If you take the plunge and buy-out an estate, you could find yourself with all sorts of treasures. The owner of this 1951 Willys-Overland Jeepster did just that, and now that he has everything sorted, he has decided to part with this cool classic. It would make an interesting project build, although it could also serve as the source of plenty of parts to keep another vehicle on the road. Located in Aurora, Oregon, you will find the Jeepster listed for sale here on Barn Finds Classifieds. The sale price for this little slice of automotive history has been set at $3,000 OBO.

There’s no arguing that the Campus Red Jeepster has seen better days. The body and floors show a coating of surface corrosion in numerous spots, and there is penetrating rust for the buyer to consider. It is visible in the floors and a few of the lower body locations, and while the buyer might choose to replace the floors, the rust in the panels looks like it could be addressed with patches. Some of the glass is cracked, but the original side curtains are present and could be used as templates to create replacements. The soft-top is a distant memory, but the frame is present and looks like a solid candidate for restoration. The Jeepster is sitting on its original wheels, and the spare is even mounted in the right place inside its rather slick-looking factory cover.

When the Jeepster hit the market on April 3rd, 1948, it was offered with the 134ci “Go Devil” flathead 4-cylinder engine. However, some drivetrain updates were in the pipeline. For the 1950 model year, buyers could choose to equip their Jeepster with the larger L-161 “Lightning” six-cylinder unit. This Jeepster features the smaller motor, which would have produced 63hp and 106 ft/lbs of torque. Neither figure sounds that impressive, but with maximum torque available from around 1,500rpm, it made the Jeepster an incredibly flexible daily driver. As you can see, it has been a while since the vehicle has fired a shot in anger, and the motor no longer features its cylinder head. However, the Jeepster does roll and steer, and apart from the cylinder head, it does appear to be essentially mechanically complete.

When we turn our attention to the Jeepster’s interior, there’s not a lot to say. There is a single seat included with the vehicle, but it will need new padding and a cover. The glovebox inner and door are missing, but the rest of the dash appears to be complete. As was the case with so many vehicles of this type from this era, the interior trim is fairly basic, and there were plenty of painted metal surfaces. That could make whipping this one into shape a relatively straightforward proposition for anyone with reasonable metal preparation and painting skills.

The Willys-Overland Jeepster offered a lot of promise, but the buying public simply didn’t embrace it in the way that the company hoped. While it was introduced during the 1948 model year, production ended in 1950. However, Willys had managed to achieve that unenviable feat of building more vehicles than required. That meant that some of those 1950-build Jeepsters were tagged and sold as 1951 models. During its production life, 19,132 Jeepsters found their way into customer driveways, which didn’t mark it as a sales success. They are a rare sight on today’s roads, and that could make restoring this one worth the time and effort. As a DIY project, it should make an interesting undertaking. Their relative rarity makes them a vehicle that will attract attention wherever they go, and while it is not a classic that would be worth a huge price once restored, it could still command a market value above $30,000 if the restoration were completed to a reasonable standard. If you are searching for a DIY project on a budget, this old classic is worthy of a closer look.