There is a guy up the road with a '78 CJ5 that he is considering selling next year.
The only time I looked underneath was before I heard he might sell so I did not examine it carefully mostly out of curiosity.
I have some interest in it.....
The frame and underbody appears to be in good shape, there were no obvious rust/rot holes. The underneath is painted/coated black.
The inside of the tub is herculined in black and appears to be fairly well done
The dash has the original gauges, and an aftermarket radio and a 3 pack of aftermarket gauges (oil pressure, water temperature, volts) that were properly installed in the dash. I don't recall the mileage... I have the vague sense it was less than 100k (or less than 200k or 300k)
The seats are in reasonable shape, I assume they are replacement seats or covers.
He had told me in the past (before he considered selling it) that the running gear was recently inspected and all worn components rebuilt/replaced and I have no reason to doubt this.
The engine (I-6) runs well when warm, it will occasionally have a delay in starting (more than a few seconds of cranking) and sometimes a stumble for a few seconds after starting (only when cold) that I can hear as he heads down the road past me.
It has had a full roll bar set which is welded to plates bolted directly to the frame (no to the floor)
Considering its age (28) the body is in pretty good shape however there are some larger areas of bubbled paint indicating there is something going on below. There is no obvious body damage and the only body shop attention I can recall is that it has been painted a number of times to the point where the edges of fasteners are obscured.
The tires are 'Mud King XTs' which I know to be lower quality BFGs and are in fair shape.
The soft top and doors are in good shake, the latching mechanism works well. He removes the doors when it is not raining and they come on and off easily.
I did not ask why he was considering selling, but for what it is worth, he bought a new 4X4 F150 Short Bed this summer (he works at the Ford Transmission Plant)
Now I realize this is a completely unfair question but....... What would something like this go for?