1960s Jeep CJ-5 Was Left to Rot for 33 Years, "Dauntless" V6 Refuses to Die

Built in the mid-1960s, this Jeep spend around 24 years on public roads before it was retired in 1989. But that was the end of the road for this hauler until 2022. And it spent all those 33 years under a few tarps. Not surprisingly, it's in really bad shape. Yes, it's still in one piece, which is amazing, but it looks like it's about to fall apart soon.

But despite its terrible condition, the Jeep received a second chance from YouTube's "NoNonsenseKnowHow," who bought it, took it home, and devised a plan to make it run again. And guess what? The old V6 mill under the hood came back to life with an oil change and some rewiring.

Yup, this thing draws juice from a V6. Not an AMC inline-six or the iconic "Hurricane" inline-four. And it's not an aftermarket swap. Back in 1965, 11 years after it introduced the CJ-5, Kaiser-Jeep bought a license to produce Buick's 225-cubic-inch (3.7-liter) V6 engine.

Part of the "Fireball" series, the 225 debuted in 1964 and found its way in the Buick Special and Skylark. Oldsmobile also used it for a couple of years in the Cutlass. Kaiser-Jeep renamed its version "Dauntless" and used it in the CJ-5, CJ-6, Jeepster, and Commando until 1971.

A rather short-lived mill, the "Dauntless" became quite popular. By 1968, around 75% of all CJ-5s were ordered with the V6, which generated 155 horsepower, twice as much as the "Hurricane" four-banger. And needless to say, this V6 was rugged enough to soldier on through more than three decades without a single turn.

Granted, this Jeep is not a likely candidate for a restoration. It would simply be too expensive to make sense. But the fact that it still runs (and it may drive under its own power too soon) is downright impressive.