What to expect?

So I know what I paid for it, 99% all there. Want to restore to near original drivetrain and body.
What would be a ruff figure of total restoration figuring new seals and gaskets, wiring, body, paint, so on and so on.

Trying to figure before I start if this is even worth restoring. What are these selling for around the country?

I know it is hard to setermine values but a rough guess would be nice.

 

Well looking at, I believe you can save the one wiper arm, the antenea, and maybe the hood latches.
If'n the drive train is there and it fires, hell you've got a JEEP!
It really depends on how deep your pockets are and how much your wife will tolerate!
A new tub, engine rebuild, clutch?
Seals on all the axles, new tires,brakes brake system, wiring?
It's a L O N G term project you've got there, but I'd dragged home worse and started.
Heck, I helped the guy down the street years ago on a project.
Seems in the 20's you could get a model "T" in a snow-mo-bile addition.
He started with 1 ski and he rebuilt it, (and this was before computer days)! Took like 5 years.
Get a few good manuals, after market parts books, strip it down and take your time, and most importanto- have fun doin' it!
(at least your family knows what to get you for Xmass and B-day-Jeep parts)!
Good luck!
Joe
Just another happy, but soon to be poor jeep owner!

 

seats look good from what i can tell in the picture. body does look rough though. that fender looks good as does the hood & windshield frame.... a new tub and a new set of tires and wheels. it would look like new. god i cant believe i said that as easy as i did, just be carefull these things are addictive

 

That's a faraway shot to determine, but looking at your photo it's clear the body is a throwaway. As long as all the little stuff like hinges, brackets, speedo, seat mounts, etc are there and it's mechanically intact I'd say go for it.

Yank the body off the frame, pull EVERYTHING off of it, then cut it up and scrap it. Rebuild the frame/suspension/drivetrain while the body is off. Buy a Replitub from Willys Overland and then clean and reinstall all your trinkets. Buy a new Omix, Painless, or Centech wiring harness and you'll have a reliable, good-looking vintage Jeep.

Lotsa money and time, though - but that's why most of us are here.

 

If you plan to recover the expense to get it back to near new condition, it will not happen!!!! My best guess is you will be lucky to get half it back, and that will not include anything for your time. I think the only jeeps you can come close to recovering rebuild expenses would be the rare ones like a CJ2 (not 2A), a GP or a MA-but then the parts for those are much harder to come by and more expensive also.

Restoration of a Jeep is no different than most old cars. It is almost always better to find one someone else lost their shirt on if they did a decent job. Otherwise, you just sort of need to ignore the $ and wade into it.

 

you could start your list with "need a rear cross-member"

does it run? is the motor seized?
looking at that impact damage on the pass rocker, is the frame straight?

I keep telling myself that by the time I finish my resto, the economy will get better. R)

 

$17,482.59 ...and that's YOU doing the labor.

 

Don't let these guys scare you off.. Jeepers are a rare breed. We also get to buy those really neat tools, and now that I have the Tux nearly completed, I need to build a garage to put it in. Wife just doesn't understand, but she is getting used to it. You already have a good start tho. You have a fence to protect all those neat parts you will be collecting.

 

The most important part of owning a Jeep is to have your Spouse behind the project. If not it will be very difficult to complete. Read a lot of threads (do a search) about projects to let you know what you are in for.

 

Whoa Nelly! I've seen good used tubs for under $400. That repair alone, though very involved, should go a long way towards getting you on track.

I can say from experience that it's easy to lose momentum with a total tear-down. A lot of people do much better with "driving restos"; you replace what you can, when you can, while generally maintaining an operable vehicle.

I'll echo the sentiment expressed earlier: this is only an investment in experience (know-how).

And at least three times the space if you tear it down completely. (give or take a donor vehicle)

Snowbird! Made 'em for "A"s, too. Neat rig. If you've ever seen the Rankin-Bass "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" then you know what it's about.

 

IMO, JohnnyC is very accurate with his above statement. I purposely don't tear apart my CJ and try to do everything from the ground up. I have fun getting it out and driving it, both on and off the street. When I do get ready to change something, I do my best to have everything in the garage and ready to install / convert prior to taking anything off the running vehicle.

...and this is why I still have a Dana 30 w/disks under my deck, Powr-Loks on the shelf and a T-18 w/adapter next to my workbench.

 

that's odd, I came up with $18,122.34. I'll check again

 

On the other side of the coin, you should be able to get at least $5 or $6k for it when you're done!

 

I know it will take a long time which being retired, I have. I am hoping to find a good used tub a lot cheaper than a new one from Willys Overland or Omix. That being said. The guy I bought it from (Cheap) gave up on it after completing the drive train. But he only primed and did a so so job on it.
I have never done a auto before but have done many large 100 + YO pieces. I know how hard it is to find parts at times.

Really not interested in what it would be worth completed as I would have no intention of selling after finished, too much pride in what I do. Not planning on turning a profit!

Yes my wife is behind this 100%. She knows I have wanted one for years and thinks it is cute!

I want it for show, daily driving on and off, and some light off roading. No rock climbing for this one.

Reality though tells me if I have to sock $10k into it for parts, and they are only worth $4K to $5K, maybe I should look for something in better condition and use this one for parts.

Not starting restore until it warms up, so I keep looking for a good used tub first.

 

Gregad, it's a cruel fact of life that the better shape the vehicle is in when you buy it, the less money you will have to spend on your 'restoration.' An additional couple of thousand dollars up front will save money, time and frustration later on - a good investment IMO.

These are not Duesenbergs - do you have a sentimental attachment to this Jeep? You could fix the body with enough metal, tools and time, but can you take on a project like that?

Take a look at prices for complete replacement tubs; a new tub will cost a couple thousand dollars. A used tub is another option, but realize that the tub generally rusts out before the frame, so there are many more used chassis out there than there are used bodies for them. Thus the market in steel replitubs and fiberglass tubs. A 'glass tub is another option, but I still think you can buy a rust-free Jeep in the southwest and have it trucked to MI for much less than the cost of fixing this one.

Another possibility is an ugly fix - patch it up the best you can and drive it.

Check out prices on eBay. That will give you an idea of how much more you get for a few thousand dollars. These are hobby vehicles, so there should be a lot of them available, considering how many folks are out of work.

Also, there's a very nice Jeep for sale in Holland ... http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71863

 

Another comment - If you find a good tub from a later year, you should be able to make it work. The tub through 1975 will fit on your frame, as is. The later years (ca 69-75) won't be an exact match, but the differences will be in where the holes are punched and the lettering. The floors and wheelhouses change in 1976, but you could splice in earlier floors to one of these tubs, or with some metal work, make the later tub fit. The exterior sheet metal is basically the same for the entire run. I've no idea how much work converting a later tub would be without splicing in new floors, but it should be do-able ... in theory.

 

You can do it for much less, but you have to buy about 14 parts Jeeps and sell off the extra parts along the way.:twisted: So far I'm ahead on my cj6 project!