1984 Grand Wagoneer- Beginners Build!

[dodgerammit]

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.
Went in today hoping to pull the headliner, spray some undercoating under the wheel wells, paint the air cleaner case, and take pics to get help with the tailgate.
Did those things, and ended up with a MUCH longer to do list. Shocking.

This hose here, leading to nothing. Coming through the carpet, via a hole the PO cut. Leaving some sort of residue. WTF?


What is this, and can I just mount it up under the foot well there?


Peeled back a corner of carpet by the rear seat. Holy rust, batman! Also the screws on that silver plating are completely soggy and stripped, so I can't get that off to pull the carpet and see how far it goes.


The tailgate that I'll never fix.





At least the gross headliner is gone!


Spraying up under the wheel wells and find this- buncha rust and worn bushing(?) How worried should I be?




Painting the air cleaner case. The gasket is totally rotted and disgusting but I can't for the life of me find where to buy a new gasket. Just a whole new case itself.


Painted!


This is always fun to find. Another hose leading to nowhere. Again, how worried am I?


This is where it leads (kind of in the background there, under the yellow wires)


Under this car is grossssss


Another thing I found out I need but can't find anywhere to buy


After some cleaning and painting. Wasn't a TOTALLY defeating day. Wait... yes it was.


Gotta measure this so I can start planning the new headliner.

First pic: Positive the hose leads nowhere? If so, get rid of it.
2nd pic. Cruise module. Just tuck it behind the dash.
3rd pic you need to address the rust. Buy a really good set of vice grip pliers and clamp down on those screws and back em out. Use the force!
4th pic: I replied in your other thread.
6th pic: Mine looks the same right now. Order a set of roof rack grommets and screws kit as well as the mount gaskets from BJs off road and stop any leaks. http://www.bjsoffroad.com/Roof-Rack_c_219.html

7 and 8: The rust isn't as bad as some. The frame looks solid from what I can see in the pics. I wouldn't worry about body bushings unless you want to really get into restoration wrenching. BJs also has them. http://www.bjsoffroad.com/Miscellaneous_c_39.html

The engine bay hose may be emissions or fuel related. Follow the fuel line from your carburetor. It should go to a filter, then one should go to the pump on the driver's side front of the motor, the other goes back to the tank.

Under car oil leaks prevent rust

Battery trays. I dunno. Is it thin from rust? If still in decent shape, maybe por 15 or sand/wirewheel and prime and paint.

[memsiej]

I
First pic: Positive the hose leads nowhere? If so, get rid of it.
2nd pic. Cruise module. Just tuck it behind the dash.
3rd pic you need to address the rust. Buy a really good set of vice grip pliers and clamp down on those screws and back em out. Use the force!
4th pic: I replied in your other thread.
6th pic: Mine looks the same right now. Order a set of roof rack grommets and screws kit as well as the mount gaskets from BJs off road and stop any leaks. http://www.bjsoffroad.com/Roof-Rack_c_219.html

7 and 8: The rust isn't as bad as some. The frame looks solid from what I can see in the pics. I wouldn't worry about body bushings unless you want to really get into restoration wrenching. BJs also has them. http://www.bjsoffroad.com/Miscellaneous_c_39.html

The engine bay hose may be emissions or fuel related. Follow the fuel line from your carburetor. It should go to a filter, then one should go to the pump on the driver's side front of the motor, the other goes back to the tank.

Under car oil leaks prevent rust

Battery trays. I dunno. Is it thin from rust? If still in decent shape, maybe por 15 or sand/wirewheel and prime and paint.

You, sir, are a god among men. Thank you!! Gonna double check the hose in the cab, try to trace it. Will also get that floor panel up to deal with the rust- i'm sure TGW or BJs will sell a new one.
You've put my mind at ease about so many things!!

Now if only I could figure out what jerk egged it last night

[dodgerammit]

People like that need 3rd world corporal punishment. A good caning or public flogging would go a long way in today's entitled society.

No regard for other's property.

[memsiej]

On the bright side, I got to drive it around a bit on the way to the car wash! But that of course led to the discovery that when I put it in park, it still rolled evvvvver to slightly. Put it in park again, and it seemed to stay put.
Another WTF moment. I've heard something about a parking pawl, gonna try and locate that I guess.

[Phils67]

Congrats on the new toy. Best advice i can give is
1) get a factory service manual (no chiltons or any of that crap, a REAL jeep manual)
2) if you are going to do it, do it right the first time, even if it costs twice as much and takes ten times as long, but in the end build it YOUR way. Its your rig, no one elses.
And last, 3) trial and error and taking from this forum and elsewhere will help you along the way, so when you feel like youre in too deep or are wasting your time, or whatever, ask for help, go and walk away and take a breath and stare at it from your window. You'll remember why you started the project in the first place and fall in love all over again, and it will all make sense.
Welcome to the addiction

[dodgerammit]

On the bright side, I got to drive it around a bit on the way to the car wash! But that of course led to the discovery that when I put it in park, it still rolled evvvvver to slightly. Put it in park again, and it seemed to stay put.
Another WTF moment. I've heard something about a parking pawl, gonna try and locate that I guess.

They should roll a few inches then catch on the pawl. "Park" in an automatic is really neutral with an engagement pin/pawl locking the transmission from rolling. A parking brake is technically supposed to be used to keep from damaging the pawl. Nobody ever does.

[memsiej]

On the bright side, I got to drive it around a bit on the way to the car wash! But that of course led to the discovery that when I put it in park, it still rolled evvvvver to slightly. Put it in park again, and it seemed to stay put.
Another WTF moment. I've heard something about a parking pawl, gonna try and locate that I guess.

They should roll a few inches then catch on the pawl. "Park" in an automatic is really neutral with an engagement pin/pawl locking the transmission from rolling. A parking brake is technically supposed to be used to keep from damaging the pawl. Nobody ever does.

For sure. It just seemed like it'd roll forever, slowly but surely. More than the average 'few inches while the pawl catches'.

[dodgerammit]

Linkage may need adjusted. Think simple and check the easy stuff first.

[1979bettywhite]

You are hitting on a lot of stuff! I recommend that you start a list (you may already have one) and then prioritize that list. Then I would work on just a couple projects at a time. Coming from someone who has been going down the same road as you, you may get overwhelmed with excitement and at the same time get overwhelmed with jobs that need tackling. And in the midst of that you feel like you have a huge mountain to climb and you may get discouraged.

What I have learned most in my little experience with my chief is that I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with it. I too wanted it to be a driver and yet I wanted to have all the best bits and pieces etc. So after much excitement and jumping into many projects on it, I found that I had spent a fair amount on things that really did not get me closer to my goal for it. Not that they weren't things I wanted to do, but maybe should not have focused on them first.

So in my opinion, you need to focus on the mechanical items first. Get everything back in good running order, fix what leaks are there (as they will cause other problems if you don't take care of them) and get the wiring sorted out. You may need to have a shop that has AMC experience give it a good once over. It will be worth the money.

Then I would focus on the interior and all the rust.

You have found the notoriously bad spots on the floor (although they may get worse as you keep digging). Water on the mats and the seized screws in the scuff plate confirms that, usually it is worse the farther forward in the cab you go as well. I had to deal with the same things. Bottom-line, you should take out all the interior (not hard) and pull all the carpet and padding. You may have to drill out some screws to get those scuff plates off. You will probably find quite a bit of surface rust and semi pitted areas (or worse) in the floor pans. You need to know what you are dealing with there and get it stopped/fixed. Plus a new carpet kit from BJs is not expensive and will make a world of difference in the driving enjoyment (won't stink, lol). If the floors are still solid, I recommend sanding/grinding and using POR15. As mentioned before, you should clean out the cowl and the fresh air vents as well. Or you may continue to get water on your brand new carpet.

From your pictures, it looks like you have a fairly notorious power steering leak. You can confirm by monitoring you PS fluid level over some time. But that looks like the are and remnants of a long term leak. I got a rebuilt PS pump and reservoir from Napa and installed and bled it in about an hour. Easy job. No more leaks.

The red hoses you are referring to, as well as the "box", are your heater hoses and your heater core box. While "disgusting", as long as they aren't leaking and your heat is working well, you can leave them be. That box is both fragile and can be expensive if you have to replace. Don't ask me about the current small hole in mine from ratchet damage. As long as you don't smell coolant in the cab and you get nice and toasty when its cold out, no problem. Those hoses actually look like they have already been replaced.

Welcome to the madness. Plenty of fellow inhabitants here at the Jeep Asylum to help you along.

[Phils67]

On the scuff plate screws, smack the head of the screw driver a few times with a hammer before trying to turn them out. Sometimes a few jolts will loosen up any rust in there enough to get them to turn out without stripping the heads. Shocking rusty hardware is good practice in general, especially if you dont have a good torch setup

[memsiej]

Thanks, all! Gonna try and get in there today/tomorrow to work on some of this. Thinking about adjusting the linkage though- I'm having a hard time figuring out how exactly to do that. Anyone have experience?

[1979bettywhite]

The hose on the floor might be one of the vacuum hoses for either the heat or defrost on the vacuum operated switch? Do both heat and defrost vents blow air? Those the only thing I can think of related to that style of hose in the interior.

[dodgerammit]

On the scuff plate screws, smack the head of the screw driver a few times with a hammer before trying to turn them out. Sometimes a few jolts will loosen up any rust in there enough to get them to turn out without stripping the heads. Shocking rusty hardware is good practice in general, especially if you dont have a good torch setup

I forgot to add this. it does work sometimes. my floors are very clean with no rust (somehow) .

A couple of screws came out with shock therapy.

A couple came out with no help.

A few needed the vice grips of death.

I would avoid using a torch around carpet though. I know how Murphy works...

[dodgerammit]

The hose on the floor might be one of the vacuum hoses for either the heat or defrost on the vacuum operated switch? Do both heat and defrost vents blow air? Those the only thing I can think of related to that style of hose in the interior.

Good catch. Definitely make sure the heat switches between blowing out the defrost at the windshield and heat at the floor when changed on the dash control before just tossing that hose. I can show you exactly where that vacuum line is supposed to connect under the hood. Had to repair mine.

[Phils67]

And lube every damn screw, bolt, etc upon reinstallation with a little grease on the threads. You'll thank yourself next time you have to remove them again for whatever reason a few years later. Where there's not grease, there's rust.

[memsiej]

Did I get around to addressing that rust today? Of course not. I fully intended on spending my sunny day off working on mechanical stuff, looking at that rust, ETC but instead I decided to paint. I think I'm still upset about it being egged, and was being vain and wanted it to look pretty.

I had sanded down the rusty spots a few weeks ago. Rookie mistake. They all needed sanding again.


One side taped up and ready to go! Because this was a curbside job, I decided to paint each side separately so I could turn the car around and never be painting in the street.


Rusto Spray Primer


First few coats! Applied as many as I could until I ran out of paint.


How it looks so far! I have plenty of time in the day and I COULD get under the hood, but would rather let the paint cure before I go messing around with it. Ordering more paint and then will finish it up when I have another sunny day off.

[memsiej]

You are hitting on a lot of stuff! I recommend that you start a list (you may already have one) and then prioritize that list. Then I would work on just a couple projects at a time. Coming from someone who has been going down the same road as you, you may get overwhelmed with excitement and at the same time get overwhelmed with jobs that need tackling. And in the midst of that you feel like you have a huge mountain to climb and you may get discouraged.

What I have learned most in my little experience with my chief is that I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with it. I too wanted it to be a driver and yet I wanted to have all the best bits and pieces etc. So after much excitement and jumping into many projects on it, I found that I had spent a fair amount on things that really did not get me closer to my goal for it. Not that they weren't things I wanted to do, but maybe should not have focused on them first.

So in my opinion, you need to focus on the mechanical items first. Get everything back in good running order, fix what leaks are there (as they will cause other problems if you don't take care of them) and get the wiring sorted out. You may need to have a shop that has AMC experience give it a good once over. It will be worth the money.

Then I would focus on the interior and all the rust.

You have found the notoriously bad spots on the floor (although they may get worse as you keep digging). Water on the mats and the seized screws in the scuff plate confirms that, usually it is worse the farther forward in the cab you go as well. I had to deal with the same things. Bottom-line, you should take out all the interior (not hard) and pull all the carpet and padding. You may have to drill out some screws to get those scuff plates off. You will probably find quite a bit of surface rust and semi pitted areas (or worse) in the floor pans. You need to know what you are dealing with there and get it stopped/fixed. Plus a new carpet kit from BJs is not expensive and will make a world of difference in the driving enjoyment (won't stink, lol). If the floors are still solid, I recommend sanding/grinding and using POR15. As mentioned before, you should clean out the cowl and the fresh air vents as well. Or you may continue to get water on your brand new carpet.

From your pictures, it looks like you have a fairly notorious power steering leak. You can confirm by monitoring you PS fluid level over some time. But that looks like the are and remnants of a long term leak. I got a rebuilt PS pump and reservoir from Napa and installed and bled it in about an hour. Easy job. No more leaks.

The red hoses you are referring to, as well as the "box", are your heater hoses and your heater core box. While "disgusting", as long as they aren't leaking and your heat is working well, you can leave them be. That box is both fragile and can be expensive if you have to replace. Don't ask me about the current small hole in mine from ratchet damage. As long as you don't smell coolant in the cab and you get nice and toasty when its cold out, no problem. Those hoses actually look like they have already been replaced.

Welcome to the madness. Plenty of fellow inhabitants here at the Jeep Asylum to help you along.

Oh the first thing I did was start a spreadsheet that color codes the things I need to do by importance. I just want this to be a 'good enough' driver. Not a daily, just a 'take it out once in a while' sort of car. Main thing is I want to learn as much as I can about the restoration process. Luckily, MOST of the mechanical stuff seems to be OK. There are still things to do like adjust the linkage I guess, replace the belts, front brakes, and then get I'll get it looked at by a pro to see how the suspension and steering look.

The rust... oy vey. Thanks for the advice on how to get those screws out.

As for the power steering leak, when I took it in to put in a new fuel tank, he also replaced the power steering line. I check the fluid every so often and it seems good, but then again I'm not driving it much. My hope is that there WAS a power steering leak, but that it's been taken care of.

Thanks again for all the pointers- I know i should've done the rust today but vanity got the best of me. I'll do it later this week while I wait on more paint to arrive.

[memsiej]

Went back out there and yanked off some of the floor plates to get a look at the floor rust. First few photos are from the driver door- not too bad! The carpet was a little damp, but it did rain like a biblical storm yesterday. Obviously there's leakage, but not much. I hope.







These, however, are from the passenger front door. Just opening the door, water trickled out of the door jam onto the road. Couldn't get the bigger plate up, but got the little one off the carpet. Pulled it back, and now I think I'm going to go drive the Wagoneer off a cliff.


\

Looked up under the ceiling where I pulled the headliner and I don't know HOW I missed this before, but there's obviously a leak here. I think dodger mentioned a plug or something that I can get from BJs- any ideas on a quick fix while I wait for that to arrive?



Wondering if all this water up underneath could be why the tailgate isn't working, if any of the wires running along the floor are connected to that. Again, electrical rookie. I have no idea what I'm saying. All I know is, I'm totally screwed.

[1979bettywhite]

The floors don't look too bad, but just remember, the cancer is spreading. If you don't do something to stop it, it will eat its way through the floors. If it were me (and it was not long ago), I would remove all the carpet, and get rid of all the excess paint and rust flake. Take a wire wheel, flap disc etc. to the rusted areas. Clean them as good as possible, and then apply a rust inhibitor like POR15 etc. You can at least stop the spread. And you can get a paintable version of POR15, but my thought is that since it is the floor and most likely covered in carpet, just leave it black.

Same thing on the headliner leak. Looks mainly like surface rust. But I would wire wheel it, rust inhibitor primer, then find a color that matches pretty close. In the meantime, you can get a rubber plug or something from the hardware store to plug it.

You might also want to check the drain plugs in the floorboards as well. They are probably rusted out/through.

What are the wires running to that are taped down to the passenger floorboard?

[memsiej]

Thanks for the insight!
I plan on ripping up the carpet and I HOPE it's leaky because of a clogged cowl. That's my guess, because it's so much worse on the passenger side. I'll find out tomorrow. But yea, the plan is to get that carpet up, and and POR15 the floor, and recarpet.

As for the roof, I can't tell if the water was getting in because of that plug, or if it's getting in from somewhere else and that plug is soggy as a result. Either way, it'll get the sanding/rust repair treatment as well.

I have no effing clue what the wires are. None.