blueskies Posted February 9, 2009 Report Posted February 9, 2009 Found a 1958 Willys wagon that might be worth buying... Thought I'd ask the sage advice of my fellow Plymouth gurus... What do you think? Owner says his grandfather bought it new, and his mother did the amature restoration. She has cancer, and the sons don't want it, so it's for sale. Apparently it sat outside for years before it was "restored". He Claims the 25,000 miles to be accurate, says it was only used for hunting trips. That works out to about 500 miles a year since new... If it really only has 25k, that means that lots of stuff isn't worn out like most of these available. Stuff like king pins, u-joints, etc. There are some pinholes in the rear floor area, but I can't see them in the pics. Probably some in the front too. Looks like the paint inside is imperfect, at least on the floor. Makes me wonder if they painted over a bunch of rust... Looks like the exterior paint is decent with a few dents and chips here and there. Paint was applied over the rubber on the rear gate, so it was probably a quick re-spray. Engine and underhood area look untouhed in the pics, spark plugs are rusty but wires look new. Lots of "undercoatney" on the engine and axles. Looks like it has quite a few leaks. Last time it was driven was about a year ago, when it quit on the road. Owner thinks its an electrical problem, like a voltage regulator or something, and thinks it would be a quick fix... Otherwise it runs and drives. Has PTO winch and spotlight. New exhaust, alternator, new gas tank, new wheels and tires (original wheels come with it too), new upholstery, panels and headliner, etc. I offered $7,000, owner countered with 8,000. This was on ebay, the auction closed yesterday with a high bid of $7,500, with a reserve of $10k. He said that he has no idea what it is worth, and is flexible on the price. Just wants it to go to a good home. It's four hours away from me, so I can't pop in to check it out myself, but it seems fair for the price to me compared to others I have seen in the last couple of years. Thoughts? Pete Quote
Young Ed Posted February 9, 2009 Report Posted February 9, 2009 Sure looks like fun Pete. To bad its not closer so you can go haggle in person Quote
blueskies Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Posted February 9, 2009 Sure looks like fun Pete. To bad its not closer so you can go haggle in person Yep, relying on pictures and the owners description sucks... I swore after the third time I bought a vehicle sight unseen that I'd never do it again... Might have to go for a drive... Checked uhaul and it would cost me $103 for a one way trailer to get it home... Pete Quote
oldmopar Posted February 9, 2009 Report Posted February 9, 2009 I have a 62 willys wagon have had it for about 3 years . It has the 226 6 engine which is what that one looks to have. The are easy to work on basically like our old plymouths. The 62 I have has a 4.27 rear not sure about the older one rear could be anywhere from 4.27 to 5.38 so figure on adding a overdrive for highway. some of the older ones had the timpken rears before the switched over to the spicer. I have owned 5 old willys all in the 60's they are faily common here in the east they do have a tendency to rust over the wheel wells and in the rear below the tailgate and the floors and fenders. So since that has been repainted it would be a plus if you could see it. The one nice thing about the willys is many parts interchange and venders supply most every part. Many of the trucks tend to have rust damage on the frames but the wagon frames seem to hold up better. Ed Quote
Reg Evans Posted February 9, 2009 Report Posted February 9, 2009 Maybe someone here on the forum lives closer to it and could take a look for you. Nelson ,rest his soul,did that for me on a car I was interested in a few years back. Quote
blueskies Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Posted February 9, 2009 Maybe someone here on the forum lives closer to it and could take a look for you. Nelson ,rest his soul,did that for me on a car I was interested in a few years back. JohnnyS did this for me last fall with another Willys in Co. Turned out to be a total rust bucket with what looked like a nice paint job in the pics... This Wagon is in Ogden, UT, about 40 miles from SLC, UT, if anyone here is close... Pete Quote
Olddaddy Posted February 9, 2009 Report Posted February 9, 2009 Any more pictures? These are my next most favorite vehicle after my Plymouth wagon. I installed disc brakes on one a few years ago, it's remarkably similar to a Mopar as far as the spindles go. Quote
blueskies Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Posted February 10, 2009 Any more pictures? These are my next most favorite vehicle after my Plymouth wagon. I installed disc brakes on one a few years ago, it's remarkably similar to a Mopar as far as the spindles go. Here's one more... I notice when I opened the thread that some of the pics were missing. As usual, hit reload to get them to show. The hood has a bit of a dent, where something or someone sat on it, looks like it could be pushed out. Odd that they painted the cable on the winch... makes me wonder what else they painted over. Not expecting it to be perfect, just don't want to buy a pig with nice lipstick on it. Pete Quote
hkestes41 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Posted February 10, 2009 Back in the early to mid 70's my uncle who is about 6 years older than me had one of those old wagons. Had a 289, painted green metal flake, chrome wheels, shag carpet in it that the fibers were all different colors, and bean bag chairs in the back. Had lots of fun in that thing. Quote
Normspeed Posted February 10, 2009 Report Posted February 10, 2009 Pete, if it's as nice in person as in the photos, it's very nice. Last one I saw sold locally for $3500. It was an all original out of Utah in running condition but had really bad body rot. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Posted February 10, 2009 Pete.....fire up that new car you won and do a road trip to view that Jeep. Looks pretty nice from the pics, but sounds as if the painter shot everything. It's possible that a low mileage vehicle would have rust due to age and the fact it sat outside for several years. If you really want one, you better go take a look. It might be sorta like the P15 coupe I recently bought......one guy here in town passed on it due to rust bubbles he saw. They didn't look that bad to me, so I purchased it. Just a matter of what you think. Quote
blueskies Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Posted February 10, 2009 Pete, if it's as nice in person as in the photos, it's very nice. Last one I saw sold locally for $3500. It was an all original out of Utah in running condition but had really bad body rot. Utah salts their roads in the winter, so that's probably what caused all the rot... If the mileage is true on this one, it didn't get driven much at all, summer or winter. Pete.....fire up that new car you won and do a road trip to view thatJeep. It's possible that a low mileage vehicle would have rust due to age and the fact it sat outside for several years. After looking pretty carefully at a couple high res pictures, I can see where it was rusty in the tail gate hing area because there is some uneven-ness in the paint, but they must have blasted it away as I see no bad bubbling under the paint. Problem is, if I go down there to look at it, it will probably follow me home... Can't tow it with the Honda Civic... so I'd have to drive the guzzler Tahoe instead. I'd be surprised if it is as nice as the pictures tend to seem, probably a nice 10 or 15 footer. The rear floor looks like it was pretty rusty, you can see the pits in the paint surface. Wondering if it sat for a time without glass in the back. I'm ok with the condition, just don't want to over pay and I just want the 4 wheel drive to work and it to look decent. Would be great fun to putt around here year round and in the hills in the summer. Pete Quote
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