Practically Used Homestead Wheels

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AN AMERICAN CLASSIC
A pickup truck is the most elemental vehicle made and is the easiest to restore.

Jeeps and Small Utilities

The best go-anywhere vehicle ever made is a '40s-to-early-'60s Jeep. It's easy to repair and restore, too; every part goes on or comes off with a hard pull or a few bolts. Trouble is, you'll have to do a lot of bolting. Jeep was passed from Willys-Overland to American Motors to Chrysler as each was going bloke. Clutches wear, doors fall off, fender/body joints and floors rust, starters and alternators break, and windshield-wiiper mechanisms fall apart. Nine hundred dollars will get you a running Jeep For $2,500 it will, run well and have a top and seats, and for $4,000 it will—come—with rebulft engine and running gear. Test-drive carefully; off road use can ruin running gear and looser all those bolts. Then drive on slopes with care; Jeeps, especially with oversize' tires, have a higher center of gravity than vans and roll easily.

Aluminum-bodied (rustproof) British, L and Rovers have conquered the outbacks of the world, but are notoriously prone to breakdowns, and parts are hard to locate. Toyota's copy, the tand Cruiser, is a more practical choice, though many are kept by city people as pets. A $4,500 asking price for a low-mileage late '70s FJ40 "TOY" isn't unusual, and I've seen prices as high as $7,000. IH Scouts haven't been made for decades and the body metal was rust prone, but they are good little plow-vehicles if you can find one that's been rebodied and rustproofed and know a parts source. The same can be said of Ford's original Bronco.

Limos, Ambulances, Flower Cars, Military Vehicles

All these vehicles have been garaged and meticulously maintained, and often come with low mileage at bargain prices: $1,900 is a typical asking price, but the market is thin. Offer $650 and go up in $10 dribbles and reluctantly. They are good for a really big family ...but long and low and unsuitable for bad country roads, and they come in a limited choice of colors: black or white. Check underneath for frame rot even if the topside looks new. You can always dress as a chauffeur and make a few extra bucks on prom nights.

You've seen those magazine ads reading: "JEEPS $100." It's a gyp—they're selling info on how to get free applications to receive free flyers advertising government auctions. The military sells redundant equipment in odd lots, and the carcass of a cannibalized Jeep can indeed go that cheap, but probably not.

Surplus brokers are still bringing Korean War trucks to market: '46 to '56 B series Dodge Power Wagon 1-Ton/4WD pickups—the square-nosed "Army Trucks" like my friend Ben Perkins' tow truck. Simplicity personified, they only have one gauge—a speedo—in the dash. Value ranges from $350 for a basket case to $8,000 for a #1 show vehicle; $4,500 will get you a good one. Vietnam-era vehicles are also appearing. You'll spend $2,500 for a serviceable '70s Chevy or Dodge 3/4-ton/4WD pickup to $4,500 for a good one. Most have camouflage paint, low miles, and were well maintained. Be sure they have not been stripped of essential parts and have road-legal lights, fenders, front bumper, and exhaust. Modern Desert-Storm-era (sand-tones) paint is multiband radar absorbent, by the way. Some advantage against "Smokeys" if you can coax the truck over 55 mph.

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