Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Jeep wagoneer

Anyone own one of these? From the 80's, thinking of looking for one to use for u
Hunting, or a jeep cj7. Any thoughts

Lots of power and great 4wd system. However, mine was a rustbucket and pass everthing on the road except a gas pump.

some people have coke addictions, some are alcoholics, i have a buddy who finally beat the wagoneer addiction. IMHO, they drink a lot of fuel, are not the most reliable vehicle (produced by AMC) but they can be pretty cool if you are willing to spend the money and build one from the ground up.

Like any older rig, if you are a decent mechanic and like to work on vehicles, they are fine. I can see where putting on one of the new fuel injection systems and a modern ignition system would make one a nice rig.

With the internet, it seems like information and spare parts are more available then ever, for all kinds of rigs....THis is one of the biggest pluses any more....

They don't float worth a damn...

just ask my brother

I've had both a Grand Wagoneer ('89) and a Grand Cherokee ('98). Honestly the GC is a way better vehicle. Better power to weight, better ride, better MPG, far more reliable, easier to work on. Top that off with better availability and a cheap price tag and the GC wins hands down.

I had 2 Wagoneers, both from the late 70's. They were very capable offroad but they had some design problems.

1st was a severe vapor lock problem. The engine compartment was so tight that it didn't get any airflow at all. The gas would get so hot that you could hear it boiling in the float bowl. They fixed that later when they dropped the carb and put in fuel injection along with getting the fuel pump out of the engine compartment.

2d was a gas filler hole that was the same level as the tank and way behind it. Going up a steep hill, gas ran out the filler hole. They fixed that when they went to sealed gas caps.

Last was that idiotic 4x4 lock switch in the glove box, of all the stupid places to put it. There was no way to reach it without stopping and sliding over if you didn't have a co-pilot.

Didn't the Wagoneer have a ladder frame, like a CJ? A friend had one years ago and he couldn't afford to keep gas in it.

Sad but funny.

In my experience the switch in the glove box, just proved we needed to walk for a little bit of help....

If I could find a wagoneer without rust in Minnesota, I think I would buy it....its like a station wagon but just a little bit cooler.

my buddy rooster7 has one over Hawley direction. I think his is pretty rust free.

We used them a lot in the late 70's and early 80's to transport people from the airport to a guest ranch. Great rigs in the snow and ice. Off road they hit their limit pretty quickly but were decent in mud and ice on back roads. Poor fuel mileage. Some reliability issues. They rusted quickly and badly where we were.

I agree with KillKenny that the mid to late 90's Grand Cherokees were better rigs just not as roomy.

If you have located a rust free unit in decent shape they are probably worth using as long as you like to buy gas.

An FSJ (pre-XJ) has a carbureted V8, comparing mileage to a late model XJ 4.0 inline six with multiport fuel injection or the multiport fuel injected 5.2 or 5.9, whichever was used in the Grand Cherokee is not a fair comparison. And the 5.2 in my Dodge 1500 QC 4x4 sucked major G-ass.

No different than comparing a 75 Chevy pickup with a 350/TH350 to an 89 with a 350/700R4 or an 01 with a 5.3/4L60

The Quadratrac, Borg Warner 1339 fulltime transfer case noted above, had the differential lock in the glove box, if a guy is offroad rather than traveling down slick roads it should be engaged before the crap gets deep.

The real problem with the Quadratrac now, is the limited availability of Morse chains, 99.99% of what is on the market is china'loca crap that simply will not last long at all.

Once Chrysler bought AMC they replaced the AMC 360 with a Chrysler 360 and changed the transfer case, I don't have any interest in the late model FSJ's so I can't say what they used but I don't hear the same chatter about parts availability.

The FSJ's with leaf spring Dana 44 solid axles front and rear rides damn nice stock, it's a much better all around towing vehicle than an XJ or ?J Grand Cherokee, really, it's a 1/2 ton tow vehicle with good weight distribution.

I almost gave up the hunt looking for an AMC Cherokee but I found one, I will swap the 360/TH400/QT for a 5.3/NP241/4L60E and have the reliability, driveability, mileage and the low emissions of a late model Tahoe with a [bleep] ton more character when I am finished.

Wagoneers, Grand Wagoneers, Cherokees and J trucks never received Chryco 360's.
http://jubileejeeps.org/faqs/amcv8.htm

The Borg Warner QuadraTrac came in two variants. The 1305 and 1339. The 1339 used the optional low range box.
The, IMHO, bum rap the BW 1305/1339 got came from people people who either didn't know or didn't want to take proper care of them. They use/d a special fluid with friction modifiers and the chain was/is considered a maintenance item that needs changed periodically. Sadly, you are correct, the BW chains are no longer made and the cheap china junk ones don't last and are easily broken.
http://jubileejeeps.org/quadratrac/index.htm

As for the E-Drive switch in the glove box. If a guy is handy, it's a simple matter to fabricate a manual set-up using a push pull cable, a bracket and some shade tree engineering. This would be advisable anyway since the vacuum pods are no longer available.

I stand corrected, thanks.

I had no issue with the Quadratrac in my Waggie and I abused the hell out of mine for years behind a 401. My current Cherokee could use a new chain but I will light-foot it until the drivetrain swap.

A friend in New Mexico had several. After our hunting property sold, I have not had close contact. Along toward the end of our hunting together, he came across a loaded version, exceptionally low miles, garaged and overall really nice including the leather seating. The old ones were exceptional hunting machines for moderate offloading. Too low for really rough terrain, used lots of gas, but comfortable.

Today, I suspect one would need to,be a great mechanic or wealthy to maintain one. If wealthy, there are better options. Jack

Blaspheme!!

Not many late model rigs will take this,


Pulled so well, I almost forgot the truck was back there.

And then drive home,


I'd have never tried this with the '91 heavy half GMC we own either.

Don't know how they'd be to own but sure was nice driving an old straight six Tornado overhead cam. Good enough grunt gettin goin with a trailer and on the hard road could breathe deep at speed. A great wagon I thought.