Wagoneer: Which years and why

T

timgr

Observer
To the OP -

I would not drive from Modesto to Temecula to look at that '73. Re the '90, I'd be put off by a bad interior. For $3000 you should be able to find a pretty good one. Realize that all the beautiful cars are probably gone - they've been snapped up by Wagonmaster http://www.wagonmaster.com/ and other sellers like them. The nicest Wagoneers are very trendy.

How long have you been looking? Be sure to check the for-sale listings at ifsja.org too.

You have perhaps the world's best Jeep junkyard not too far away in Antelope http://www.jwjeep.com/ - you might stop by there and ask about Wagoneers if you have the chance.

Try Nevada craigslists. In the '70s, the largest Jeep dealer in the nation was in Reno. They sold a lot of Wagoneers.

To dieselcruiserhead - Thanks for the kind words - Don't get me wrong - I love the Quadratrac... I was working for a Jeep dealer when they were introduced, and the owners thought they were sensational. However, I feel that the loss of the USA-made Morse chains was a dagger to the heart (as Chuck Schumer would say) for them. There are a lot of Quadratrac Wagoneers out there for cheap prices. They'd be a great choice with a transfer case swap, but there's no bolt-up compatible replacement without replacing the output shaft in the TH400.
 
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pkelly72

pkelly72

Adventurer
The interior isn't that bad, just dirty. It would clean up well I think. I like the looks of the 90. One thing that surprised me was that the wagoneer isn't really that big. I've had 2 landcruisers, 94,00 and an fjc 08 and they were all larger automobiles.

Maybe it's just that its stock that it seemed small
 
T

timgr

Observer
No, you are right - they are fairly narrow. When they made the pickup, they had to add fender flares to the pickup box and move the wheels outward to make room for a 4x8 sheet of plywood. They also sit low, like a regular station wagon. This is by design - the COG was kept low and the drivetrain tucked up into the chassis. But they are plenty tough and capable, and will go some amazing places in factory trim.
 
reece146

reece146

Automotive Artist
If you can get the 90 for say... ~$750 you can then look towards redoing the interior with the difference in money. It's a lot of time and effort to do that but even with a ~$3000 Jeep you'll probably end up doing a lot of that anyway. These are old machines. That said, they are butt simple so nothing some hand tools and parts swapping and the appropriate application of cash can't fix.

To me in your situation I'd be all about zero rust and strong drivetrain. Cosmetics are easy if a PITA.
 
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