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Good price?

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Szmich97tj 
#1 ·
I've always wanted an old Willys but don't really know much about them as far as value, if there's years to avoid etc. I found a m38 51 or 52 for sale everything works, the 4 cylinder runs has a ford 8 rear and low rust. The owner is throwing in two sets of tires another m38 frame and another transmission for $2500 is this a good buy?
 
#2 ·
Without seeing it and only based on what you have said, I'd say yes, sounds like a good deal. I've seen ads for $1000-$1500 for M38s that were rust buckets.

When buying a military Jeep for restoration there aren't really any "bad years". No matter what and depending on the age, your most likely going to be getting something that has already had several owners and has been modified by each to suit their needs.

Parts are readily available for almost all models. If you can't find the exact part you need, then CJ-2 parts will fit WWII Willys and Fords. Many CJ-2 and CJ-3 parts will fit Korean War era M38s. And the venerable CJ-5 is nothing more than the civilian version of the Korean era M38A1 so many parts can be swapped.
Probably the only model to be cautious of is the Vietnam era M151 "Mutt". The biggest problem people have in restoring on is lack of parts. The US government didn't sell them to the public in one piece because they weren't very road worthy and were dangerous on the highway. The few that are around today were either pieced back together (they were cut in half before being sold) or picked up from an out of country source. Then again, some people look at this as a challenge to have something rare.
 
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