the '72 uses 1.75" wide springs and the '82 springs are 2" front and 2.5" rear. The lengths of the '82 springs are also different than the '72. Once the spring problems are figured out the spring perches on the rear axle will need to be moved as the springs will be farther apart from each other. The front spacing doesn't change. The front shock mounts on the '82 frame won't work with the narrow track '72 axle. The shocks hit the axle yoke when flexing.

I didn't even think about the springs was just thinking of the body to frame. <IMG SRC="smilies/blush2.gif" border="0"> If all your going to use is the 82 frame then it will be alot of work in the suspension area for sure.May bee worth while checking into a aftermarket frame like Matkins or Advanced Frames.Blazin <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/usa.gif" border="0">