Post the stories of how you purchased your FSJ/s

[BCRAWLER]

The paperclip. Work had a 91 Chevy pickup that overheated and the mechanics shop called the trans heat damaged. Rather than repairing they gave it to me. Replaced the defective thermostat and replaced trans fluid. Used it as a DD for over a year. Traded it for a 91 Pathfinder to a guy with a huge sob story about being down on his luck and this would turn his life around. What a piece of junk. Headlights bailed out in the dark on the way home from the trade. Chased issues for months. Got it all sorted out. Checking thru Craigslist type local adds one night and come across 81 Cherokee for sale or trade. Turns out he had taught daughter how to drive with a 91 and was willing to trade. Going to give it to her. The only thing he really checked was to make sure the charging system worked. Should have seen that one coming. Jeep sounded good and seemed mechanically good so we did trade. Drove it home with no issues. Went to start next day and no go, dead battery. Sure enough the charging system not functioning. Found burnt wire from headers, sliced, works. Drove it as a DD for 2 years till I beat on it in a massive mud hole and blew up trans. About to rebuild soon and go again. Total investment to own the Jeep is around $250. Well worth the money.

http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/BCRAW ... ort=3&o=23

[prospector]

I was detouring through a neighborhood because of a traffic accident, a homeowner saw me and thought he knew me so he waved, I waved back cuz I'm a friendly guy, as I was almost past his house I saw an AMC wagoneer taillight hiding behind some bushes next to his house, I pulled over and walked up to him, he was all smiles until he realized he didn't know who the hell I was, it was funny, we had a good laugh after I explained why I stopped. LSS- he'd bought it as a camp wagon in the 80s but had no need for it now with his kids grown and gone. It hadn't been started since the Reagan administration, next thing ya know it was in my garage with fresh oil, filter, battery, etc.. It ain't great but it's good enough for me. I'm waiting on wheels and tires now, then I'll drive over to his house to say howdy. He's a nice old guy, he cut me a good deal $800. He told me about every problem it has, can't ask for more than that, so now I'm owner number three.

[Srdayflyer]

well, it started with me restoring a 75 cj5, and my daughter helping with it, well sshe said she wanted a jeep too. a few years passed and several boyfriends later, i got a call from my daughter saying she wanted a cherokee, i said ok i'd look around for a cood clean cherokee, well after a few weeks i found a nice clean 88 jeep, so i called her sent he the pictures and i got this no ,no ,no thats not a cherokee i was thinking XJ series, for my search window, she sent ne a picture of a jeep fsj cherokee, apparently she and her boyfriend were on a 10 sailing trip in puget sound and stayed at a bed and breakfast inn on some island that only residents can have vehicles , well from the marina they called for a pickup at the dock. well the owner had a gorgeous 1979 2dr fsj , she said see this is what i want. well i told her that was a big vehicle, big in size and big$$$$ to restore. anyway my search didnt take long , i found 1 on c.l. buy a guy going through a tough time, and needed to sell asap, he didnt want to sell it to be parted out, which most callers wanted to do. i said i was gonna restore it, so to hedge my bet and seal the deal, i took my cj to meet the guy, well as soon as he saw my restored cj, it was a done deal. forward to today and 4 years later, im just about at the end of my fsj journey, it not a frame off but a mechanical ground up without to much, new brakes,parking brake cables, tires, 4" spring lift, diff's rebuilt with 3;73 gears eaton posi's trans & transfer case rebuilt holly sniper fuel injection with hyperspark ignition, rebuilt airconditioning system new 1/4 inch steel fabricated rear bumper, all new reupholstered interior panels with dyna mat , new seats, stereo and a whole lot of other stuff, seller said that the motor probably needed a rebuild cause it was running badly and was parked for 15 years well i after a little digging and pressure washing the engine bay to was off yeas of dust and dirt the moto looked like a rebuilt was installed freeze plugs were shiny motor had no greas and oil anywhere, i pulled the plugs had a friend with a borescope and the pistont tops were clean as a whistle and we saw .030 stamped on them confirming to me a rebuild, also did a differential compression check all cylinders were at least 78/80 psi tight as a drum, after the f.i. was installed this baby runs like a top. hoping to finish up by xmas for santa to deliver it.

[altayd9]

A family friend originally bought an 85 Grand Wagoner around 2003 when they were dirt cheap as a hunting rig, ended up not using it too much and parked it on his property and it sat for 16 years in the sun. Rotted a considerable amount, all the paint is oxidized, wood grain faded blank, interior ruined, mouse eaten vacuum lines. I took it because it feels like a shame letting it rot more. He let me take it off his hands for no charge. Took a decent amount of work to get it to start and drive again, but it's still got a lot of work to get it into decent condition.

[Yeller]

Was on a road trip with a friend and we were discussing vehicles we have wanted to own and build that we never made happen. I had said I always wanted to own and build a J truck. Week after we all get back home, I'm Oklahoma and he lives in South Carolina, he calls and asked if I still wanted "one of those old Jeep trucks?" His life long best friend had one that he wanted to sell that was in nice shape. He told me the details, sent a few pics, and I said let me think on it. Later that morning I went to my office (I work from home when not on the road), the manager and I were talking. He said "I've been trying to figure out how to ask a question for the last year and a half and not offend you." I said "I'm pretty hard to offend what's the question" and he asked me if I would ever consider selling the 67 GMC that I was driving. I said sure, won't be cheap, but yes I'd consider it. He made an offer and I had to swallow my pride and tell him he bought a truck! The offer was well above my "yeah I'll sell it" price. So I took it as a sign that I should by the J truck, called my friend in SC on the way home. We made a plan for me to pick it up, been enjoying it ever since. My friend has since passed, it will be tough to get this away from me.

a pic of the truck I sold, the Jeep truck as seen when picked up.

[candymancan]

Wow looks nice

[sierrablue]

I was 5 years old when the '88 first came up to our house; my uncle had just gotten a WJ, and wanted the damage from a deer hit on the '88 fixed (the grille was the only major thing--there was a dent in the fender but the fender was rusted to death anyway). I think he also wanted the TBI tweaked a little bit. Anyway, my dad did the razor grille swap on it, and did any other stuff my uncle requested.

The '88 went back to sitting in his driveway when he got it back. Fast forward two years, and my dad's trying to get it running for him, as something changed while it sat, and it won't start. I'm sitting in the driver's seat (getting in trouble when I fiddle with the buttons and then my dad hooks the battery back up, and the wipers come on ), and thinking how cool that Jeep is. I did that a couple more times, with my mom in the passenger's seat sometimes, and after one of those times, I asked on the way home if I could have the tan Jeep.

It worked out, and I paid my uncle a dollar (my dad did some work on his Lincoln Mk VIII too) for it. Dad got it running, my parents drove it a fair bit, and we did the headliner, radiator, A/C recharge, etc. On one trip a wheel bearing locked up on it--ended up trailering it home, and my dad fixed it, just in time to take it back down for the IA Jeep show.

The next year it took me to my first ever Boy Scout summer camp (Webelos so it was just 3 days, but a 5-hour drive each way). The A/C was freezing, and dusty gravel roads with the windows up were not fun.
We pulled out the front axle, springs, and interior to get started on the rust, and pulled off the driver's door (one of those "while it's apart" things).It sat like that for a few years, and then we moved in 2020 (pre-pandemic), so we had to get it together enough to get on a trailer. With the pandemic, I was going to fix all the rust, and get it together (I was 15), so I'd have a solid GW to drive when I got my license.

While I was fixing the body, I wanted to paint the frame so it wouldn't get any worse. I got to the back, around where the tank goes, and a chunk of the frame came off in my hand. My dad looked and there was a hairpin crack right over the rear axle, and we decided it was too much to fix.

So then I was shopping around. I kind of wanted a Mustang, but my mom said I had to have 4-wheel-drive and a fair bit of ground clearance. I looked at Subarus a lot, and really wanted this '78 Bronco, and then my mom was SUPER excited one night and said "you have to come see this!!!"

"This" was a BRIGHT blue 1971 Wagoneer, out in Oregon, on Craig's List. The guy selling it had refinished the body himself, and rewired the whole thing, but hadn't done hardly any mechanical maintenance on it. We inquired about it that night, and took a few days to decide.

That was July 2020, and we had it shipped to a friend's house pretty close to the interstate (about 3.5 hours from here--the interstate really doesn't go this far north). We took the truck down and trailered it home, this was mid-August.

And that's pretty much where my build thread picks up (see sig).

[dodgerammit]

Holy moly! A necrothread!

Well, I posted on page one almost 6 years ago. I purchased Radio Flyer in January of 2017, so she's been mine for just over 6 years now.

I've always appreciated the looks of the "woody" GWs. My old Dodge truck was down back in mid winter. No working on it till spring for my scrawny butt. I needed a 4x4 for any snow days we would have yet. Looked at several overpriced, clapped-out trucks (4-5K for 200,000+ miles). My old truck didn't even have 170K..

Found a couple that were good deals, but they sold just before I got to look at them.

Moved to Jeeps, specifically Grand Cherokees. Holy-Moly! Those sellers were even more insane!

Scrolling through CL lete one night, There was Radio Flyer.

I almost passed it since people usually want too much for them.

I decided to click and look since the price was 3750.

146K miles. It ran. No major problems. Interior was there. Paint looked okay in pics. No rust visible.

Called the guy up and chatted the next morning. Told him I'd be up in 2 hours to see it. (60 miles away).

He was very upfront with it needing some attention. Tires mainly, and I still haven't gotten a set as of today (Gotta work through a few more issues before I drop $600 on a set)

It is rust free. Sort of. It has new quarters. Don't know how well they are put in, but there's no bubbling from the repair, so it's good for now. The paint is a quickie job, but still isn't bad for the most part.

Rides smooth. Needs a little TLC, but the 4x4 works, the heat works, it doesn't puke coolant from the timing cover gasket like my old Dodge did, and I get looks and conversations from nearly every guy that sees it. Even had a kid yell at me in the part's store parking lot to tell me it was awesome.

Future plans are to work out the mechanical bugs first.
Tires next.
Weatherstrip.

Enjoy it some.

Replace the dash that someone hacked up (No. They mangled it. Morons. )
Get the hood and fender replaced (already have donors).
Woodgrain kit.

Enjoy some more.

Install Serhill's harnesses (already purchased).
New carpet.

Rock this b**** even more!

Alcan 2" springs that mimic the plush ride.
A big@$$ bumper that'll house my Warn hydraulic winch.

Outta my way, phone-booth drivers!

Down the road, a Magnum powertrain swap, or even better, a sweet 4BT.

So, what did and didn't happen?
Mechanical bugs were addressed in the form of a good tune up, carb tune, and a MSD ignition box. Replaced the radiator and hoses along with the belts.
The tires were replaced with some 235/75 15 Kumho AT51s. They've been solid. About time to replace them now.
About 177K miles on the body now, so a good 30K on it since purchase.

Did get the paint touched up (passenger side) when I replace the fender and hood. Roof is peeling now, so it'll be next along with the tailgate most likely.

I did a custom color woodgrain, but kept it factory looking.

Replaced some of the weatherstrip. Mainly the tailgate and window sweeps in the door. About to drop coin on some more due to wind noise from around the door glass from the window runs.

There was a spare Cherokee version dash in the rear. It is now installed. Along with a Retrosound radio that I link via an aux cable to my phone for Sirius.

Serehill's harnesses are still in use, though I now am using Retrobright LED conversions.
Found a mint passenger area carpet pulled from a donor on ebay that was the right color and the right price. Shag for miles!

I've been rocking the old girl steadily as I do the updates/upgrades.

Gonna probably do the 2.5" Deaver springs via BJ's off road with Bilsteins this summer before the big trip.
Bumper stayed stock. No winch yet. I sold the hydraulic Warn unit I had.
Maybe one day, I'll fab up a hidden behind the bumper synthetic 9K unit.

I actually looked for a magnum powertrain but came up short after many trips to look at potential donors. I've frequently stated I live in redneck-ville, where nothing is maintained and Dodge owners are the absolute worst.
I can attest to this as I owned a square body Dodge from the 80s and finding decent used parts (especially anything mechanical) was very difficult.

I had also owned a LS powered 4th gen F body for many-many years, so I was quite familiar with the platform by the time the Jeep came along.
So, it has a LS now.

[J7M46sn]

In 2015, my buddy living in Arizona found my '77 J20 on his local Craigslist. Ad said 'ran when parked', photos showed accessories on front of engine disturbed, radiator and water pump out, 360 V8, four speed, but it was a clean Arizona rust free truck for $2800. Me being from Ohio, 'rust free Arizona sheet metal' means a LOT, LoL... At that time, I was working in Arkansas, so I sent him the money to go get the truck. He got the truck, brought it to his house, put it all back together, and got it running. It bent several push rods. He replaced them, got it running again, and it bent several more different pushrods. This happened two more times. At that point, he couldn't figure out why this engine kept bending pushrods (I still had never seen the truck, just pictures, and I was still working in Arkansas).

Because I had helped him out financially in the past, he offered to build a new 360 for it, and do a bunch of other work as well. He was working in the classic car restoration shops in AZ, so he had access to other work. I said no, just get this thing running, and I'll come and get the truck. I sent him money for parts, and he did rebuild another 360. Well, over the years, he went through several jobs, girl friends, and relocations, and no other work to the truck was done. Luckily, he was able to hang onto the truck, and the new engine on the engine stand, but a lot of small parts and specific hardware became missing.

Fast forward to April 2021, I was working near Springervile, AZ, close enough to his house in Phoenix to finally see the J20 I purchased in 2015, in person. I was not disappointed, the sheet metal on this truck is very clean, minimal surface rust only, and a slight dent in the passenger front corner. The interior was dry rotted/baked, as was all rubber, and the wiring harness was very stiff. But, the factory Dana 60 rear/Dana 44 front with 4:10 gears, T18, D20 and 360 V8 kept me happy! Over Memorial Day weekend, we put the new engine, clutch/pressure plate, and entire drivetrain back in the truck, and whatever else we could bolt in, to get it ready to be shipped to my home in Ohio. Many small parts had been lost over the last few years had gone missing, so we couldn't get it running then. He said he would continue to work on the truck, getting it back together, until I had arrangements made to ship the truck to Ohio.

Due to my own hectic schedule, the plandemic, and life in general, I wasn't able to make shipping arrangements until November 2021, the truck was delivered to my place in Ohio before Thanksgiving. He hadn't done anything to the truck since the engine was installed. I spent the winter of 2021 and spring 2022 putting everything back together under the hood, getting everything else to work inside the cab, and repairing wiring and lights all over the truck. I fired up the new 360 (which had been sitting since about 2016 or so, when it was built), in mid-summer of 2022.

I've put maybe 500 miles on it last summer/fall, and it seems to run fine. I've had a few tuning issues/bugs to work out, and had a shop put a dual exhaust on it. There are plenty of small things to work/fix/make better on it, and right now I'm putting a 4" suspension lift on it. The truck is way too clean to hack up and build into a four wheeling machine (I've got another rig, Chevy, for that). I'm looking forward to cruising it a lot this summer, and maybe going to a few Jeep events, and continuing to make it better!

[Harry Dawg]

@Yeller

That GMC was mint, but I actually prefer the J-truck. I think you made a good trade.

Good to know your a GM guy. I knew there was a reason we get along lol.




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[Yeller]

@Yeller

That GMC was mint, but I actually prefer the J-truck. I think you made a good trade.

Good to know your a GM guy. I knew there was a reason we get along lol.




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Thanks Harry!
I loved that truck but it’s not in the same playing field as the J Truck. No way I’d of done what I’ve done over the last 2 weeks in that truck, even though I had all the parts to make it capable, it just didn’t fit it. I’ve been overlanding and wheeling from Mt Zion NP to Moab Utah, put over 700 miles on it in the dirt

[Harry Dawg]

Story of my J-truck.

I was at a family reunion in 2018. That year it was held at "The Family Campground", which is a stretch of land on Jack's River in the North GA hills owned by my kin folk. Sort of a joint trust held by some of the old timers for farming, grazing livestock, storing equipment etc.

Anyways, I spotted the truck sitting under a run down shed and inquired about it to my cousin. He informed me that it was my great grandpa's, and he used it to haul hay, work the apple orchards etc.

It was in pretty rough shape, and he told me "no one has given that thing a second glance in 30 years, if you want to fix it up it's yours!"

We brought a trailer up there and dragged it from it's grave. My cousin had the original dealer receipt, title and the rest of the paperwork from when my Great Grandpa bought it in '68.

Anyways, I started fixing it up and 5 years later it's almost road ready!



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[Kowpie]

That is a very touching story Harry. What a joy to own the very vehicle that your great grandfather had is incredible! I only met one of my great-grandfathers one time and I barely remember him. I have nothing from any of them other than genes. Hard to even imagine owning one of their vehicles. How old do you think he was in '68? Hopefully it stays in the family and moves on to, as you say, kin! Good stuff.

[Harry Dawg]

@Kowpie

Yes. It definitely has a special aurora about it.

I found a bunch of quartz rocks in the bed stakes. I can only figure he put them there for whatever reason.

He would have been 64 when he purchased that truck.

He was in the church choir, and they would load a piano into the truck to play at Sunday service every week. The "church" was a wooden barn at best, so they couldn't leave it there full time.

In his younger years, he would walk from the home place to the Conasauga Lumber Company camp. It was about 25 miles from Cohutta to the camp. He would leave on Sunday morning and come back on Friday night, spending the week at the laborers barracks.

He bought his first vehicle, a Model A truck, in the mid 30s.

Definitely makes me proud to come from a line of hard, self reliant people that weren't afraid of work.

I found some pictures of the old church and the barn the truck came from. The church has since been restored by the family, but the barn stands just like he built it.

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[Kowpie]

What a legacy. Thank you for a bit of good memories today. I needed that.

[customfab4x4]

I have been into Jeeps for almost 2 decades now. And just got a 1980 Cherokee Laredo as a single owner. See attached. I paid $8k a few weeks ago and considered this a STEAL. Body is near a 10 but thing barely runs and leaks oil like a garden hose. Interior is shot for most part. But near all original and Texas truck. Clean body, clean roof, clean frame, never cut into or welded on. This is #1 for me personally.

My advice is this:

First, you need to set reasonable expectations of the working condition of the vehicle based on your budget.

I have seen PLENTY of Cherokees, Wagoneers, J trucks and Gladiator trucks in the range of $4000 - $8000. In my experience, none of them will be in good working mechanical shape and all will need some degree of body and paint work. And lots of interior work.

So I personally don't care if they run or not. Cause even if they do, very likely the engine needs to be refreshed or rebuilt. These AMC motors love to leak oil and were not intended as high mileage vehicles.

So simple said, if you are kicking tires, inspecting flaws in the upholstery, pointing out dents, and require the thing to run and drive reliably....then this is NOT near your price range ($4 - $8k).

For a decent runner which has been well kept with some restoration then you are likely looking at $12000 - $20000 depending on the condition. And frankly if you don't have deep knowledge of working on 4x4s and restoring cars then I would highly advise to spend more on a truck that has had restore work or been extremely well kept. Cause paying for someone to do the work....gets really really expensive fast.

Your deals are gonna be in FSJ's that need work and likely to be trailer home 99 out of 100 times. My main objective is to find an original owner, near original truck, with minimal rust. Everything else can be fixed over time. I care FAR more about the condition of the body and undercarriage than I do about a truck that I can drive home. I will take a complete nonrunner with little rust over a runner with body rust everyday of the week.

Sounds to me like your budget does not match your expectations. And these things are only getting more and more expensive to buy. Good luck!

[sierrablue]

I have been into Jeeps for almost 2 decades now. And just got a 1980 Cherokee Laredo as a single owner. See attached. I paid $8k a few weeks ago and considered this a STEAL. Body is near a 10 but thing barely runs and leaks oil like a garden hose. Interior is shot for most part. But near all original and Texas truck. Clean body, clean roof, clean frame, never cut into or welded on. This is #1 for me personally.

My advice is this:

First, you need to set reasonable expectations of the working condition of the vehicle based on your budget.

I have seen PLENTY of Cherokees, Wagoneers, J trucks and Gladiator trucks in the range of $4000 - $8000. In my experience, none of them will be in good working mechanical shape and all will need some degree of body and paint work. And lots of interior work.

So I personally don't care if they run or not. Cause even if they do, very likely the engine needs to be refreshed or rebuilt. These AMC motors love to leak oil and were not intended as high mileage vehicles.

So simple said, if you are kicking tires, inspecting flaws in the upholstery, pointing out dents, and require the thing to run and drive reliably....then this is NOT near your price range ($4 - $8k).

For a decent runner which has been well kept with some restoration then you are likely looking at $12000 - $20000 depending on the condition. And frankly if you don't have deep knowledge of working on 4x4s and restoring cars then I would highly advise to spend more on a truck that has had restore work or been extremely well kept. Cause paying for someone to do the work....gets really really expensive fast.

Your deals are gonna be in FSJ's that need work and likely to be trailer home 99 out of 100 times. My main objective is to find an original owner, near original truck, with minimal rust. Everything else can be fixed over time. I care FAR more about the condition of the body and undercarriage than I do about a truck that I can drive home. I will take a complete nonrunner with little rust over a runner with body rust everyday of the week.

Sounds to me like your budget does not match your expectations. And these things are only getting more and more expensive to buy. Good luck!

That's awesome! Mine was kinda similar when we got it--great body, barely ran at all. Most of my efforts have been put into preserving this body (rolling it aside)(and to be fair, we're working on that), and making everything work reliably.

I'd say $8k is about right, for effectively a complete roller.

[sierrablue]

@Kowpie

Yes. It definitely has a special aurora about it.

I found a bunch of quartz rocks in the bed stakes. I can only figure he put them there for whatever reason.

He would have been 64 when he purchased that truck.

He was in the church choir, and they would load a piano into the truck to play at Sunday service every week. The "church" was a wooden barn at best, so they couldn't leave it there full time.

In his younger years, he would walk from the home place to the Conasauga Lumber Company camp. It was about 25 miles from Cohutta to the camp. He would leave on Sunday morning and come back on Friday night, spending the week at the laborers barracks.

He bought his first vehicle, a Model A truck, in the mid 30s.

Definitely makes me proud to come from a line of hard, self reliant people that weren't afraid of work.

I found some pictures of the old church and the barn the truck came from. The church has since been restored by the family, but the barn stands just like he built it.

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That's awesome!

Kinda makes me wanna yank MY great grandpa's truck (wrecked '70 F100; only truck he ever bought new) out of the weeds...that thing needs so much work tho...

[Harry Dawg]

@sierrablue

If you've got the time and space, I would say do it.

If nothing else you could make a rat rod out of it.


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[sierrablue]

@sierrablue

If you've got the time and space, I would say do it.

If nothing else you could make a rat rod out of it.


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Thanks. I mean I don't really have either right now...if the family's gonna scrap it if it doesn't get saved then I'll step up, but otherwise it's just as well off sitting in the dirt in Iowa as it is sitting in the dirt in Minnesota.

The 302 in it is shot, the front clip is all messed up from being wrecked (head on with a milk truck...front-mounted spare tire saved the F100), mice and squirrels have been living in it for like three decades. And the cab mounts, floor, and passenger's side inner fender are all rusted out. Not saying it can't be fixed but it would be a BIG project. I'd probably do an EV conversion and make the floor completely flat if I were to do it.

Oh, and I'd be obligated to get the camper too, because they bought that truck to take with them to Alaska in '71 or '72. That truck went up to Alaska and back through WA, OR, and I know they went through CO. Definitely a big trip.

And then when it got back home it'd be loaded down with 75-100 square hay bales, just in the bed

Sorry, not a Jeep, I know.