If you find a nice original I would either maintain it as original or spin it if your thoughts are of making it into a trail rig. The originals are scarce and I cringe when I see originals butchered up for trail rigs to be pounded. Likely I will get a lot of birds for this but the people with money that see Scrams want originals for the scarcity, novelty, nostalgia, uniqueness of them and don't buy others dreams. That's the reality.
My 99% original one is always a hit with both collectors, trail runners and so on. I wish I had a dime for everytime someone with a lifted, re-engined, bobbed, chopped, 8 said they wish they had kept their's original.
The whole thing with rock crawling is a fad and who knows how long it will last but with the direction this country is taking I think many recognize the importance of nostalgia and getting back to when things were a little simpler and a little better. To take a cruise in something that hasn't been fitted with every 4WD hardware "upgrade" (yeeesh, most of the marginal stuff they sell is anything but an upgrade!) is to truly enjoy what the 8 is and was when it was first introduced to the marketplace. As we get older I guess we tend to appreciate these things . . . . the wise learn it earlier than I did!
Thus endeth my sermon . . . . . .
As for the number of originals left--I would put it much lower--less than 1500--based on what you see on eBay. When I say original I mean correct engine, trans, transfer, body, etc. . . Many say "restored" but they are far from this having been "up-engined" and so on. Rust has taken it's toll on these and many have gone to the scrapper.