New FSJ Owner Here

[AlexJordan22]

Hey everyone, I bought a 1984 Grand Wagoneer about a year ago and finally got it to my driveway. It's got a few problems but is really a good starting point. At one point in time it was stolen so the column is all messed up, but I can turn it over with some pliers and the tilt and turn signals still function so I'm not too worried about it at this time. I've been working on getting all the doors opened up and all windows/locks working as well as some engine stuff to get it going. It turns over when hooked to a battery and will fire if I pour fuel or starting fluid in the carb. Here are my current known issues:

Needs fuel pump
Drivers plastic window track broken
Driver rear and passenger front window motors don't work
Driver rear door is the only lock actuator that makes noise, but none of them do anything
Tailgate window did roll down and up with the dash switch but that stopped shortly after I tried it
Passenger rear door wont open (I think it's locked, but I can't pull the lock up to unlock it)
Steering column is damaged but functional
Drivers power seat seems to work in every direction except backwards
Headlight switch wont pull out, assuming it's frozen
Needs tires

[Yeller]

welcome aboard!

Nice looking start. Don't forget a good brake check as well, rubber lines, calipers, wheel cylinders and master cylinder are common failures in older trucks.

[SJTD]

The column is the same a GM so all the busted stuff should be easy to find.

[AlexJordan22]

The column is the same a GM so all the busted stuff should be easy to find.

Do you know anything more about which years and vehicles would fit? That would help me a ton since I could probably find one in the JY from a GM.

[tgreese]

Has potential. The two big problems for a project car are (in my opinion) extensive rust and completeness. If you have not, you should pull up the carpets and look at the floors.

Regarding the column, it's a commodity column from GM, although it would have been built with the length and equipment spec'd by Jeep. Electrically it's the same, but the wire colors won't match a GM app. If the color not matching were ok for you, you could look for a similar year GM vehicle with a tilt column. Seems like these commodity parts follow a few years behind the current offering of the suppliers, ie you won't find the latest innovations in GM or Ford parts on a Jeep vehicle. Jeep/AMC has their own engines, but they use commodity parts in many places, like transmissions, steering, ignition, starting, etc.

There are a few Jeep junkyards around the nation that focus on these vehicles. Might be helpful to include your general location in your signature or header or posts. You could also try car-part.com and search local junkyards. There's also a want-to-buy (WTB) area here and at IFSJA, along with listings of parts cars.

Welcome from Boston!

[AlexJordan22]

Has potential. The two big problems for a project car are (in my opinion) extensive rust and completeness. If you have not, you should pull up the carpets and look at the floors.

Regarding the column, it's a commodity column from GM, although it would have been built with the length and equipment spec'd by Jeep. Electrically it's the same, but the wire colors won't match a GM app. If the color not matching were ok for you, you could look for a similar year GM vehicle with a tilt column. Seems like these commodity parts follow a few years behind the current offering of the suppliers, ie you won't find the latest innovations in GM or Ford parts on a Jeep vehicle. Jeep/AMC has their own engines, but they use commodity parts in many places, like transmissions, steering, ignition, starting, etc.

There are a few Jeep junkyards around the nation that focus on these vehicles. Might be helpful to include your general location in your signature or header or posts. You could also try car-part.com and search local junkyards. There's also a want-to-buy (WTB) area here and at IFSJA, along with listings of parts cars.

Welcome from Boston!

Thank you!

I'll check and see if I have any Jeep junkyards around me. This one looks very complete, just been neglected for far too long. I'm still working on getting all 4 doors to open. Once I do that I plan to pull the seats and carpet and give everything a good cleaning and inspection.

[tgreese]

From car-part, '84 in MO, ca $700.

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[SJTD]

$700, Yikes! Should be able to do much better at the junk yard.

I got one for about $125 from a '86ish Cherokee and used the interior parts with the Wag shaft and tube so it mated right up to the box but I have a stick. Cherk has a floor shift.

Where are you? Looks like I have some of the stuff you need I think.

[Stuka]

The column is the same a GM so all the busted stuff should be easy to find.

Do you know anything more about which years and vehicles would fit? That would help me a ton since I could probably find one in the JY from a GM.

Pre-IFS GM's down to like, 73ish work as I recall. You may have to do some parts mixing between yours and the GM one. But you really only need the mid section there, which should all be the same. The only difference I can think of is where it interfaces with the firewall.

[AlexJordan22]

$700, Yikes! Should be able to do much better at the junk yard.

I got one for about $125 from a '86ish Cherokee and used the interior parts with the Wag shaft and tube so it mated right up to the box but I have a stick. Cherk has a floor shift.

Where are you? Looks like I have some of the stuff you need I think.

I'm in Spokane, WA but always up for a road trip

[AlexJordan22]

The column is the same a GM so all the busted stuff should be easy to find.

Do you know anything more about which years and vehicles would fit? That would help me a ton since I could probably find one in the JY from a GM.

Pre-IFS GM's down to like, 73ish work as I recall. You may have to do some parts mixing between yours and the GM one. But you really only need the mid section there, which should all be the same. The only difference I can think of is where it interfaces with the firewall.

Next time I go I'll check them out and see how similar they are. If I find one fairly close I'll just grab it and lay them out and figure it out. Thanks!

[letank]

Welcome to the asylum, as for the column, you can pull the ignition switch which is at the bottom of the column, or above the brake pedal. Loosen the column enough to be able to reach the ignition switch bolts that sit above the column, it is a pain a small ratcheting wrench is good -disconnect battery first to prevent jeepBBQ- Disconnect remove the electrical 10 or 12 pin connector by slightly pressing or spreading the tangs. When the switch is in your hand , you will have a dangling rod that is connected to the key ignition, reverse the electrical switch (hang it upside down, holding it w zip ties) so you can slip the end of the bend rod into the proper slot, pull to turn on, pull more to crank starter, release upon start.
I used this system for some time, until I found a good column.


check John's pages at https://wagoneers.com/
https://wagoneers.com/tech/Tilt-Column-Repair/ALL.html

Good looking rig, a bit of mildew consistent with the northwest weather, even if Spokane is on the dry side!

[AlexJordan22]

Welcome to the asylum, as for the column, you can pull the ignition switch which is at the bottom of the column, or above the brake pedal. Loosen the column enough to be able to reach the ignition switch bolts that sit above the column, it is a pain a small ratcheting wrench is good -disconnect battery first to prevent jeepBBQ- Disconnect remove the electrical 10 or 12 pin connector by slightly pressing or spreading the tangs. When the switch is in your hand , you will have a dangling rod that is connected to the key ignition, reverse the electrical switch (hang it upside down, holding it w zip ties) so you can slip the end of the bend rod into the proper slot, pull to turn on, pull more to crank starter, release upon start.
I used this system for some time, until I found a good column.


check John's pages at https://wagoneers.com/
https://wagoneers.com/tech/Tilt-Column-Repair/ALL.html

Good looking rig, a bit of mildew consistent with the northwest weather, even if Spokane is on the dry side!

Thats some very...useful info you have there! lol luckily the piece inside the column that turns with the key is still there, so I just put some small vice grips on it and i can turn it just like I would turn the key to crank it over. I got a battery and a fuel pump & filter today so I plan to blow the lines out and plop those parts on her and see what happens, for better or worse.

[will e]

Welcome from Phoenix! Looks like a good start for a project.

I see the 68 Cougar in your sig. What's the story on that?

[AlexJordan22]

Welcome from Phoenix! Looks like a good start for a project.

I see the 68 Cougar in your sig. What's the story on that?

My dad and I bought the car together in 2007, splitting the purchase price of $1,350. It was a show car in the 90s (nothing crazy, just stock rebuild type of show car) but was in an accident after the owner hit another car and ran. The hood came unlatched and flew up, hitting the top of the windshield trim and ripped the hinges out. It had a damaged fender and grille. The previous owner was very involved in the Cougar community in the Northwest. He had 3 when I met him, the one I bought ('68 blue with black top and black interior), he had a similar one for his wife ('68 blue car with white top and white interior, and then he had a black '69 convertible. After he crashed mine he ended up selling his fleet and moving somewhere else and hasn't really been heard from since. I've reached out to try and see if he could send me some older photos of the car with no luck. The car was in a garage at my dads house but unfortunately my dad passed and I had to scramble to find somewhere to keep it. Thankfully a friend let me keep all 3 of these at his property, but they were outside the whole time unprotected.

At the time I had a '67 Cougar which was very rusty, but I was able to take the parts needed from that and install it on the cougar. I was ~19 at the time. Then life got in the way. I went to college, got married, had kids, got a job which moved me a couple states away, etc. So my cars sat two states away for ~6 years. I recently got back to WA state and bought a house and was able to bring all my cars home which is why they look like they've been in a jungle for so long. The Zephyr looked the same way before I cleaned it up.

The Zephyr was the first car I brought home and needed a lot of work to get back going again. It needed a new floorpan, new carpet, a full interior clean, power steering pump, and front suspension work. I've since replaced the front control arms, installed camber plates, lowering springs in the front, new tires, and all new calipers and brake fluid. I've been focused on that car and am almost to a point that I can drive it reliably again. It's a 302 with a t-5 5-speed swapped in, 5 lug conversion from a 95 Mustang GT (so it has 95 Mustang disc brakes front and rear along with the 8.8 rear end 3.27 Trak-Lok), aluminum driveshaft from a 2wd V8 Explorer.

The Cougar now has a 306 with aluminum heads, roller cam, and a 4-speed AOD. The rear leaf springs are sagging badly but it does indeed have an engine installed in these photos. I have to finish installing the electric fuel pump and adjust the TV cable of the AOD to get it going again, but I haven't even touched it since I got it back. The roof under the vinyl top has become EXTREMELY rusted out so I have a spare roof that I will be using as a donor for the skin this winter. You can see the spare roof sitting on the wall behind the Cougar.

The Jeep is my newest purchase and I think it will run after I replace the fuel pump, filters, and blow the lines out (or replace whatever lines are rotted). So I've got some work to do, but I'm happy I finally have all my projects in one place so I can make progress. This forum has already taught me a bunch of stuff that I'll be doing during the winter months here. Here are a few photos of them.

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[will e]

Thanks for the stories on the other cars! I loved those years of Cougars. It's a good looking car but looks like you have your hands full of projects! At my age I can barely keep up with just two old rigs.

[AlexJordan22]

Thanks for the stories on the other cars! I loved those years of Cougars. It's a good looking car but looks like you have your hands full of projects! At my age I can barely keep up with just two old rigs.

It's true, currently 6 cars and 1 old moped is proving to be too much. I have a pile of parts ready to be installed on 5 out of my 6 cars, so finding time to get out there and knock some of it out has proven difficult but we will get there!

Luckily my ideas have gotten more realistic the older I get. I used to have grand ideas of a big block cougar with a 4-speed and AC, a Coyote swapped Zephyr and blah blah blah. Now I just want my vehicles to work properly, be somewhat enjoyable to drive, and not give anyone Tetanus.

[AlexJordan22]

Pressure washed the Jeep finally and it looks much better! The Jeep came with 31x10.50x15s which are all trash as you can see. From what I read those will rub anyways so I'm going to find some decent 235/75/15 cheap tires to put on until I get everything sorted to where I can actually drive it.

My passenger rear door was frozen shut. I was able to remove the backseat, remove the door panel and look inside to lube everything up with no change. I removed the out handle to get a better look and could see that even with the inside handle or outside button full pressed, the latch wouldn't rotate free on it's own. I posted my problem on the FB group and people said to make sure the interior handle was pulled to the "open" position and kick it open from the inside.

I kicked about 10 times and it didnt budge, so against my better judgment I threw a ratchet strap on where the door handle mounts and pulled it tight, went back in and kicked her as hard as I could and finally on the 3rd kick it popped open. My door latch is trash (got another one coming) but what a relief! Once my door latch comes in I'll have everything I need to make all 4 windows and locks work as they should.

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[1978J10REDWHITE]

If I recall right there was a guy in southern-mid Oregon maybe Eugene area, had an entire steering column this color for $100. I'll look a bit to see If I can locate his contact info "Hope and pray he still has it, would be a score for you here..

[Stuka]

Vinyl tops are the worst. They inevitably let water in, and then it has no way to get out. So they just silently rust away without anybody knowing.

For tire size on the Jeep, a lot of people get away with 31's with no lift. It depends on the condition of the springs. You could always go down on size to 30x9.50, which is still an LT tire. 235 is roughly 28" tall, and many of them are passenger rated, which you don't want on a heavier vehicle.