track bars on wider axles and family cage and tube doors i would sugest

 

I bought a 73 when my daughter was 2 with the goal of restoring it as an "ice cream getter" so we could drive it to the neighborhood ice cream shop and back, and eventually do some trails and camping in Colorado when she got older.

I feel OK driving it in my neighborhood, but I don't think it's possible to make a 73 safe by today's standards on highways or busy roads. I'm interested to hear what others think.

Additionally, I cannot figure out how to make the 73 safe while maintaining the simplicity that makes it such a great vehicle. I'd rather sell it than put a padded dash in. I do plan on a real roll cage with side protection instead of the stock "for looks" roll cage, better brakes, better seats, complete inspection/replacement of worn parts, etc, then driving conservatively.

PS. My restoration is taking so long I won't have to worry about my kid, now 4, needing a child seat when I'm done

 

First of all, you don't have an early CJ5, you have an Intermediate. The early version is 55-71. The 72-75 model years are Intermediate,and 76-83 are late model.

Changing axles and such may make you feel safer, but probably won't do much to actually change the safety of the vehicle. Nothing you can do will change the fact that a CJ5 is made from very light sheet metal, with no crumple zones or air bags, and wouldn't come anywhere remotely close to a modern vehicle in a crash test.

Certainly a CJ5 is safe enough to carry your family for occasional pleasure drives, but if you want piece of mind while driving on high speed freeways, you'd honestly be better off with a Volvo.

 

BTW, my other car is a Volvo wagon, so I may be on one side of the spectrum.

I bought mine after being first on the scene at a Volvo that flipped airborne twice across an interstate median and landed on its roof. I found the driver and passenger tangled up in the driver's seat, completely naked. After helping the very embarrassed, but otherwise healthy, young woman find her underpants, I left the scene.

 

My wife's DD is a Volvo XC90. I'm very impressed with the build quality, it's built like a friggin tank. The A, B and C-pillars are made of hardened steel and are thicker than any pillars I've seen on a passenger vehicle. It has more airbags than I can count. I feel very safe driving it.

 

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to jeepforum

My wife and i are planning on starting a family soon. I also have a 73 cj5. Where i am driving would make a big difference to me as far as the comfort level of me having a child in the Jeep. If i am crusing down dirt or country roads or residential areas i would be okay with that. I dont think i would take it through a downtown metro area at rush hour. What do you have if any for a top? That also make makes a difference i think. Myself I plan on fabing up a complete family cage for mine before I would let a small child ride in the back seat.

Now with all of that said the Jeep that i have know my father purchased new. He had installed a Meyers 1/2 cab on it. I do not recall how youg i was when i started riding in it with him but it was most likely 3-5 year range. Dad and his pal would go bird hunting and I would set on the center console( Army Amo Can) and off we would go. Back then though the mindset of safety was quite a bit different than today. Would I let my kid do this? Crusing down the backroads yes. In town or on the highway, no.
I have no top what so ever now and I think I would have to wait a couple of years before i would let my child ride in the jeep with no top to keep them well and not have the wind blowing on them. After that I think with a Family cage a Jeep carseat I plan on making no other mods to improve safety. but again as i said before I would not be crusing the interstate at rush hour just trips here and there at no hurry and driving with common sense.

 

^Ditto what Pathkiller said.
Think of it as safer than a motorcycle or ATV, but not as safe as a modern car.
Also, if your daughter is 11 months, she's probably in a rear facing car seat-I never found one of those that would fit in a CJ-5 at all. Once they get big enough for a forward facing seat, you can fit one in the back seat OK

 

Find another ride for when the "what if" happens, it will be money well spent. Jeeps break, you will need a parts runner. I think a small econo truck would do well.

 

I have to agree with everyone else. A CJ carrying a 11 month old and safety is a oxymoron. That kind of reminds me of the new Camaro filming in New York for a movie. It hit a full size Police pickup by accident, The Camaro folded up like a tin can, Totaled, but did just like it was designed to do and no one even got a scratch. This one was made to crash for the movie but the video on the net shows just how they are designed to crumple and protect the passengers inside.

 

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PM sent.

Long story short, I would NEVER do it.


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Honestly, it'll never be as "safe" as a modern car, because modern cars are so "safe" that people feel like they can drive like wreck-happy idiots. IMO the safest car is really the one with the fewest "safety devices" because the driver knows they have to watch what they're doing and actively prevent accidents from happening. The only real safety device you can find in a Jeep is the seat belt, and that's because it keeps you from sliding out through the door opening.

 

I have a 1974 CJ5 and an 8 year old daughter, I have no problem driving with her around town, to the park, for ice-cream, down to the beach and boardwalk. On Sunday we drove it to church, and when we came home we had 2 of my daughters friends in the back seat. I am a conservative driver because I know the limitations of my CJ and I have no plans ever driving it at highway speeds.

 

I agree, there is no way to make a CJ 'Kid Safe'.
I see kids in them all the time, and the first thing that rattles through my head is that someone should slap some sense in to the owner...

First off, they are VERY light weight, you are going to loose virtually any fight you get into with those monster SUVs and pickup trucks,

There are no crumple zones, and a solid frame.
Every bit of energy imparted to the frame/chassis, and it's all going to get transferred directly to the passengers.

Your jeep is just as dangerous for your child as a motorcycle, maybe more so since with a motorcycle you would normally put a helmet on the kid,
And people drive around in Jeeps with kids hanging out all over them...

I won't let kids in my Jeep, and I have added strength roll protection, side bars around the door openings and 4 point harnesses that are properly installed.
You have to be a full size adult (so the straps fit correctly) and they have to know what they are getting into before I will let them in the vehicle.

 

I agree, there is no way to make a CJ 'Kid Safe'.

First off...

Excellent post JH!

It was almost verbatim to the PM I sent him expressing my concerns on the situation/question.

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Nearly 40 years of vehicle safety have come around since that vehicle was produced.

I'm old enough to remember when even minor crashes produced serious injuries.
There is no reason to expose kids to that this day and age...

Metal dashes are unforgiving when your face slams into them,
Protruding knobs do terrible things to the human body,
Since the frame is inboard about a foot, there is no side protection to speak of,
No air bags, no padding, even if you are belted in the back, a side impact is going to throw you against fairly sharp square metal edges.

All of those sharp corners have been designed out of modern vehicles,
Padded dashes protrude to save your noggin so you don't wind up with a face full of steel and stuff sticking out of the dash... Federal mandates making the vehicles MUCH safer in a lot of ways.

People like me complain about all the 'Plastic' on the new vehicles, but padded dashes have saved a bunch of lives, and they have kept 100,000 times that many from serious disfigurement in the past 30 years.

Let's face it, an old 'Jeep' just wasn't designed for 'Safety' or to be child proof.

A newer Jeep, like a TJ couldn't cost a ton more, and it so much safer for passengers it's not funny.
I keep mine because it's mostly steel, simple and doesn't rot away when I leave the top off year around,
But I know what I'm getting myself into...

 

JeepHammer, we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

Forty years of improved car safety hasn't changed the fact that we lose more people in one year to car wrecks than that year's gun violence and the entire Vietnam war put together. Adding more "safety" features won't change it. Having all cars driven by GPS controllers with no manual option won't change it, because the GPS might confuse a boat ramp for a bridge like it does in England.

And don't even think about trying to mount ones that could make a difference, like mandatory breathalyzers or speed governors that can physically stop a car from breaking the posted speed limit. That would go the way of red light cameras because it'd infringe on the populace's self-given Right to Ignore the Law.

 

I'm not really clear on the point you're trying to make, but if you're arguing that 2013 vehicles are no more safe than 1973 vehicles, you're way off base. Data from the IIHS on fatal vehicle accidents clearly show that the likelihood of dying in a car crash has steadily declined since the advent of modern safety equipment. The very first sentence of their 2011 vehicle fatalities report says "Dying in a crash has become much less likely than it used to be for people in all types of passenger vehicles." http://www.iihs.org/externaldata/srdata/docs/sr4605.pdf

 

I have a 1973 CJ5 with a fully rebuilt 340 v8- this isn't a typo- and 3 spd. Along with this Jeep I have a very safety conscious wife and an 11 month old daughter. Kind of selfishly I bought the Jeep on a whim - I had a limited chance and I jumped on it (wouldn't you). The problem I have run into now is we have one family car and my Jeep and should I ever need have to my wife and I don't feel safe with the baby riding in it. My daughter definitely comes first.

You already sound smart enough to be a CJ owner.
There are many modifications that you can do to increase personal safety for those that can comprehend the situation. Unfortunately children don't fit the bill.

 

Furthermore: "32,885 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2010." Source: http://www.iihs.org/research/default.aspx#FF

There were just over 58,000 American fatalities during the Vietnam War.

According to the CDC there are about 30,000 gun-related deaths in the US per year. So that's about 88,000 gun and Vietnam War deaths annually compared to 32,885 vehicle fatalities. Not even close to the "fact" you claim about vehicle fatalities being more than those two sources combined.

Thanks for the "facts" but next time spend 5 minutes Googling the "facts" before presenting them as truth.

 

im going to go out on a limb and say get a dd and keep it as a fun weekend car, my fondest memories as a child was riding in my dads cj7 golden eagle going down to the private airport, by the side street and racing the propeler planes taking off, or cruising up and down the street by the golf course and searching for golf balls in it, its a car that just produces memories. just remember that it is not a safe car. right now i drive the 1970 cj5 more then my dodge charger, its just more fun, but i dont drive like my charger, i drive it like its about to flip over every turn, and with 4 people in the car i sometimes do have to drive it like that.

overall its your call, i would say keep it

 

and calm down people no need to have a heated argument with each other, lets just anser the dudes question with our own responses

 

My father has had two accidents, 2 roll overs one highway one trail both side over side or just on to the side for the occasion on the trail and all four incidences the 60 CJ5 kept us safe and was drivable afterwards with minor needs for repair and body work. a good bumper a decent seat belt system and a better then average roll bar set up not a SPORTS BAR and you'll be fine. I have been in jeeps since I was 4 months old and my sister in a car seat, my brother and myself at 1, 4, 6 when we rolled in the hills in Northern California, my father is not uneducated nor did he not have our best interests in mind it was a freak rock on a very simple tail that gave way. We were fine the jeep was fine and after righting her with the help of the 4x4 club we were with he drove it home. So please don't be shy of having a great vehicle in your family. Understand the limitations, don't add a huge lift to it and be easy on the throttle you'll be fine and you'll keep a piece of American heritage in your family for years to come. My family started with one jeep and has grown to 5 over the years. If your using like you say you'll be fine.

Also a Warn overdrive should attache to you're three speed and give you a wider range of gear selections making it both more fun on the trail and economical on the road. All of our families Jeeps are trail head runners and this has always proved to be a good way to go for us.
60 Willy's, 69 Willy's, 72 CJ and counting.

 

Thanks everybody! I will just have to get rid of it I guess.

Let me know if anybody is interested. I have tons of pictures to send. Asking $11,000.

Located in Chattanooga, TN.

 

Thanks everybody! I will just have to get rid of it I guess.

Let me know if anybody is interested. I have tons of pictures to send. Asking $11,000.

Located in Chattanooga, TN.

It had better be one heck of a vehicle for $11,000...

 

I don't want a heated argument either...

I take the nephews on rides around town once in a while, but I'm super cautious about things with a kid in the vehicle since there is so little protection, and the vehicle wasn't built for kids.
The one they like to ride in is also a '73.

One thing to remember, in '73, the 'Jeep' was still a 'Utility Truck' and was exempt from even the 'Passenger Car' regulations for safety.
The only 'Safety' features my '73 CJ have are the sport bar, seat belts and collapsible steering column.

The sport bar *Might* save you if you turn over gently, but we've all seen what happens to them when they impact sideways with a good amount of force.

Seat belts will do a lot to keep you in the vehicle, but with no shoulder straps, they wouldn't do much for a kid,
And they would do nothing for a side impact.

You have to remember, in '73, back seat belts were optional (along with the back seat).

'73 has low back buckets, no head rests, no whiplash protection. I've been whiplashed a couple of times in my current '73 in the past 6 or 7 years (mostly backing into things I shouldn't have, or playing 'Bumper Tag' with my buddies)...
It doesn't take much of a jolt from the rear to REALLY shake your world up with those low back buckets.

'73 still has a hard steering wheel, not a collapsible steering wheel like the newer models.
I wouldn't want to take that hard steering wheel with no center padding to the face in the event of a front end collision...

I personally (opinion, so don't flame me) don't think the older CJ's are safe at highway speeds, just too much metal and too many things that can go wrong.
There is a reason the older CJs because the 'Wide Track' and longer wheel base versions we have today.

Between steering problems, short/narrow wheel base, and lack of padding/safety features I'm VERY aware of the stuff that can go wrong.

I don't subject kids to high speed traffic in my Jeep, and anyone that puts a kid on the passenger side without a full cage and safety seat sized for a kid is just asking for trouble.
Nothing wrong with taking a kid wheeling, I'm not saying that.
I'm saying if you spend $2,000 on tires, gears, chrome,
Why not spend a few bucks on the cage, reasonable seat with some side protection and kid size belts,
And at least a biking helmet for the kid...
Little heads/necks with developing brains are MUCH easier to damage than some thick skulls and fully developed necks most of us have...
(And there are some SERIOUSLY thick skulls in the group that wheels around here )

I see it every holiday weekend in the off road parks around here,
Kids bouncing around in the back seats, no roll protection, no helmets, no seat belts...

The trail patrol (usually with a deputy sheriff in the vehicle) has to take drunken wheelers off the trail and tell people to strap their kids in just about every day.

Folks letting their kids go ripping around on bikes and 4 wheelers with no helmets exceeding the speed limits, jumping crossings of trails, coming at you the wrong way on the trails around blind curves, ect.

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The other thing about driving such a narrow Jeep is people don't think they need to cross the center line when they pass you,
Many times I've had people, from small pickups to tractor & trailers pass me without getting over the center line.
I get crowded off on the shoulder or in the grass to get away from them.
Since I'm not using but about half the lane, they think the other half of MY LANE is free to pass me in...
(Same deal when riding my motorcycle).

People pull right out in front of you since you are 'Small' and they think you can slow down or stop because you are 'Small'...

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It's up to you, what you think is safe, but if it were my kids, anything other than rides around the farm or the occasional ride in the Jeep around side streets in town would be ruled out since I don't want to be responsible for a kid getting hurt, even if we ruled out the drunks, stoned, people that ignore stop signs/lights, ect.

 

Thank you. It is.

 

Thank you. It is.

Then post some pics here.

Let's see it...

 

Upload some pictures to photobucket and post the links here, and we'll put them up for you since you don't have a high enough post count to post yet.
We'll get you some exposure and maybe a buyer.