Is this jeep worth it?

I got a buddy who wants to buy a 1946 Cj2A from a guy he knows. My friend plans on turning it into a Vietnam advisors Navy Jeep for reenactments. Apparently the military used Cj2As in Vietnam?

Anyway here are the pictures and the description the guy selling it sent with them. His asking price is $1,200. I have a few concerns with it, one being what appears to be quite a bit of replaced sheet metal on the tub covering up rust areas, and the twisted front frame section. And if it is worth buying how much cash will he have to put into it to get it looking decent?









Here is the description sent with the pictures

"Here are the fotos of the Jeep I am selling in the bargain finder sales paper. The jeep will start and runs well, the engine is great but could use a carb kit installed. It needs seats, new tires, some work on the windshield frame and one glass has a crack. The tires all hold air the right front goes flat after about three weeks of sitting. I have a fuel tank but not installed so I run it with a 2 gallon gas can. The gas pedal was made by the guy I got it from. The front floor is a new military floor. All gears and 4 x 4 works fine. The engine and drive train sells for more than my asking price of $1200.00. This is a great start for a restoration project of an old famous vehicle. All is original willy's jeep. Let me know if interested or not. Sorry I forgot to send these pics too busy this week. I paid over $1600.00 for it a couple of years ago and had to go to Kentucky to get it. My plan was to make it a military slat grill jeep as they sell for big $$$$. Thanks to the economy I am selling it. There is a fuel can bracket, a new glove box cover and lock, and some small military parts included."

 

I would run far, far away from that one. Whole front of the frame is fubared, and the rest of it ain't much better. How much is a "military floor" with a homemade gas pedal really worth???

 

Looking at the whole picture, $1200 maybe is not too bad as most of it appears to be there. It is in much better shape than some I have seen offered for 3500.

Realize that it will likely take a repo tub and a huge amount of work (and likely $) to build a nice Willys out of it. You would be better off finding one than someone else already spent 8k on and wants to unload it for 4k.

 

"...could use a carb kit installed." - most of 'em do, but it sometimes doesn't "take" and you wind up replacing the whole carb instead.

"It needs seats, new tires, some work on the windshield frame and one glass has a crack." - you'll probably crack the other side of the glass while trying to replace the cracked side. Total windshield rebuild. Seat frames don't always just fall off trees if want to keep stock. If not, you'll be fabricating mounts for aftermarket buckets.

"The tires all hold air the right front goes flat after about three weeks of sitting." - nobody in their right mind would run those tires on the street. Consider them throwaways when dealing price.

"I have a fuel tank but not installed so I run it with a 2 gallon gas can." - see if the fuel lines are run up through the floor or if they're totally missing. Also the tank hold down strap and other associated hardware. It adds up $ fast.

"The front floor is a new military floor." - what, is it bulletproof or something? If the floor was replaced, check the hat channels underneath to make sure they're still there and/or aren't rotted all the way through.

"The engine and drive train sells for more than my asking price of $1200.00." - what color is the sky on this guy's planet? He must live in a different solar system than I do.

"I paid over $1600.00 for it a couple of years ago and had to go to Kentucky to get it." - his poor judgement isn't your buddy's problem.

"My plan was to make it a military slat grill jeep as they sell for big $$$$." - with a tailgate, the wrong dash, no tool indents, wrong fuel tank, etc, etc, etc. Don't think so, Scooter.

"Thanks to the economy I am selling it." - at nearly what you paid when the economy was rolling large? Don't think so, Scooter.

"There is a fuel can bracket, a new glove box cover and lock, and some small military parts included." - Glove box cover? Unless the "small military parts" are a gennie M1 Garand and a 1911 .45 his price is at least $600 high in my opinion.

Offer $400. Be willing to pay $600. That'd be my advice FWIW.

 

Well said dummy...sounds like an uneducated seller..had a guy tell me once he wanted 500 for a wrecked jeep because "you cant even buy a used rear end for that"

IMHO looks like a jeep with lots of problems and missing parts...400 or less because I think you might be able to part it out for that

 

$850. to a $1000. If it runs looks fairly clean even if a few odds and end parts are missing
it may need a frame even if you tried to straighten it would never be true and straight

 

If he ends up parting it out, I've got dibs on the driver's seat.

Does your buddy just want something to paint up and run to do the re-enactments, or actually put a bit of money into and have a fun project?

x3 on the $500 range, but that frame is iffy just from what we can see. I'd say there's little risk of that Jeep going anywhere anytime soon, so put an offer out there.

Either way, it'd be emotionally painful to give that seller a dime.

 

M 151's were used during Vietnam as were 3b's/M-606's? I highly doubt CJ-2a's were.

Pretty beat. I'd say around $400-$800 if it runs decent and moves under it's own power. Location would have a lot do with it also.

 

Well I sent my buddy the link to this thread and had him read everything. He decided he is gonna pass. Also told the guy selling it about everything that was said here and the seller refused to budge, says he thinks its worth alot of cash.

Anyway my buddy found a ready to go Cj2A in southern Il. Needs basic clean up, paint and little things, but everything is there and in very good shape. The seller wants $2500 for that and this one has good tires, it runs and everything is square.

Thanks for all the help with this one, you guys saved my friend from a bad purchase.

 

http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3b/Military/Vietnam.html

Found this doing a search for "Jeeps of Vietnam". Doesn't say they weren't used but doesn't list them as one of the Jeeps used either. I'm still skeptical 2a's were used in Vietnam.

 

I only saw 3Bs in "Good Morning Vietnam." And we all know how historically accurate TV and movies are wrt Jeep stuff.

 

From what I have heard some 2As were used very early on as Advisors vehicles. Just like very early on the M1 Garand was used as was the M1919A1 BAR, grease gun, Thompson, WW2 web gear ect. I belive my buddy is doing early 60s Vietnam when the US technically/ politically was not actually involved in the war yet and the only forces over there were the US Advisors for the South Vietnam army.

However Im not a Vietnam historian, my area of study is early PTO conflicts of the 1st Marine Div in WW2.

 

OK but what a bitchin' nice TAILGATE! Aint that alone worth a hunnert or two??