[cyberpvnk]

I went out of town this weekend and when pulling into a gas station I saw a weird looking grille out of the corner of my eye. It looked like a Jeep grille but was on a truck.

I drove over and looked at it and got the number and called. Here's what I was told.

-1948 Jeep Willys truck
-Chevy 350 V8
-Updated guages and wiring
-6 lug rear axle, 5 lug original front axle
-needs ignition switch and a fuel system flush, doesn't start
-needs windshield
-body is in ok condition, bottoms of doors rusted out to the bone, drivers corner crumpled, but overall not bad for 61 years old.

I did some checking on Craigslist and Ebay and can't find much to compare it to. I found one near me for $3300 that just needs a coat of paint, it runs, drives, etc.

They are asking $2800 for this one. I also didn't see a forum on here for these types of vehicles. Anybody got any idea on if this is a fair price? I don't know what the heck I'd do with it, but it's a pretty unique looking rig.

[cyberpvnk]

Nobody?

10c

[jeepkid03]

maybe try the CJ section? they probably know more about vintage jeeps. I do like the jeep trucks though. I guess my grandfather had a nice one but sold it before I was born. Wish I could get my hands on it

[samYJ]

How familiar are you with under-the-hood mechanic work? If you know that you have all the tools right now to do the work needed to get/keep it running, you're probably good to go. What about basic body work/bondo?

Another thing to consider is finding parts for that thing. Is that even possible for you? Its not very fun trying to restore a car that Autozone, Advance, Oriellys & Napa don't have any parts for. Its really good that the engine, wiring, rear axle, guages, etc is all updated and parts can easliy be found, but what about that windshield, for instance? There are other parts that are probably very hard to find as well. I'd look into online parts resources for that vehicle, and be ready to have to fabricate parts yourself.

If you are a seasoned mechanic, or you have GOOD friends with the skills, time & facilities to fix it up with you, I'd consider it a cool project vehicle. I'd also offer less for it than $2800. Even though its had some considerable labor put into it, you can't totally trust the work unless it was done by a certified mechanic. That is a good point to make when negotiating the price. I'd definitely have an honest-to-God grease monkey go check it out with you before talking price with anybody. Did the owner ever get it to run after the engine swap at all, or did he just swap the old engine for a polished up trashed junkyard 350 to make a quick buck?

Point is, I wouldn't bother with it unless you really love that vehicle, because older cars are always a labor of love. Expensive, too. If your heart's not in it, I wouldn't take it on as a project. However, if you love it and can't quit thinking about it, it wouldn't be too bad to work with. Now, if the seller drops the price way down, snag it and wheel it! Then pics or ban.

[khamill]

I wish there was a good forum for these trucks but willystech seems to be about the only place and their format is hard to read

[cyberpvnk]

Thanks guys, good input. I am definitely not a mechanic nor do I have great facilities. I don't think I'd ever get it show quality, but I bet that with some help from friends I could get it street worthy.

For the windshield, they can be custom cut by a place here in town, especially since it's flat glass, not curved.

I'll probably pass on it, but I do have an interest in learning to wrench and doing some basic body work but I do see the difficulty in trying to learn on a vehicle with very rare and expensive parts.

Thanks.

[timmysyj]

Was it something like this?

[cyberpvnk]

Yes, very very close. I like the look of that truck BTW.

[DShizzle]

How 'bout this one....I came cross it a year ago...The guy wanted like $1500, when I started taliking serious about it, he backed out. I m glad he did because it was really junk, it needed to be restored from the ground up.

[cyberpvnk]

that one looks to be in better condition than the one I saw for $2800...for sure.

For $1500 I'd of probably bought it.

[xjandyj]

the early ones had a flat grill,,,i'd low-ball him,,leave your number,,then walk away,,check back in a few months,,etc,,2800 is waay to much for it,,if it ran,,had matching lug pattern,,etc,,,,but not like that

[wm69]

look in the CJ section. There is a guy "lifesgoodhere" doing a full restoration on one of these trucks and has the entire build posted.