Need your expert opinions please...

I thought this was going to be one of those once in a million deals that you hear about but have never actually seen in person. Lady going through a divorce wants all the crap off her property as she is selling her house. Husband supposedly ran off with an 18 year old chick. R) Now, as you can imagine, my scept-to-sism-ometer went off the charts, especially when I was told that she would sell the "running" heep for $400 and the military one her husband was restoring for $200.:twisted: (SORRY, NO PICS YET - Didn't think to bring the stupid camera!)

The "running" heep, that she now wants no less than $3000 for, is a CJ6. The body is all gray primer and is solid, as in no dents or rust on the floor boards or anywhere else for that matter. It does have the usual extra dozen or so holes where things have been bolted on and taken off, and the extra few switches on the dash. No top other than a bikini, and only the driver seat seems original with the passenger seat looking like something taken from an old boat. :? It does have an old school roll bar bolted onto the top of the fenders. Under the hood looks exceptionally clean with a 12 volt battery, the original oil bath air intake, and a freshly painted 4 cylinder. Manual shifter, single shifter for the transfer case, and another little shifter tucked in by the drivers seat that I am assuming is for an overdrive. It supposedly runs and the tag was good until 08/05. I knocked around the body and it did not sound/look/feel like it had any bondo anywhere. On the front between the frame rails was a large PTO winch with the spool taking up the distance between both frames. Please tell me your thoughts on how much you'd pay for it. Of course, had she taken $400, it'd be in my stable tonight! But $3000 is not something I could swing on another heep this close to xmas without totally cheesing off the warden!

The pile of what she said was a military jeep is nothing more than somebody's attempt to piece together an old flattie. The grill has 9 slots and chrome light bezels and the windshield is of the 2A variety. The tub is from a MB, but the floor has been patched several times with a toolbox(?) sized box where the driver seat goes. The dash has been cut for a radio and there is a steel glove box with only the shift pattern plate on it, the VIN plate gone. Only the passenger seat frame is there (I assume the drivers seat and frame is on the CJ6). The tail is solid (has no gate opening) with the storage compartments in each fender and the entire tub looks like swiss cheese from the rust and all of the holes that have been drilled through it. The only other tell tail signs are the grab handles in the rear. The hood does say "Willys" on each side but looks too new so I suspect it is a repro. Now, the frame is solid and rust free with all axles and such in place. The engine has a fresh coat of gray paint on it and the lady says it was recently rebuilt buy her ex. Everything appears to be in place except the steering wheel/shaft. The curious point is the twin sticks on the transfer case. It was covered in grease/grime and it was raining pretty good, so I did not see any identifying numbers on it. The electrical stuff was fresh and the alternator looks like a 12 volt one. Wheels were late model CJ with 31x12.5 tires. I have a 46 CJ2A tub with a plate and title, so the frame and engine would be an easy deal to hook up. My question is do you guys think I'm being an idiot for trying to get her below her asking price of $200? As decribed, how much do you think it's worth?

Thanks for your input and if there is enough banter about these, I'll run back to her place within the next week and snap photos of anything you'd like to see.

 

How much wiggle room do you think there is with the CJ-6? The flattie sounds like its worth the $200.00.

 

If you can do it $ wise try to get a better deal taking them both. Maybe you can get the $3000 down by buying the other one also. Just an angle to look at. Good Luck!

 

Right now she doesn't seem like she'll budge from the $3000. Who ever told her it was worth that price is on the juice! Might of been what her ex said it was worth. Who knows, but it could all change in a week or if she gets any interest (doubltful) in her house. the longer it sits, the more advantge I have.

 

A suggestion.. determine what their both worth to you! then get the CASH on hand, drive up in your Jeep.. and while flashing the cash...say no disrespect may'm but honestly a generous offer for both of those
jeeps is ______(fill in blank) and add that you can have them both off her property today.
I'll honestly bet you $5 she'll take it..if so..move fast! but not too fast she gets upset. transfer titles ASAP. then book!

 

That little shifter beside the driver seat is for the PTO winch.

Figure the PTO winch setup (if it's all hooked up and working) is worth an easy $500, a "starter" CJ-6 is worth at least $800 (that's what I paid for my rusty '71 with no engine and a wasted tranny/t-case, no electrical, etc.), etc. etc. The single shift t-case is a little odd. Maybe it's a later '70-'71 model. What year Jeep is it? Check to see if there's a little nut cover protruding through the hole in the rear wheels or if it's flat. If it's flat then it's a flanged Dana 44, again a $500 part.


As long as the thing runs and drives, all the switches and t-case work, and it is as solid as you say it does sound like a $3000 Jeep. Sorry.

See if she'll let you haul away the flattie for free if you pay full pop for the CJ-6. Maybe some pics will prove otherwise, but $3200 doesn't sound like a bad deal for what you're describing.

 

Buy the flat fender! If you don't need it, you can turn around and sell it for more than that. Around here the price on the 6 would be a little high I think. Two grand maybe. I guess it depends on how much you "need" a CJ6 .

 

If it's a complete running V6 CJ-6, $3000 seems ok for some markets, like the west coast. Here you'd get 1/3 of that, maybe. I hear that Colorado has a lot of Jeeps, but that they are expensive there too.

Being in old primer is a drag, because most primers are porous and will rust through. You can't just stop at primer - it's not really driveable in primer. The hard primers (epoxy) have a limited time during which you can spray a top coat - after that you have to sand it down and reshoot. Filler-primers are the same way. Point out that the Jeep will have to be painted to be driveable, and that will cost at least $500 in materials. Painting has gone way up - check into the prices of having it painted.

The correct roll bar for a CJ-6 bolts to the floor behind the seats, and extends back to the fender wells. The hoop is behind the driver's head, just like in a CJ-5.

 

Primer/surfacer is probably the worst...it's so high in solids I think it will absorb more moisture. Some primers offer surprsing rust protection. I had ACE house brand primer on my truck for years, without any signs of rust. Just give it a coat once every year and a half or so. It sat outside all year too. In all honesty, I would avoid using it as a primer...it won't sand for crap. But, as a cheap paint job it was hard to beat. It covers like crazy and sticks to everything extremly well. You can spray over rust, dirt, mud, whatever, and it adheres really well. There are options other than a "real" paint job that will keep the rust at bay, although an honest paint job is the best solution.

The last time I did a real paint job, I think materials ran around $200 for everything (my 91 T/A). That was for a "basic" color, not one they had to mix (that saved a few bucks). I didn't spray it myself though...I have a guy out in East Missoula who's painted 3 cars for me now (including my Olds) and he's always done a good job for a resonable fee.

 

AutoColorLibrary used to post the price of paint, but they don't anymore. However, a few months ago, PPG Omni was about $90/gal for the cheapest colors (white, black, tan gray) up to about $200 for the most expensive (metallic reds and purples). You can easily spend twice that for just paint, although most of us probably wouldn't for a Jeep that's going to get dinged and scratched.

Add up the costs of the consumables and amortize your equipment, and I think $500 is cheap for materials.

I just know what I've read, and I've seen plenty of spray-can primer jobs that have surface rust blooming through. When I was working on my '65 F-100, I left parts of that in spray-bomb primer for months. However, it was in hot, dry California. YMMV.

I was pointing this out because some kind of a paint job, even old and failing, should be expected for a DD. A car in primer is an incomplete project IMO - so adjust your price and bargaining position accordingly.

 

Before you buy anything, who is the LEGAL owner of the Jeeps? Divorces are messy. Check the paperwork first so you don't end up without the Jeeps and your cash.

 

Yep, the sky's pretty much the limit if you want really nice paint. I've had a couple cars sprayed with the $200 stuff (Limco, by R-M...I think BASF actually makes it) and they actually came out pretty nice.
The other thing if it's in primer is you never know what's under it...a spot-rot gauge can be helpful for finding hidden plastic.

 

X2!
Nickmil

 

Overdrives don't have short shifters. It's probably to run the pto.Check the body w/ a magnet to see what is steelvs bondo. Offer her $1500 cash and walk away. Take the flattie for $200 if your so inclined.

 

Thanks for all the help!