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Here’s another South African CJ6, owned by Philip Bartholomew.  The year of the Jeep is in question - it’s currently titled as a 1985 but is likley much older.  More details on the Jeep via an email exchange with Phillip:

• The drivetrain was converted (not by me) to Toyota 2.4, 5 speed
• Issues attended to: Tyres, belts, shocks, prop shaft, mirrors, brakes, oil leaks, oil sump, timing cover, battery, clutch, soft top, engine mounts, lights, steering column, alternator
• Some strange mods have been made to the steering mechanism—2 universal joints which go into what is probably the original “steering box”. The problem is the steering is really tough and un-intuitive.
• The suspension is as hard as a combine harverster
• As far as I know it is an ex-army issue jeep, where the extended body was cut a bit shorter to allow for 2 jerry cans and a spare wheel mounted on the back. I think they were still produced in the US though and shipped here to South Africa.

Phillip is in a typical Jeep owners spot - having invested much time and effort into a rig that still needs quite a bit of work to be tolerable.  He’s considering selling the Jeep, but if he keeps it would like a suspension upgrade, and a more powerful motor. 

Maybe someone more knowledgeable about his current Toyota setup can offer upgrade options - like is there a bigger Toyota motor that would swap in and not require a transmission or motor mount change?

If you haven’t seen the South African CJ6’s before, make sure to read up on the their history.

Comments are closed, but you can read the comments other people left.

1. Jacques Jansen van Vuuren on March 03, 2007

   Probably rebuild and registered in 1985 when most of the old 4cylinder ex-SADF were auctioned off. I guess that this Jeep could have been originally built between 1964 and 1972. There are no way of ascertaining the exact year but if this Jeep had a Dana 25 front axle it would be early 60’s Dana 27A front axles were used later on with small front propshaft universals and the very last of these had Dana 44 rears with flanged sideshafts. (Dana 44 with 2 piece shafts earlier)
   Nothing wrong with a 2.4 Toyota but if you want more power go for a Chevy V6.
   Good luck,
   jacques

2. Duncan on July 17, 2007

   Hi, I have bought this jeep from Philip recently and managed to sort out a lot of the original hassles that he had, for starters the entire steering system hadn’t seen a drop of grease in years (tends to help soften the steering a bit) the steering box isn’t standard and I am yet to identify it properly. The engine has proven to be surprisingly powerful, it initially had a faulty carb and once I replaced it, a ton of additional power was released, although I am considering a turbo diesel upgrade - but I am concerned about the stress that the added power would cause so it will wait untill suspension and brakes are sorted out.
   The engine is a 1985 toyota engine which is what the papers reflect but the Jeep is, as far as I can tell, a 1965 - although I am going to check out Jacques comment before I commit to that date.
   The biggest problem is the suspension, which seems to be a large issue in this part of the world, when the engine was swapped the jeep also got a SOA conversion, but presumable because of the axle wrap was converted back, leaving mismatched shocks and leaves creating a trauma of bumps and knocks - this is my next challenge! Just wish we had the drop in kits available in the states <sigh>
   I’ll try keep you updated if you are still interested!

3. Boyink (Author) on July 17, 2007

   Hey Duncan…congrats on the purchase and definitely keep us up to date.

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