Teach Me about Jeep Wagoneer

DrBoost wrote: Yeah. It was easier when you had search engines for craigslist. I've seen many under 3K, more than a few at around 2K. The body is rotted all to heck but that's fine. And don't let mileage on a Cummins scare you. I sold mine with 365K on it. The engine had never been opened and I towed some pretty serious loads with it. Heck of a truck.

There are still CL search engines...... So I would be looking for a dodge diesel right? What year range? Found a 94 for $1200...hmmmm might be worth a call

Look for anything before about 1994, I think that was the "new" body style. You want a 12V (valve, not volt). They are all mechanical, wonderful. To really score, find a 5-speed. The auto's have a bad rep, but they all crapped out before 100K. If you rebuild them with decent stuff, they'll run 100's of thousands of miles with no issues. You're in Bay City I see. I'm in Fenton. If you find any down my way, I'd be more than happy to go have a look-see for you.

DrBoost wrote: The 6BT is a tight fit with no intercooler. Add the intercooler and I think you need to massage the firewall. The 4BT fits very easy but is a rattle trap of a motor. I'd personally do a 6BT. You can buy a running 6BT, truck and all for 2K around here, add that to the 750 waggy above, throw in a few hundred for bits and pieces and holy crap is that a heckuva truck.

Why would an intercooler make clearance at the firewall different?

DrBoost wrote: Look for anything before about 1994, I think that was the "new" body style. You want a 12V (valve, not volt). They are all mechanical, wonderful. To really score, find a 5-speed. The auto's have a bad rep, but they all crapped out before 100K. If you rebuild them with decent stuff, they'll run 100's of thousands of miles with no issues. You're in Bay City I see. I'm in Fenton. If you find any down my way, I'd be more than happy to go have a look-see for you.

awesome, thanks. The one I found is a 94...old CL add, few weeks old so could be gone. It is in eaton rapids...so a bit away from you and me both.

This would have to be an auto. One of the ideas behind this is to have something my wife can drive in the winter. She will not drive a manual...it's sad but I can't sway her. Have tried to teach her and it just isn't happening so I gave up.

jakeb wrote: This would have to be an auto. One of the ideas behind this is to have something my wife can drive in the winter. She will not drive a manual...it's sad but I can't sway her. Have tried to teach her and it just isn't happening so I gave up.

I hear ya. My wife won't learn either. The only exception seems to be a Bugeye Sprite.

DrBoost wrote: Look for anything before about 1994, I think that was the "new" body style. You want a 12V (valve, not volt). They are all mechanical, wonderful. To really score, find a 5-speed. The auto's have a bad rep, but they all crapped out before 100K. If you rebuild them with decent stuff, they'll run 100's of thousands of miles with no issues. You're in Bay City I see. I'm in Fenton. If you find any down my way, I'd be more than happy to go have a look-see for you.

my 95 is a mechanical 12v.....they had them up until 98. I'm making 750TQ to the wheels with around $2500 in mods....the majority of that's in the turbo.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

DrBoost wrote: The 6BT is a tight fit with no intercooler. Add the intercooler and I think you need to massage the firewall. The 4BT fits very easy but is a rattle trap of a motor. I'd personally do a 6BT. You can buy a running 6BT, truck and all for 2K around here, add that to the 750 waggy above, throw in a few hundred for bits and pieces and holy crap is that a heckuva truck.

Why would an intercooler make clearance at the firewall different?

There's no room in front of the radiator for an intercooler. Couple that with an engine that's a lot longer and space becomes an issue. There are guys that put the intercooler RIGHT behind the grill. Then the radiator had to be bumped back a bit.
I'm not claiming to be an expert, I'm just spouting what others (said) they did. This is the internet after all haha.

Cotton wrote:

DrBoost wrote: Look for anything before about 1994, I think that was the "new" body style. You want a 12V (valve, not volt). They are all mechanical, wonderful. To really score, find a 5-speed. The auto's have a bad rep, but they all crapped out before 100K. If you rebuild them with decent stuff, they'll run 100's of thousands of miles with no issues. You're in Bay City I see. I'm in Fenton. If you find any down my way, I'd be more than happy to go have a look-see for you.

my 95 is a mechanical 12v.....they had them up until 98. I'm making 750TQ to the wheels with around $2500 in mods....the majority of that's in the turbo.

What year(s) were the fuel pumps that everyone tries to avoid? I thought the last few years of mechanical systems had the pump that isn't desirable?

I'm watching this with interest. I've always wanted a grand wag, and the 6bt sounds like a street able option. You know, if I knew anything about diesels.

I still love my FSJ and it's been gone for years...

They are not 4wd, it is more like an awd system fyi.

The wagoneers are SJ Jeeps (Senior Jeeps)

FSJ = "full sized jeep"

some are 4wd, some are awd

i had a '79 Quadra-trac (awd) with the optional hi-low range selection.

damn you guys... i'm getting misty eyed now...

our family has owned a bunch.

They have their problems...as have already been stated. They are mechanically very sound however. One of the most reliable vehicles I've owned and I'm an XJ owner.

How much can the chassis handle to tow? If I put a good hitch on it? The 6bt is enticing but right now leaning towards a 5.3 at the moment.

the limiting factor would probably be brakes.

i wouldn't do over 5,000lbs with one, personally.

Yeah, I never had a mechanical issue with the 3 I had. It was always the "luxury" features. That's why I loved my widetrack cherokee so much.

Jake, I towed about 4800 LB with my 401 79 cherokee all the time. (street stock, Full toolbox, 4 sets of wheels, and spares) I would be more worried about the brakes than the frame for higher capacity than that. They listed 7500 LB towing capacity on the 76-79 models.

'63 wagoneer $1200

'87 Grand Wagoneer $3500

T.J. wrote: '87 Grand Wagoneer $3500

That picture belongs in the Good God Almighty thread.

T.J. wrote: '63 wagoneer $1200

"stored in garage"

good deal though.

Wow, i just did a CL search and prices vary widely (as does condition.)
I did find this '88 with a retro-grill that I like.
http://saginaw.craigslist.org/cto/3429102042.html#.UL4DKWcSRH0
The blue/red shown above does look to be a good combination of condition and price.

yamaha wrote: Didn't amc claim certain ones of those could get 19mpg?

They had a version with the AMC 6 and manual gearbox in the 70s that was supposed to get that sort of mileage.

don't buy one for mileage, in any originally configured combo.

Damn I want one. The only thing that would keep me from getting one is Mileage.