Cheap Jeep Build
I read a few articles about how Jeeps are a cheap build. And after seeing the new concepts I got excited. I didn’t have any cash and tried to figure out what to do. I had a ’92 CBR 600 F2 that was purple and pink that I could sell. It was highly modified, and people still didn’t want it because it was purple and pink (the ’80s/’90s were awesome). So I jumped on Craigslist and started digging. I posted the bike a few times and then started to email people about trading the bike for a Jeep.
I finally had someone email me about a trade. We met up and checked each other’s vehicle out, and made an agreement. I traded straight across for a ’79 Jeep CJ-7 (Lucy). It came with a rebuilt 304 V-8 with about 20K miles, and the odometer read 28K. I’m sure it was rolled over at least once. Lucy has the dual gas tank, a bikini top, and a soft top. I now have to ask for an allowance from the wife to start modding.
To recap, I took an early ’90s sport bike and made out like a bandit with a new (to me) slightly lifted Jeep. It’s in decent shape, and I can’t wait to have some fun with it. Hope I inspire others to trade for a wheeler.
Benjamin Rouley
Via email
It’s amazing some of the deals that are out there on Craigslist and other venues. We may even have to do a story on such stuff, as we can afford it!
Reader Rant
Combine CTC With Overlanding
Just wanted to write in to say I enjoyed the Cheap Truck Challenge (Aug. and Sept. ’12) and the overlanding article (“Expedition and Overlanding,” Nov. ’12). Now I want to see a combination of the two. Say, $2,000 to build a cross-country buggy, since that’s what I’m working on. At 30 I’m not a teenager, but with three kids, a mortgage, and bills, money is even tighter. My cheap toy truck is an ’88 Samurai. Bought for $300 from a horse pasture (literally, it was put out to pasture for 12 years). I totally rebuilt the motor and brakes and got it roadworthy for $1,500 total.
My overlanding truck is another IH. Just weeks before your overland article and during a long week at work I decided I needed to get away with the family, so we picked up a small camper. My ’99 GMC is too tired at 246K miles to tow it across country, but I managed to find the exact truck I had been searching for, a ’68 International Travelette. Very little rust and only $700! It’s a rare find in the Northeast and I saved it from a metal scrapper.
I need a truck for work around our small farm, so I’m retiring the GMC and making the ’68 my primary vehicle. I figured that by doing this it is no longer a project and can be placed higher on the priority list. I located some 3⁄4-ton GMC axles to make it a 4x4, and now need a 7.3 IDI diesel from an older Ford since they are made by International. I am planning on two years to restore it (and let the baby get a bit older), then we’re off to Montana, the Grand Canyon, and wherever else the road leads us.
I also decided I needed an IH Travelall to complete my set. How lucky I was to find one that had been sitting in the woods just a few miles from home for over 30 years and still solid! Same year, color, and everything. And the best part is the landowner was thrilled just to find someone to take it. Keep up the good work. Your magazine helps keep me motivated.
Hugh Landry
Parkman, ME
That’s the way to do it, Hugh. You may just like our next Cheap Truck Challenge, as it will have some adventure on a budget. Thanks for the note!
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