After months and weeks of searching eBay Motors, Craigslist, The Washington Post, local dealers I finally found the Scrambler I was looking for. 1985 Jeep CJ8 (Scrambler) with a new Jasper Engine - 258 I6 (Inline 6 Cylinder) 4.2L. Although it was located about an hour from my house, it was well worth the drive. See, if your not familiar with eBay, then you know it's a risky deal. You make pay $5K-$20K for a "restored Scrambler" pay another $1-2K in shipping, and you never know what your getting into. Well - I called the owner and said I was very interested in coming to see it. As I drove into the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains, my GPS said I was close. As I turned into the neighborhood of the owner I noticed every other house had a confederate flag...um if your my ethnicity, you could feel a tad uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I braved through to the end of the street and found the owners house (with no flag)! He was the nicest gentleman. We took the CJ8 for a test drive and it drove like a champ although the inside was trashed. As we hit a pot hole a collection of dead stink bugs flew up in the air and all over us. Anyway, he had a small garage with mechanical lifts so after our test drive was over we lift the CJ8 up so I could inspect underneath. I literally had to use a long stick to pry away all the muddogger nests that had formed over the axles, frame, differentials, and other various places. Although there was apparent rust, the frame looked solid. We talked for awhile and then I made an offer. He took another $500 off the price because he knew I was going to have to replace the carburetor ASAP. After we agreed on the price he offered to put it on his trailer and haul it to my house - again, the nicest guy ever! Now I am ready to start the project!
Ok so this is the boring but necessary part. Scrambler is now registered, titled, and insured. I opt'd to go for the antique license plates and before you say anything - I know, I know. An '85 is hardly an antique, however it saves on having to have a safety inspection test done every year and an emissions test done every other year. This way I can take my time in restoring this vehicle with out the pressure of the law on me. In any case, I'm good to go! There are some stipulations to driving an antique car in Virginia. You can't drive it daily to work, you can only drive it 250 miles away from your house, or on your way to a car show or to test it's operation. Well - I plan on testing it's operation ALOT!
