1977 Jeep Wagoneer

360 cu in two barrel

J7A15MN046507

Clear

40,000 Mile 'SURVIVOR' !!! I ran this Jeep on e-bay motors a few weeks ago with a ‘dreaming’ reserve. It had a hit total of over a thousand people and bids that went above the $7k mark. I have set the starting bid well below the maximum bid from last time, and have put it on NO RESERVE! This Wagoneer will sell to the highest bidder! My cousin Bill bought this grand old classic from a golfing friend in Hendersonville, NC, sometime in the 1980s. He lives in SC, but has a vacation house in the NC mountains near Hendersonville, and he put it in the basement garage in case he got caught up there in a winter storm. Only problem with that is that he rarely ever uses his mountain house, and the Wagoneer even less! I visited him up there last spring, and he told me he wanted to get rid of the Jeep so he could store one of his old Lincolns up there. I eventually got it to my house, washed and vacuumed it, and here it is! I changed the oil and filter, put in Castrol Edge 5w30 pure synthetic and a Wix filter. The carburetor and fuel pump were both leaking, so I had a new pump put on and the carb repaired. I noticed a ‘thump, thump’ when turning corners and backing it into the garage, like a brake was binding. Then I decided that it was the drive line. I have a friend who is a retired engineer for American Motors, and asked him about it. He said that it is the clutches sticking in the transfer case, and that most early Quadratracs did that to some extent but, since it has been sitting basically unused for so long, I should change the transmission and transfer case fluids. I had that done, plus both differentials, but the ‘thump’ is still there, if a bit better. I have put less than 200 miles on it since I brought it home so, with more use, the problem may solve itself. If not, the transfer case should be rebuilt or replaced to stop the ‘thump’. My plan was to fix everything that was wrong with the Jeep and then sell it. But thinking of how I would want to buy an old car, I changed my mind. I would prefer to see what was needed up front, and fix it in my own time, by people that I know and trust, to my own standards which may be different from yours. So here is what I have discovered. The air conditioning has leaked down from sitting over the years. It is cheaper than ever now to have it converted to modern refrigerant and recharged. The fuel gauge reads three-quarter tank even when it is completely full. The windshield is slightly fogged at the bottom, and the back glass has a rub-scratch down the middle. The paper-and-wire cold air tube that runs from the air cleaner to the firewall was falling apart, and I threw it away. I can’t find a new one anywhere. The tip of the rear defogger switch is missing. The right front wheel has been curbed, but is repairable, plus my American Motors engineer friend gave me two more matching wheels! One even has the hard to find ‘center’ in good shape! He also gave me a Chilton repair manual and a 1975 dealer brochure, which all go with the Jeep. The radio, clock, and cruise control do not work, but I haven’t investigated why. May be a fuse. The oil pressure shows lower than I like at hot idle. May be the synthetic oil, or a bad sending unit. I bought a new sending unit, but found out you have to remove the oil filter to put it on, so it’s on the back seat until the next oil change! And two problems with the body. One, my cousin backed the Jeep out of the garage one day with a car in the way behind it, and hit the garage door with the left front fender. Pictures show the damage. I thought a dent wizard could fix it, but he said the metal was too thick on these old Jeeps. The other is a quarter size hole rusted through the right rear quarter panel. This place is the only rust I could find anywhere on the car. This is the original 1977 paint on this car, and it looks amazingly good. Somebody tried to touch up some chips and scratches with a paint that doesn’t really match, but it doesn’t look too bad. Of course there are other small chips and scratches, too. The bumpers and bright work are in great condition, with no dents or bent places. Even the rubber inserts in the bumpers and overriders is not only still there, it still looks good! The glass, with the exceptions mentioned earlier, is in excellent condition. It has real, functioning ‘wind wings’! In the spring and fall, you can ride around with the windows and wind wings open and enjoy the fresh air without all the buffeting of today’s vehicles! The interior is fantastic, from the headliner to the perforated tan vinyl seats, to the carpet. It is wonderfully original and suits the Wagoneer perfectly. The tires have great tread left and the sidewalls are soft, but they are of unknown age. Personally, I would drive it slowly until I could replace them. The power steering and power brakes respond with a light touch. I can’t think of anything else. If you have any questions or want different pictures, please ask. The Jeep is for sale ‘as is, where is’ and no warranties or guarantees are made. Please come to Statesville to see and drive this ‘survivor’ if possible before bidding! This grand old Wagoneer will positively sell to the highest bidder! Thanks for taking time to review this great old classic!