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I just purchased a 1976 Wagoneer 3 speed. I'm in the process of determining priorities on what needs to be done. Also trying to determine whether to take it back to all original look or restomod. The PO said he had replace the front leaf springs and all shocks but the ride seems very rough. I'm not sure how normal that is? I also need to get several gauges working, replace rear bumper, headliner, dash and possibly the seats.

Does the value drop much for the stick 3 speed?

Welcome! Nice looking rig.
The wheels are the late model version (86-91)
Difficult to tell color from the picture. Is it original?

Lift seems to very much depend on brand. I have a BDS 4” on my 88, installed in ‘04. The rear is rather stiff, but i haven’t flexed it much as it hasn’t been on the road that much.. The front is fine. 76 will use a different setup, so not sure on those.

Shocks can make a big difference as well.

there are threads in the forum where folks with more experience than I on the late 70’s springs and such.

No side trim? Interesting. Bench seats?

Didn't know about the wheels. Thanks for that info. Any info on the 3 speed stick? Are there many around? Is that desirable in any case?

The color is not original and it's a bad paint job. I'm a little worried to find out what's underneath. There is no rust to speak of. It was originally a U.S. Forest Service vehicle. The interior is a dark green, almost black. You can see some of the original light lime green from the USFS. Has some nasty bench seats. Don't know if they are original. I have my eye on some black leather seats taken out of a GM. Going to paint a dash I bought on ebay. The floors are all kind of a truck bed lining material. I got in a large roof basket today to put on it.

I've just got to work on the suspension and try to get a better ride out of her. I feel like I took an ol' fashioned beating after a drive!

JakeBlues wrote:Didn't know about the wheels. Thanks for that info. Any info on the 3 speed stick? Are there many around? Is that desirable in any case?

The color is not original and it's a bad paint job. I'm a little worried to find out what's underneath. There is no rust to speak of. It was originally a U.S. Forest Service vehicle. The interior is a dark green, almost black. You can see some of the original light lime green from the USFS. Has some nasty bench seats. Don't know if they are original. I have my eye on some black leather seats taken out of a GM. Going to paint a dash I bought on ebay. The floors are all kind of a truck bed lining material. I got in a large roof basket today to put on it.

I've just got to work on the suspension and try to get a better ride out of her. I feel like I took an ol' fashioned beating after a drive!

I wouldn't worry about desirability. The big question is do you like it? Is it a 3 speed column shift? That would be neat to me, but I like quirky.

Welcome to the asylum 3-speed is great because it is stout and you won't have to deal with burnout auto transmission or hard to find Quadratrac bits and pieces which is the transfer case that you have. On the 3-speed you have the Dana 20 transfer case otherwise on a usfs specs, bench is standard, so are the HD leaf springs, ooops, I see leafs replaced, so it probably a rough country kit.... make sure thst the nuts are not overly tight on the shackles
watch for your distributor being the prestolite w 2 vacuum control canister... known as preto no lite, but search here one member claims that it is an easy fix such as having good ground
and of course the ammeter bypass

Added FSJunkie solution for the prestolite

the post answer in the middle http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10761


Prestolite works great if you know how to fix it. 30,000 trouble-free miles on my own Prestolite so far.

You're problem is likely the module. One of the solder connections inside has cracked and breaks contact when it gets hot then makes contact again when it cools. Replacing the module for $35 is the easiest option, or you could melt the potting material out of the control module and resolder the connection. There aren't many components inside a Prestolite module, just a few capacitors, resistors, and transistors. You could probably build one from scratch with generic components. A good module will last 50,000 miles or more.

Sensors seldom go bad but they can get out of adjustment and hit the rotor. They should be adjusted to never hit the rotor no matter what vacuum is applied to the vacuum advance. The sensor wires are fragile and the electrical signal within is sensitive to the length and gauge of the wire, so splices and repairs must be handled with care to duplicate the original. Try to keep the sensor wires away from the spark plug wires and use dielectric grease on the connections to prevent corrosion.

A few drops of oil on the wick under the rotor will help prevent wear. It's a good idea to clean and lubricate the mechanical advance weight pivots and cams once every 40 years along with the upper bearing.

Carry a spare module and ignition coil with you.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I look forward to learning a lot here!

It is a 3 speed stick.