Condition at purchase
The good stuff.
Starts and runs beautifully - engine, ignition, fuel all OK
Engine clean on top, carb looks rebuilt - very clean
Transmission & clutch are excellant - shifts clean & quiet
New NDT tires - 6.00 x 16
Rims sand-blasted and painted a nice cream color
Brake job - new drums, cylinders, shoes, etc.
- Left Hand Thread studs on left side replaced with standard RHT
- but, master cylinder not replaced - leaking a bit
Converted to 12V with alternator
Electric wipers (originals were vacuum)
- but, passenger side arm missing
Bestop Tigertop in fairly good shape
- found two broken couplers so far
Heater out of an old Chevy truck works
- but, fan doesn't run
Tool box has been fiberglassed
Seats reupholstered
steering wheel looks new - no cracks or chips - nice and shiny
external body work done with decent paint job over it (though red's not my favorite color)
- but some bondo starting to crack and break through
Tail lights replaced with larger, flush mounted lights
The bad stuff. The items at the bottom of the list have been found as I've worked on other things. It's scarey what you find when you start digging around underneath.
Steering is awful - 8" of wheel movement before the sector arm moves
- bell crank loose on its pin
- drank link ends look pretty poor
- steering dampener/stabilizer added - probably to band-aid the loose steering
- toe-in seems to be set at an inch or two - WAY too much
Radiator leaking some around the top
- fan shroud is missing
No spare - also, spare tire mount missing from right rear
Speedometer needle occilates almost 10 mph
Lots of bare spots in the wire harness
- in fact the wiring is a tangled mess - needs totally rewired
Bulb missing from dash light
Bondo below the passenger side "door" - probably other places
Floor pans have been replaced with riveted-in galvanized sheet - neatly done, but not real body work
Passenger side windshield support arm rotting out
Rear springs totally shot
- the shackles and hangers are also completely worn out - no maintenance for decades.
Gas gauge reads 1/2 full ALL the time - even after you run out of gas!
- don't ask how I know
Front drive shaft slip joint is VERY loose. Probably decades without grease. The U-joints seem OK but that spline joint is badly worn.
Brake pedal loose on pivot shft - wear could be in the pedal, the shaft or both.
Questions.
Is the tub original?
- Probably, there is original looking green paint on the back of the grille, on part of the firewall and the underside of the toolbox lid. It all matches.
- If it's original, it's in pretty good shape for 54 years. If it's a repro, it's in pretty bad shape.
Is the gas tank original?
- Probably not. The filler neck protrudes 2" or 3" beyond the body. I've seen a few pictures of others that look the same, but most of the pictures seem to show the gas cap contained within the body.