A 1982 Jeep CJ-7 with the Texas-themed Lone Star Legend package is heading for a restoration that will remove several modifications added over the years. Dennis Collins found the Jeep in Paola, Kansas, and plans to return it closer to its period-correct configuration, starting with the transmission and carburetor. The rarity of the package caught his attention, while the Jeep still retains several details that help identify its origins.
This Jeep CJ-7 Lone Star is rare, but far from factory-correct
A dashboard plaque identifies it as part of a 250-unit series, a figure associated with this AMC-authorized regional package. Actual production numbers remain poorly documented, however, and Collins suspects AMC may have built fewer. During his own research, he says he has encountered only four examples. That reflects his personal experience rather than establishing how many the company built or how many survive today.
The package came from the CJ-7 Renegade and used Texas-themed graphics to distinguish it from regular models. AMC promoted it under the Lone Star Legend name, while the hood carried “The Texan” lettering. Star graphics and other references to the state completed a package aimed at the local market without turning the Jeep into a separate model.
The example Collins found now differs from that original specification in several ways. He believes the current blue paint could be Montana Blue from 1981 rather than the Slate Blue Metallic associated with the package, although he does not plan to repaint the Jeep. Inside, black vinyl Laredo seats have also replaced the blue seats that originally belonged in the vehicle.
The previous owner, Frank, bought the Jeep from someone in Allen, Texas, not far from Collins’ home. After bringing it home, he had already removed the 35-inch tires and modified the added roll cage in an effort to undo some of the previous off-road changes. He kept the Jeep despite interest from a neighbor, eventually selling that buyer a CJ-5 instead.
The 4.2-liter AMC inline-six currently works with a New Venture NV4500 transmission, a gearbox introduced years after Jeep built this CJ-7. Collins plans to replace it with a T5 and remove the Weber carburetor in favor of a more period-correct unit that he already has in his parts collection.
Moving the Jeep to South Dakota will also give Collins a chance to address more visible issues, including peeling graphics and a right-front tire that rubs against the wheel arch. The restoration will therefore focus on the mechanical changes and later modifications while leaving the current paint in place for now.
