Rare 1981 Cj8 Scrambler - V8 Restomod - Rust Free Body - Built - Very Nice on 2040-cars

 I'm selling my rare, very nice 1981 Jeep Scrambler.  It is collectible and ready to cruise.

There were 603,303 CJ5s and 379,299 CJ7s produced. All told, Scramblers make up significantly less than 3% of that total. 

This beauty has been built piece by piece from the ground up, capped with a straight-from-the-paint-booth professional, 6 mil paint job.  This is the perfect toy for the perfect day.  It has been professionally built and adult owned.  In the past decade, it has racked up less than 1000 total miles.  In that time period, it has never spent the night outside.  It has a 100% rust free, clean body, and has never been off-road or abused.  My painter claims he’s never seen anything like it.

 

Today, the Scrambler has a strong, rebuilt 304 V8 engine, backed by a rebuilt T-15 transmission:  maybe the heaviest-duty 3-speed ever made.  It runs great, and has absolutely no known drivetrain flaws.  The build quality is evident as soon as you take it on the highway.  Even with the lift and massive, 35-inch Super Swampers, the Scrambler tracks very well, with less wandering than the typical, standard-sized CJ.  There are absolutely no known mechanical issues.  The drivetrain is tight and responsive, and there are no significant leaks or drips. 

 

Old jeeps are notorious (rightfully so) for their temperamental nature and unreliability.  This one, however, is about as clean and tight as you can get.  No corners have been cut.  While I firmly believe that no 33-year-old jeep should be considered a daily driver, this one comes as close to being a reliable day-to-day driver as you will probably find.  Essentially, just climb in, turn the key, and go.

 

Born in Toledo, raised in South Florida, this Scrambler moved to central Missouri to become a man about 12 years ago.  The entire body was replaced (full steel body), and repainted.  Next, the under-powered straight-six was swapped out with a 304 V8 from a full-size jeep and rebuilt.  It was mated to a rebuilt T-15 three speed and a rebuilt Dana 300 transfer case at that time.  In essence, the Scrambler wasn’t restored, but rather built and modified piece by piece, upgraded over time.  The entire drivetrain, suspension, body, interior, and electrical have been gone through and updated.  Today, it’s driven on nice days and, frankly, not enough.  I’m confident that someone can make much better use of it than me. 

 

Drivetrain:

Small block V8, 304 CID:  rebuilt, less than 1000 miles

                Headers

                Holley carburetor

T-15, heavy duty, 3-speed transmission; generally considered the heaviest-duty 3-speed transmission ever manufactured:  rebuilt, less than 1000 miles

Dana 300 transfer case:  widely considered the best transfer case ever manufactured; rebuilt, less than 1000 miles

Dana 44 (upgraded) rear axle, replacing the standard Model 20 rear end

Dana 30 front end

New front disc brakes; stops great

 

Body

100% rust-free body

New neoprene body grommits

Rock solid frame

Fold-down windshield (which I’ve never had down)

Rugged Ridge double front bumper

Custom, super heavy duty rear bumper

Bushwacker fender flares

 

Paint:

This is a one-week old paint job, professionally done.  It is a true, 6-mil, three-stage paint job.  Needless to say, this isn’t typically what you find on a classic jeep.  The first coat is Deltron epoxy primer; if you know your paint, you know that this is as good as it gets.  No exterior surface has less than two coats of PPG 4273 Radiant Fire Red.  Everything was wet sanded and buffed appropriately.

This paint job will hold up.  Deltron is extremely chip-resistant.  Rather than polish up the paint and throw on a coat of wax to make the pictures look good, I refrained.  You’ll get to do the final polish and, in about two weeks, once the paint has fully cured, may add a coat of wax.   Judge the quality of the paint yourself by the pictures.  It looks great already, and the pictures were taken under cloudy skies today.  If you think you can see buffing compound residue in some of the pictures,  you’re probably right.  I’m not going to mess up your new paint job just to get a better picture.

Wheels and tires

35-inch Super Swamper tires

Warn locking hubs

I honestly don’t know the make/model of the wheels, but they’re very nice.  I would guess they’re cast aluminum or magnesium.

 

Interior

High-back, BesTop Aqua front seats, in excellent condition

Completely Linx’d interior

All new gauges

All new sending units

Locking Tuffy center console, set up for concealed stereo, in excellent condition

New heater core and defroster unit

Billet aluminum knobs

 

Extras

All trim pieces are stainless steel

Hard half-doors, in good condition

Bikini top, in good condition

Lots of spare parts, should you want them, including

                Original exhaust brackets

                Army jerry cans

                An antifreeze return system (not installed)

                1981 Chilton’s CJ guide

                A pair of stainless steel  1000lb tow hooks

                A new WindJammer, which I’ve never had on

                Anything else I might turn up

 

Title

The title is free and clear.  I had the Scrambler re-titled from Missouri to Kansas intentionally because Kansas has some of the strictest titling requirements in the country.  It’s common to run into issues getting CJs inspected and passed; you won’t have any title/VIN issues with this one.

 

Reserve

The reserve on this auction is set well below what I think it’ll sell for; farther below what I think it’s probably worth; and even farther below what’s been put into it over time.

 

‘Jeep’ disclaimer

This is a 33-year-old jeep.  It’s not a Wrangler, it’s not a daily driver, it’s not a fuel-injected, air-conditioned sports sedan.  While the Scrambler has largely been updated and upgraded to surpass the original components, we’re still talking primarily about a 33-year-old engineering design. 

 

This is not a trailer queen; I’d classify this as a very nice daily-driver+ quality vehicle all around.  There are no known major flaws.  Understand, though, that jeep owners have long said that ‘jeep’ stands for ‘just empty every pocket’.  To maintain a vehicle of this vintage in this condition, constant maintenance will be required.   Replacing bulbs becomes a seasonal task, and gauges an almost-annual one.

 

For example, the 6-month-old gas gauge worked when it felt like it, and didn’t when it didn’t.  It quit working so I put a new gauge, and a new sending unit in.  Now, it works, approximately, whenever it feels like it.  The new speedometer seems to get bouncier and bouncier for no discernable reason.  At this point, when these things pop up, my mechanic just shrugs, and we go through the motions all over again.

 

Legal

In short, if you have any reservations, don’t buy an old jeep.  If you have any questions whatsoever, please ask.  If you would like pictures of anything in particular, please let me know prior to bidding.  I very strongly encourage you to inspect the vehicle prior to purchase.  I will be happy to facilitate you and/or your chosen mechanic’s inspection prior to the end of the auction.  I try to be as thorough as possible, but I’m not an expert or a mechanic, so please take the time to ask questions, pay close attention to all of the pictures, and be thorough in your research as to what you’re willing to pay.  At the end of the day, the vehicle is listed in ‘AS-IS’ condition, and no warranties or guarantees are made or implied.

 

Ultimately, by bidding you are entering into a legal contract.  There will be no exceptions, and I won’t hesitate to utilize all appropriate legal avenues to enforce the bidding contract.  The winning bidder will pay a $1000 non-refundable deposit at the close of the auction.  The balance will be paid within 48 hours.  I’m happy to accept funds via wire transfer or cash.