This desirable 1982 Jeep CJ8 Scrambler was supposedly tucked away in south Georgia barn for many years, and has emerged relatively unscathed from its hiatus from the road. The paintwork looks fairly tidy and the original decals are still quite presentable. The CJ8 is a unique specimen, featuring a stretched wheelbase that gave the classic Jeep body a useful pickup-style bed. The long wheelbase Jeeps have shown time and again to be among the more coveted models made, and I suspect there are quite a few Jeep fanatics keeping their eyes on this one. Find the CJ8 here on eBay where bidding is over $9,000 with the reserve unmet.
While I am not a Jeep fanatic myself, I always keep my eyes peeled for a long wheelbase YJ to show up as a generic used car lot trade-in. At first glance, you may not notice it has a longer body than the typical YJ, but these limited production long wheelbase models command a premium on the Jeep marketplace. I would wager that much of the inspiration for the current Jeep Gladiator, an immensely popular model, lies with the tradition of adding a pickup bed to the fan favorite short wheelbase Jeep. And while four door Jeep Wranglers are seemingly one of the hottest vehicle on the market today, I would still love to see a two-door version of the Gladiator come to market.
The seller’s truck is clearly an untouched original, and that has its good points and drawbacks. The interior may be complete, but it’s also slightly tatty with seats showing plenty of signs of wear and tear and a steering wheel that may not be original and is also missing its hor ring. The dashboard looks to have either been cut or has cracks and there’s a few spots of discoloration; fortunately, you should be able to find a replacement dash pad without too much searching. The seller notes it is equipped with power steering, power brakes, and dealer-installed air conditioning, but that the compressor has gone missing. The seller holds a clear title, and claims to have had the Jeep running with an external fuel source.
The 258 inline-six engine is claimed to be the original mill, and it’s paired to a four-speed manual gearbox. Mileage is listed as 87,750 which seems realistic for the condition of the exterior and cabin. The Jeep comes with a factory hardtop and steel doors, along with extra sets of wheels and tires. The seller’s description notes that his reserve price is still below the lowest value for a CJ8 in the Hagerty price guide, which pegs the bottom rung of value at $15,000. The CJ8 model may not be the preferred wheelbase for wheeling, but if you’re a Jeep collector, it could be the missing piece in an otherwise complete collection. Do you like the long wheelbase models?
These “named” Jeeps are the ultimate fleecing of the public, I figure. Suddenly, with the mere addition of decals, you have a “SCRAMBLER”,,,instead of a measly CJ. Oh, PT, how did you know( sucker every minute)
Okay, all that aside, I don’t believe a YJ-“L”, as it’s called, was ever offered in the US. I read, Israel and Egypt lengthened stock YJ’s for military, I’ve never seen one. You can stretch it out, but leaf spring ride doesn’t change, it’s still a CJ. The pickup bed is a nice touch, however, much more useful. People quickly find out, it ain’t no new “Rubber-corn”,( Rubicon) that’s for sure. Just looking at the pics, you WILL get to know your local auto parts person by their 1st name. The tie wrapped PS unit, wipers not “parked”, and general wiring nightmare, should indicate, lot’s of work here. Still pretty cool, if you can’t fix this stuff yourself, better go with the new Rubicon. @ $80-$100/hr mechanic charges these days, the fun stops there. $5grand tops, the decals do nothing for me.
This will bring plenty of dough, pricing on these is nutty. Hopefully the new owner keeps it close to stock instead of giving in to roid rage like so many do.
Totally agree with Howard and one would really have to want one of these to justify the buy. Despite my love for old vehicles IMHO a ’04-’06 TJ Unlimited is just such a better choice – easy to service/ locate new parts, a much torquier I-6 with lots of potential and rides a lot better – all while still looking (almost) like the original CJ/ Scrambler (isn’t that the point with a Wrangler…?)
It’s also fully possible to convert your TJ’s suspension to a harsher ride should you ever miss those leaf springs
Where the author refers to a “long wheelbase YJ”, I think he means a long wheelbase TJ. This would be the Wrangler Unlimited (so-called “LJ”) launched part way through the 2004 model year, lengthened some 15 inches over the standard TJ. The previous generation Wrangler YJ (1987-95) did not offer an extended wheelbase version. The closing years of CJ-7 models, and their CJ-8 Scrambler cousins, are maintaining strong values in the market, particularly solid unmodified/unmolested examples.
That has to be the most gasket sealer I’ve ever seen on a valve cover. There I fixed it! Hillbilly Deluxe!
When I got my ’91 YJ, 4 cylinder, it needed a water pump, which was a piece of cake to change, but still ran hot with a fluctuating temperature, so I replaced the thermostat, and you talk about silicone seal, the housing was plugged full of it, why not just do it right? The thermostat and gasket, ( couple bucks) another simple fix, and the gasket application years said “AMC 4 and 6 cylinder, 1968-1995” ! That’s what I’m talking about,,,
Back in about 1983, my girlfriend (now wife) wanted a new car. There was an American Motors dealer in our neighbourhood, with a ’81 Scrambler in the showroom. It was a beauty,black with chrome wheels, grill, and bumper. A salesman saw us admiring it and asked if we wanted to make an offer. We told him it was out of our price range.He then told us that the dealership was closing for good in a few weeks, and encouraged us to make an offer anyway. To our surprise, they sold it to us. It was a alot of fun. Some of our friends also had CJs, and we took many trips as a group into ski and cottage country. We removed the hardtop every spring, and went everywhere topless until fall. It drove best on backroads and secondary highways. I remember it having trouble holding 60MPH into a headwind on the expressways. Over the years we had it, we were often asked if it was for sale. After 5 years of hard use, it needed a bunch of work, and we sold it to a collector for almost what we had originally paid for it.
That salesman probably broke out the champagne after you left, Jeeps hadn’t attained the “cult” status they are today, nobody wanted them, regardless of what they did to them cosmetically. Jeeps were still synonymous with rollovers, and even Daisy Duke couldn’t bolster any sales, but it sure was fun looking at her,,
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jeep/comments/1kkx4d/daisy_duke_and_dixie/
“Do U like the…model?”
No, but it’s the only jeep to have…
I’d bend up some alu & make an “Alaskan Postal”.