74 CJ-6 value question

I located a 74 CJ-6 that within a reasonable distance of me. The jeep appears to be all original with the exception of the 4" lift and 33"tires/wheels. It is right hand drive with the I-6 and 3 speed manual. There appears to be no rot and the floors look good. There is surface rust on some spots on the body and some body damage on the rockers and lower edge of the rear wheel openings. I am trying to avoid anything that needs major body work. This one appears to be very original and not much modified in it (even has the stock back seat).

My intention is to take the tub off the frame, swap in an AMC V8, PS/PB, and a newer 5 speed/D300. Axles will remain the same with the 4.27 gears. This would see some street/beach/dirt road use (no mud or rocks). I want it to look decent and I am not sure on the body stuff. I have offered $2k but he is asking for $3k. I may offer $2500 but I wanted some opinions first. I know I want an intermediate CJ-6. The RHD is apparently not an issue and is sort of cool. From what I hear they are rare on the east coast as most have rusted away. Here are a couple of body pics from the seller.



What do you think?

Thanks

Bob

 

removed

 

By the way, the tube bumpers would be the first thing to go. LOL

 

That Driver Side Rocker is going to need some attention I recently just fixed mine I think all 5 and 6s get that rust spot

 

I only gave a third, of what you're thinking of offering, for the Swamp Thing (a '74 CJ6 w/232 6cyl & 3spd). Of course it wasn't ready to drive home, and it does have that homemade rear driver's side door, but it doesn't like much to be road ready. By the sound of it you are looking for something to do some mods to, if so then I'd look for something cheaper that way you'll have more $$$ to sink into upgrades & performance parts.

Swamp Thing as I found her:


As she sits today (I'll be back working on her this weekend):

 

The dents in the rockers typically come from big rocks, and are very common. It's surprising that the rockers would be dented and the steps are still in place. The steps are scraped off long before the rockers are dented.

That rust in the tub under the driver's side cowl will need to be dealt with. The rust looks ok overall, but I would not be surprised if it had been patched previously in other places. I also suspect bondo patches, not proper steel patches. The area under the driver's side light is suspect. Also a lot of rust coming out from the seams. Is that primer? Regular primer (not epoxy primer) is not waterproof, and needs to be top coated to prevent rust.

If you want this tub to be nice, I think you're going to have to strip it entirely. my suspicion is that the bad paint/primer is covering up the previous owner's start at stripping and painting the body. Not a big deal if you are going to remove the body, but maybe more work than you are ready for.

JMO - this is likely a good deal for $2000, but if you worry about body work and rust, look for a better example from the south and west. You'll pay more, but have fewer surprises. When you say "here" where are you?

Why not a 4.0L HO with a NP3550 or AX15? You could find an XJ donor pretty easily, and have V8-ish power and the mileage and reliability of the 4.0L. Just a suggestion.

Also, if you get this Jeep, I'd suggest that you focus on the paint and body first, and worry about the drivetrain later. You don't need to remove the body to install the engine of your choice, and the body and paint are going to make the most difference in the value of this Jeep. Plus I like to put the hardest and most time consuming part first; this will help the project to get finished, and make it easier to bail in the middle if you need to.

 

Nothing to add except that I agree with Tim's suggestion. I did the opposite and had a beautifully rebuilt 360 sitting for years before it was ready to be installed. Next time (if there is one) is body first...then drive train.

 

I think I'd have to stick with $2,000.

 

I agree, if you are going to switch out the engine and tranny, $2,000 is about the top you'd want to spend. The less rust on the body and frame, however, the better the deal. CJs body's seem to like sprouting holes.

As far as order of restoration, I rebuilt my engine first and drove around a junker, poop brown '72 CJ5 for about a year. Imagine the looks I got when people looked under the hood and saw fresh blue paint and chrome!

That said, now my Cj is in the basement in about 1,000 pieces as I do the whole work up.

I miss my CJ.......

 

I had the seller take a pic of just about everything including the inside of the panels that had the rust. The Jeep is sprayed with some kind of rubberized liner or coating both inside the tub and under the body. I ended up offering $2500 cash and he accepted today. I am picking it up in Saturday afternoon. I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice and opinions. I plan to just drive it on nice days for now and only mess with the rust spots that need it right away. I will be looking to do a frame off over the winter to fix the rest of the body and change the powertrain out for a modern one.

Thanks

Bob