What's it worth? Attex

[AT3975]

Hello 6x6 world.my name is greg and i'm looking at a 1973 Attex 440 Thunder Chief. A local guy I know has it for sale. The motor is rebuilt (new piston, rings, points, etc.) and it does run but he said it needs a starter. He won't give me a price, just tells me to "make an offer". What is something like this worth? I am willing to give a fair price, I am looking for running one not a project. Any suggestions???

[NERO]

Watch ebay for a while it will give you a fair idea.if the trans is good t-20 ,body fair,tires good you'll be looking a starting low at 800 low to 15oo an
up upon cond.will dictait finale .good luck there worth the fun.<<<<<<>>>>>> NERO

[hydromike]

Before you make an offer, I would really give it a very, very thorough going-over. Most of "what's wrong" with a used AATV can not be ascertained by standing there looking at it. Take it for a ride. Does forward and reverse seem to work evenly on both sides? What about the tires? Does it have the one-piece floation tires with the 3 bolt rim, or are they upgraded to 3,4 or 5 bolt adapters with modern rims and tires? Get all six wheels up in the air and block it up. Spin every axle to check for loose or fragged bearings, both inner and outer. Check the chains, and check the position of the adjusters. Are the adjusters on the front just about at their upward limit? Does there appear to be a lot of buildup of junk in the lower tub, or is it relatively clean? If the chains were dragged through mud, stones, grease, broken axle bolts, leaves, sticks, zip ties,etc., they might need some attention/replacement.

Look closely for tub damage. Look everywhere. (see below) Get it up in the air and look at it. Be aggressive! A Thunderchief would have two gauges in the dash for the speedo and tach, and I think that most (all?) had cylinder head temp gauges as well. The true 440 in the Thunderchief has twin Mikuni 28mm carburetors. Check that the choke and throttle cables operate well, and to their full limit...

...another edit...
Take this "for instance" when I mention taking a close look. This is a pic from a current Ebay auction. The seller doesn't disclose a lot about the body, including the fact that there was a major repair performed on the body, just below the muffler, where most of the third generation Chiefs/Thunder Chiefs/ Wild Wolves cracked. I understand the premise behind "caveat emptor", but still. Someone may buy it without knowing what to look for, and if they're quite a distance away and can't look at it themselves, this may be a bad surprise when they go to pay for it. 'Just a hint to look hard and ask lots of questions...




There's a ton to look at. Be a discriminating customer! Good luck!
~mike

[liflod]

When I sold that machine on eBay, I mentioned the repaired body under the muffler

[liflod]

I think H~mike's reply should be posted under its own section on "Look before you leap" There's not much to add to his post about used AATV inspection.

[hydromike]

When I sold that machine on eBay, I mentioned the repaired body under the muffler

Hey Liflod,
Is this the Chief you had for so long that you've brought to Copper Ridge, or is this another machine? I thought the one at CR had a 5-port Cuyuna in it...

...and a good repair it is... You don't get much a much stronger repair to plastic than with steel and rivets. It'll be the last part to survive on the machine aside from the engine block.

~m

[liflod]

The Cuyuna seemed to be leaking quite a bit. Probably the reason it was hard to start at times. I removed it for a future project and put a 400 JLO into it. I used aluminum and rivets and sealed the crack with ABS. I wish I had something that goes fast like the Attex. Driving the green school bus doesn't quite get the adrenaline going like the Chief did.

[Randy Barton]

Hey guys I`m new here and allways liked the attexs, A friend had one when we were kids back in the 80`s.
Hey liflod I was going to bid on that one, is it in good shape? and what is it worth?
I bid on the one last week and lost it in the last 4 seconds
I love driving with sticks, four of my "vehicles" have them, bobcat, trackhoe, M29 weasel, and an M75 APC !
I`m glad I found this site... Very cool!
Randy

[George]

I love driving with sticks, four of my "vehicles" have them, bobcat, trackhoe, M29 weasel, and an M75 APC !

Hey Randy,

I'll trade you an Attex for the M75!

Where'd you get that and how long have you had it?

George

[Randy Barton]

I got it 4 of 5 years ago from SECO augusta down in GA, but it now has a 454 chevy with two carbs on a tunnel ram and a TH 400 transmission in it, it has been shortened, norrowed, and the top has been cut off and replaced with a "flip top" rollcage, It`s pretty cool, it looks like something Mad Max would be scared of
Randy

[liflod]

The Chief was a damn good machine. The guy who owns it now evidently fixed everything I neglected. He said he rebuilt the T-20 and the engine and put an electric starter on it. I thought it was a $1200 machine when I sold it so it should be worth more now. The body is not perfect, but it is very presentable. I've had it swimming a few times. I've had every axle out of it to replace bearings and put it together with anti-seize, so you don't need a 10# sledge to get it apart for maintenance.

[Randy Barton]

Thanks, I may bid on it, He has a starting bid of 1500, what is a fair price for it?
Thanks,
Randy