Hello all. I'm not new to Jeeps but I have stepped away for a while. (Been a member here since like 2003 and left in 2005) I formerly had a 95 YJ 2.5L on 33's but sold it for a Camaro which was totalled and now I have a Firebird. I had an offer to trade my bird for a 1985 CJ7 today. I haven't seen it in person yet but I'm going to be talking to the owner tomorrow. A few questions your way though, if you don't mind. This Jeep has the 4.2L with a 4-speed. Sometimes I have to go to Atlanta on the highway about a 30min drive without traffic. Would this be difficult to hit speeds of 65mph on street tires? (31's) I know once my 2.5L YJ hit above 65mph it was turning HIGH rpms and sounded like it was going to explode. And did the 1985 model year come with power steering/brakes as an option at all? Thanks! -Drew <><
Yes on power steering and brakes.
Gearing affects RPMs. 33s act like a lower gear. My 83 CJ7 on 31s does not run HIGH RPMs at freeway speeds. I do have a five speed tranny though.
What catches my interest is that your Firebird is gonna decrease in value, they are a dime a dozen. The CJ can be a money making investment. They are not getting cheaper by a long shot. You don't say what year your Firebird is, I may be wrong
If the differential gearing is stock or near stock highway speeds will be no problem.
The best 4 speed in this eara is the T-176 it can usually be identified by the straight shift lever.
Enjoy!
You can gear it to run the highway RPMS/speeds you would like. Stock 2.73 gearing and 31's would put you around 1994 RPM at 65 MPH, 3.07s would put you at 2163 RPM, etc.
Is it possible to drive in Atlanta without traffic?
. I don't know but, once I went through Atlanta with the traffic. I got hung up in that traffic and had to go 80 mph to keep up/stay out of the way. It seemed as though I could not move over either. Traveling through Georgia and not knowing the roads, Atlanta was a white knuckle ride.
I've got an 85 cj7 with 33s, 2.73 gears, the T-176 four speed, and the 4.2, i can run highway speeds all day long 70+ without any problems (other than loose steering!), it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Yes on power steering and brakes.
Gearing affects RPMs. 33s act like a lower gear. My 83 CJ7 on 31s does not run HIGH RPMs at freeway speeds. I do have a five speed tranny though.
What catches my interest is that your Firebird is gonna decrease in value, they are a dime a dozen. The CJ can be a money making investment. They are not getting cheaper by a long shot. You don't say what year your Firebird is, I may be wrong
The Firebird is a 95' with 84k and the car is fully loaded with leather, 6-speed and t-tops. I've been trying to sell it straight out but nobody is biting. It just so happens in the past week I have had two trade offers. And that pretty much rocks <><
On the rare instance that 1) it is about 10:00 at night and 2) there are no braves, hawks, or thrashers games going on 3) there are no big concerts and 4) it's not a weekend
soooo, in a nutshell....no haha.
But thanks for all the responses guys! I really appreciate it. <><
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