Description
The CJ-7 was produced from 1976 until 1986.
The CJ-7 is basically a stretched CJ-5. An extra 10" was
added behind the front seats to make the CJ-7 a 91" wheel
base vehicle vs. the CJ-5s 81". The extra 10" allowed AMC
to offer an automatic transmission for the first time in a CJ.
A CJ-7 tub can be identified by the shape of the door opening,
the opening is square where as the CJ-5 has a curving door
opening. The Wrangler (YJ) tub has the same dimensions as
the CJ-7 and can be used on a CJ-7 with some modifications.
The CJ-7 also was available with a hard top and doors from
the factory. Hard tops and doors were available for earlier
models, but not from the factory.
A new fully boxed frame was available for CJs from '76-'86
and although the welds are ugly, the frame is stronger than
frames used in previous CJs. The frame was widened in the
rear and the springs were moved farther out to make the CJs
more stable on the road, unfortunately this mildly reduces
the articulation of the rear axle. Other features such as
sway bars and steering stablizers were added around this time
to increase handling. Another change in 1982 was made to
make the CJs more stable, wider axles were used. There are
some differences in shock mounting, but "wide track" axles
are compatible with '76-'81 "narrow track" CJs and visa-versa.
1980 marked the end of the Great Transmission Era. The '80-'86
CJs used medium and light duty transmissions compared to the
heavy duty transmissions available in the late 70s.
1980 marked the return of the I4 CJ with the introduction of
the GM 151 engine. 1981 was the last year for the V8
in a CJ from the factory. The 304 V8 was no longer an option
from the factory, only the six cylinder and four cylinder engines
were available after '81.
Several different trim package were available for the CJ-7s over
the years including the Laredo and Jamboree packages. These are
typically just trim packages though, they don't add much to the
value of the vehicle.
Drive Train
Engine
The CJ-7 was originally offered with the
232 I6 as the stock engine
and the
258
and
304
as an optional engines.
In the late 70s, the 232 was dropped and the 258 became the stock engine.
In 1980, the GM
151 I4
I4 engine was stock and the 258 and 304 were optional. The last
year for the 304 was 1981. The GM 151 was replaced with the AMC
150
I4 in 1984.
Transmission
From '76-'79 the T-150 3 speed was
the stock transmission and the T-18
4 speed with granny low was optional. During this time, the GM TH400
3 speed automatic was also available. After 1980, the heavy duty
transmissions were no longer used. The
SR-4 and
T-176 were used with the I4 and I6.
The T-176 was used with the 304.
After 1981, the T-4,
T-176, and
T-5 5 speed were used.
From 1980-1986, the TF999 was used with the I6 and V8 and the
TF904 was used with the I4.
Transfer Case
The Dana 20 was used from '76-'79 and
the Dana 300 was used from '80-'86.
Front Axle
The Dana 30 was always used in the CJ-7.
Rear Axle
Some odd models of the CJ-7 used the
Dana 44, but the normal axle was the
AMC 20.
Production Information
| Year |
Serial Number Range |
Production |
| 1976 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1977 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1978 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1979 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1980 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1981 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1982 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1983 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1984 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1985 |
xxx - xxx |
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| 1986 |
xxx - xxx |
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Serial Number Locations
Serial numbers are located on the . . .
