Wrong Wag, I might need a different one

[Triumph215]

I have a dilemma. I have a great 1977 401 Wag I bought and after driving it daily it's not going to work for me, I need more highway capability. My intention was to swap an LS engine into it but it's shockingly original and came with purchase documents so I hate to break it up. It's not rusty but it needs painted and while I'm fine to spend for engine or paint but there's no point to spend for both because as soon as I pull the engine the value goes in the tank. What I really need is a Wag with good paint and interior that has a bad heart. I'd be interested to find someone who has a Wag that would work for me and maybe mine would work for them but I don't want to let mine go and have no Wag at all.
Where is the correct place to post about this?

[66stepside]

Where abouts are you located? Do you have pics of your jeep?

What are you looking for?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Triumph215]

I'm in Monterey, Ca and want as late a model as possible with round headlights. No Tan (apologies to all of you with Tan trucks) and the narrow stripe down the side, not the full Woody look.
Decent paint, good enough to shine up and not need another paint job. No rust or at least very little, my truck has one little rust hole about the size of a dime on the driver's rear below the bumper and not along the edge. I can live with repaired rust but I'd like to see pictures of the work. Prefer original paint because things can be hidden under paint.
Good interior with preference to not Tan although I know that will be difficult. My truck is Pewter but the paint is checked and can't be saved, red interior in great shape, needs a headliner.
I don't mind fixing a few things but don't want a project, the LS swap will be project enough. Am looking for a good truck with a tired engine or no engine at all.
Sorry to be picky but I searched patiently for two years before I found a good truck that wasn't rusty and I'm going to want a good one to replace it. I have about $14.5K into mine. I'm hoping this network of likeminded people will know of a truck that would work for me.
I don't have a social media presence so tapatalk refuses to let me in. If you want to PM me your email address I'll send you some pictures if you still have interest.

[letank]

Tough battle... the trucks with round headlights had poor rust prevention treatments aka none... (I have a 74 and an 85, they are real rust buckets) ... I am lucky to have the opportunity to have see many in the junkyards... 86 YM is the beginning of a better paint job, inside the roof, and the quarter panels... better on the electrical with the dumping of the ammeter.
You can always swap an early grille to a late model... but the late model instrument cluster is terrible... there is a lot of glare on the dash lenses, it is really hard to see the gauges... the one we dread to miss: Oil pressure , Temp and ... Gas.
I know that these trucks have a following because of their outstanding look... yes I am an addict. You can cruise at 70mph... everybody is driving 80mph in the 65mph zone... so it is tough... I keep on the right lane and enjoy the mellow sound of the V8...
May be a burb is in your future... one of my kid bought one, a 2013 YM... working AC and power under that skinny pedal!

[Triumph215]

Agree on all points but it's at least asking, maybe I'll get lucky.
I really like the lines of the Wag and the V8, I like the Suburban's too but they're too big in a parking lot for me. I would end up in a 4Runner if I had to buy something new and I don't really want one, all roads lead to the Wagoneer. Bigger than a small SUV, smaller than a big SUV, enough balls to tow a trailer, looks great.
I appreciate you telling me you regularly cruise at 70mph. With no tach I can only guess at rpm's and didn't know how happy the engine would be humming along at that speed.
I'll keep driving it (and fixing things that need attention) for now and wait to see if I get lucky.

[tgreese]

Functionally, in a 4x4 sense the WJ Grand Cherokee is quite close to a Wagoneer. 2004 was its last year. It's the last live axle vehicle other than the Wrangler models that was offered by Jeep. Available with the Quadradrive, which is perhaps the finest passive 4WD system ever offered. Came with an optional 4.9L HO V8 of modern design. Way more technically advanced than a W/GW, and Jeep made a lot of them. Lots to recommend them, if you want a medium sized station wagon with the same class of off-road capability.

I like my KL Cherokee as a similar platform. I was looking at WJs just before I bought my used KL... considered a 4.0L HO WJ and swapping in Quadradrive axles. You can buy a nice WJ with a little cosmetic body damage for practically nothing. Another $1000 for axles from a junkyard. But I don't need another project car. My KL has a 60:1 crawl ratio and gets ca 26 mpg at a constant 70 mph. Any WJ is lucky to break 20 mpg. Technology has progressed a lot since 2000, much less 1960.

In comparison, the Wagoneer platform is really old (designed ca 1960), with several antiquated features including suspension and body design. The aerodynamics of a W/GW are terrible, and you'll never get as good fuel economy as the LS donor you seem focused on. Wind noise, road noise, poor ride and handling, poor braking, poor weather and rust resistance, lack of aftermarket support... JMO - I think a lot of the GW's popularity is based on how the owners feel the car looks on them, rather than the vehicles utility.

Don't get me wrong - I like them well enough - but I think their price and availability have gotten out of sight for what they provide. And I also think it's mistaken to think you can get modern performance out of this platform by dropping in a newer engine. Nothing wrong with the LS as a swap - it's probably the best compromise of cost and modernity - but the W/GW is still a mid 20th century platform.

[letank]

X2 as above... Tim has a good overview of vehicle ownership... I would say that an engine swap is a big loss of $$$ with no real gains if you do a TOC (total cost of owership)
Knock on wood, my engine is still good... but I know that I am on borrowed miles... but always have a ignition box, and a distributor on long trips with a timing light.... and an electric fuel pump, fuel pressure gauge and voltmeter... know my electrical system so I can do an ignition switch bypass... Albeit I can get puzzled and make wrong diagnostics.
Good point the burbs are longer yachts... the Grand Cherokee has advantages... but if towing is your focus... remember that diesel is the way to go ... and that is a big chunk of $$$ with a lot more maintenance considerations

As for highway rpm at 70mph around 3000