1983 Jeep CJ7 Renegade review from North America

A lot of body rust everywhere. I took care of it some 6yrs ago, but it came back this year with a vengeance to the point I consider a body swap to come next year.

Swapped the tired and leaky 4.2 258ci for a nice 5.9 360 from a Grand Wagoner. Plenty of power and a lot of BMW chasing on the Turnpike. This said, the T5 transmission is weak off road, but quite nice on road and saves a lot on gas. Since the swap, a lot of good times indeed.

I'm having nightmares with the steering components since the vehicle was brought from England when I moved stateside. Parts suppliers are few and it is virtually impossible to buy export parts from the manufacturer.

The wiring was badly messed up, but I got it all sound again with a Painless Kit that required some adjustment due to the right hand drive and the different lights set up.

Seats are in poor shape and will need replacement, but for the moment, I will hide the misery under a new pair of seat covers.

It is a magnificent truck and I would not drive anything else. With the new V8, the experience is seriously enhanced and makes for a truly "hardcore Jeep".

The stock Export heavy duty suspension (7leaf spring assembly front, 9 on the rear) makes for a very uncomfortable ride, the price for style I guess.

The right hand drive nature of the vehicle is actually a good feature Stateside and generates a lot of attention.