In 1972 the CJ was lengthened 3″ to accommodate the AMC 6cyl and V8 engines. The length was added behind the front fenderwell and before the cowl. It adds 3″ to the fenders and hood.
The 1976 year CJ’s did not have fully boxed frames. The boxing stopped at the 1st rear cross member.
The 1976 & 1977 had rear roll bars that were 90 degrees from the inner rear fender. 1978 and some 1979 had slanted rollbars that mounted to the top of the rear inner fender. 1979 and later had slanted roll bars that mounted to the floor behind the front seats and to the top of the rear inner fender.
In 1976 there were major changes to the CJ.
- The frames widened under the front seat and kept that width all the way to the back.
- Disc brakes were available
- The CJ-7
- The body floor layout changed to make room for the automatic.
- 2.5″ rear springs
- AMC Model 20 rear axle
- Automatic and quadratrac in the CJ-7
- Front sway bar
- Truck type rear tail lights.
More to come…
Related article Jeep Spotters Guide.