1975 and 1976 Jeeps: CJ, Cherokee, Wagoneer, and Pickup
While Jeep was clearly rooted in its past in 1975-76, it was also, finally, starting to find success with nontraditional groups.
Farmers and contractors had long relied on Jeep to do tough jobs, including snow plowing, farm work, and offroad access. They could still find what they wanted in the 1975-76 Jeeps, which had a factory snow-plow option (among other things), but civilians were starting to find the CJ sporty and the Wagoneer trendy.
Jeep sold under 70,000 Jeeps in 1975, thank to the extended-wheelbase CJ7, about 95,000 in 1976. That's far less than, say, 2014 Cherokee sales. With a single factory, limited engine range, and quite a bit of sharing, AMC survived; and, for Jeep, those numbers were quite good. (The fact that 95,000 was a banner year is why Kaiser, then AMC, had constantly and usually unsuccessfully tried to tap a broader market.)
They had a line of pickups named "Pickup." Referred to as the "J-series," formerly the Gladiator, these included the advanced Jeep four wheel drive system and woodgrain sides, or, on the other end, a factory tow truck package.
Engines and four wheel drive systems
AMC used its own engines in all its vehicles - the GM V6 was still in the future. The line included a pair of straight-sixes (232 and 258, both fed by a single-barrel carburetor), and three V8s - the 304 with a two-barrel carb, the 360 with two or four barrel carbs, and the 401 with a four-barrel.
The CJ came with the 232 six, with the 258 and 304 optional; the Cherokee came with the bigger six, with the other engines (except 304) available; and the Wagoneer with the 360 or 401. Electronic ignition was new for 1975, and standard across the board, replacing condensers and points.
The Jeep four wheel drive system was much more advanced than most competitors' designs. Though de rigeur today, these were very unusual in 1975. To quote from AMC:
AMC customer care
AMC was proud of their toll-free telephone number, mentioning it several times in their brochures.
Jeep CJ series
The traditional Jeep, the CJ, was available in sporty play-car trim, and tough, able, workman trim. The options - air conditioning, CB radio, Levi's styling, winches, push bumpers, and helper springs - shows how much variety was available.
The Jeep was agile on the road as well as off-road, yet had a fairly comfortable ride compared with the YJ Wranglers that would follow in 1986.
The reason they switched from CJ to Wrangler, giving the new cars longer leaf springs, a lower spring rate, a wider track, and an overconstrained suspension, was precisely because they had become popular with ordinary civilians who drove them as though they were sports cars. The result was a large number of rollovers, resulting in injuries and deaths, which, according to insiders, horrified AMC management. Unlike Ford, which was able to simply trade off lawsuit costs against fuel tank ruptures, AMC leaders were unwilling to leave with a car that was dangerous in the hands of their new buyers, and made changes to make their cars safer now that they were no longer being used solely as tools.
Technical changes for 1975-76
In 1975, AMC brought out a quieter exhaust system, more serviceable wiring harness, and electronic ignition (a Chrysler invention not used in Volkswagen Rabbits and other cars for some years to come).
The suspension still used its ancient leaf springs in both front and rear, with a full floating front axle, Saginaw recirculating-ball steering, and a box frame featuring side six cross members for rigidity. The engines (driven by a synchronized three-speed transmission with a floor shift) could still take leaded gas, except for the 304 V8, which needed a catalytic converter. The base engine was AMC's smallest powerplant, a 232 cubic inch straight-six fed by a single-barrel carburetor, but the bigger six and the 304 were also available.
Standard features included self-adjusting brakes, F78 x 15 tires, electric windshield wipers, fold-down windshield, 15.5 gallon gas tank, fuel tank skid plate, and oil gauge and voltmeter. A look at the dashboard shows that the CJ was designed to be a utility vehicle.
New for 1976 were courtesy lights under the dash, a day/night mirror, a new steering wheel, an instrument panel overlay, and a bright rocker panel protection molding between the front and rear wheels. New combination backup/tail lamps were larger and easier to see; a new windshield had screw-type hold-downs, easier to use, and an inside-mounted wiper motor; and a new energy-absorbing steering column had better anti-theft protection and a steering lock. A new option was the front stabilizer bar, now required on hardtops to prevent rollovers.
The really big news for 1976 was the CJ-7. It had the first automatic transmission ever to be used in a CJ, possibly accounting for a sudden rise in Jeep sales. The CJ-7 used Quadra-Trac four wheel drive (with optional low range), which had never been used in a CJ. It also had larger door openings, more front and rear leg room, an injection-molded plastic removable top, and more cargo space than the CJ-5, thanks to a bigger 93.5 inch wheelbase. The even-longer CJ-6 was quietly dropped at the end of 1975.
Sales of the CJ series kept it a niche vehicle in 1975, with over 32,000 CJ-5s and not quite 3,000 CJ-6s sold. In 1975, CJ-5 sales stayed roughly the same, but they sold over 21,000 CJ-7s. Both CJ-5 and CJ-7 would do even better in 1977.
Dealer installed options
Farmers and contractors had long relied on Jeep to do tough jobs, including snow plowing, farm work, and offroad access. They could still find what they wanted in the 1975-76 Jeeps, which had a factory snow-plow option (among other things), but civilians were starting to find the CJ sporty and the Wagoneer trendy.
Jeep sold under 70,000 Jeeps in 1975, thank to the extended-wheelbase CJ7, about 95,000 in 1976. That's far less than, say, 2014 Cherokee sales. With a single factory, limited engine range, and quite a bit of sharing, AMC survived; and, for Jeep, those numbers were quite good. (The fact that 95,000 was a banner year is why Kaiser, then AMC, had constantly and usually unsuccessfully tried to tap a broader market.)
They had a line of pickups named "Pickup." Referred to as the "J-series," formerly the Gladiator, these included the advanced Jeep four wheel drive system and woodgrain sides, or, on the other end, a factory tow truck package.
Engines and four wheel drive systems
AMC used its own engines in all its vehicles - the GM V6 was still in the future. The line included a pair of straight-sixes (232 and 258, both fed by a single-barrel carburetor), and three V8s - the 304 with a two-barrel carb, the 360 with two or four barrel carbs, and the 401 with a four-barrel.
The CJ came with the 232 six, with the 258 and 304 optional; the Cherokee came with the bigger six, with the other engines (except 304) available; and the Wagoneer with the 360 or 401. Electronic ignition was new for 1975, and standard across the board, replacing condensers and points.
The Jeep four wheel drive system was much more advanced than most competitors' designs. Though de rigeur today, these were very unusual in 1975. To quote from AMC:
AMC customer care
AMC was proud of their toll-free telephone number, mentioning it several times in their brochures.
Jeeps averaged over 14 ½ years of life, despite being used in off-road, industrial, and farm conditions. This was far better than any of the Big Three could claim.
Jeep CJ series
The Jeep was agile on the road as well as off-road, yet had a fairly comfortable ride compared with the YJ Wranglers that would follow in 1986.
The reason they switched from CJ to Wrangler, giving the new cars longer leaf springs, a lower spring rate, a wider track, and an overconstrained suspension, was precisely because they had become popular with ordinary civilians who drove them as though they were sports cars. The result was a large number of rollovers, resulting in injuries and deaths, which, according to insiders, horrified AMC management. Unlike Ford, which was able to simply trade off lawsuit costs against fuel tank ruptures, AMC leaders were unwilling to leave with a car that was dangerous in the hands of their new buyers, and made changes to make their cars safer now that they were no longer being used solely as tools.
Technical changes for 1975-76
In 1975, AMC brought out a quieter exhaust system, more serviceable wiring harness, and electronic ignition (a Chrysler invention not used in Volkswagen Rabbits and other cars for some years to come).
Standard features included self-adjusting brakes, F78 x 15 tires, electric windshield wipers, fold-down windshield, 15.5 gallon gas tank, fuel tank skid plate, and oil gauge and voltmeter. A look at the dashboard shows that the CJ was designed to be a utility vehicle.
New for 1976 were courtesy lights under the dash, a day/night mirror, a new steering wheel, an instrument panel overlay, and a bright rocker panel protection molding between the front and rear wheels. New combination backup/tail lamps were larger and easier to see; a new windshield had screw-type hold-downs, easier to use, and an inside-mounted wiper motor; and a new energy-absorbing steering column had better anti-theft protection and a steering lock. A new option was the front stabilizer bar, now required on hardtops to prevent rollovers.
The really big news for 1976 was the CJ-7. It had the first automatic transmission ever to be used in a CJ, possibly accounting for a sudden rise in Jeep sales. The CJ-7 used Quadra-Trac four wheel drive (with optional low range), which had never been used in a CJ. It also had larger door openings, more front and rear leg room, an injection-molded plastic removable top, and more cargo space than the CJ-5, thanks to a bigger 93.5 inch wheelbase. The even-longer CJ-6 was quietly dropped at the end of 1975.
Sales of the CJ series kept it a niche vehicle in 1975, with over 32,000 CJ-5s and not quite 3,000 CJ-6s sold. In 1975, CJ-5 sales stayed roughly the same, but they sold over 21,000 CJ-7s. Both CJ-5 and CJ-7 would do even better in 1977.
Dealer installed options
- Swing out tire carrier (for easy access to tailgate)
- Mechanical or electric winches with 150 feet of 5/16" wire line (8,000 lb capacity)
- CB radio; air conditioning; carpeting; mini spreader; roll bar padding
- push bumper; snow plow; pull plow; helper springs; rear step bumper
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- AM radio in a weatherproof case (with a whip-type antenna.)
- Forged aluminum styled wheels (standard, Renegade)
- Full soft top (a new design had improved visibility and larger door openings; available in black, white, or, with Levi's® interior, in tan or blue).
- Power steering
- Rear seat: Foam padded vinyl bench seat
- Roll bar
- 304 2bbl V8 engine; power drum brakes (with V8 only)
- 258 6 cylinder engine; 4-speed manual transmission (with 258 engine only.)
- Steel Belted Radial Ply tires.
- Heavy-duty cooling system, springs, and shocks (front and rear).
- Rear Trac-Lok differential.
- 4.27 axle ratio.
- 70 amp battery; engine block heater; wheel covers; draw bar; rear bumperettes; outside passenger mirror.
- Levi's interior (blue or tan seats in denim look, with matching instrument panel and sun visors; a matching soft top and carpet were available too.)
1975 CJ-5 | 1976 CJ-5 | 1975 CJ-6 | 1976 CJ-7 | 2007 Wrangler | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GAW Rating F/R Axle | 2200 / 2700 | 2650 / 3450 |