Full Size Jeep Network

I picked up this 89 GW from California. Spent most of its life in CO. This is the best angle, because you can't see the peeling clear coat on the roof and tailgate:


Rougher than it looks but mostly rust free which is a bonus for us east coasters. Can't call it a restoration it's not that far gone. Electrically it was a mess, melted wires, blowing fuses, nonfunctional windows, door locks, turn signals, wipers, cruise control. The rear window was missing, shattered by the previous owner. I'm almost done with the interior repair/refresh. Soon I'll be moving onto tuning, and then suspension.

First lesson learned was how easy I had it with my 77 Bronco, practically every part is available OEM or aftermarket. It's hard finding parts for this thing sometimes...

I've already found lots of answers to my questions here, hopefully I can contribute some as well.

Thanks.

Welcome to the club! Good looking Jeep!

BJ's off road if you haven't already checked them out. They'll have most of the typical parts you'll need as far as lenses, weatherstripping, springs, and other mechanical parts.

Electrically, they aren't any worse than any other vintage ride I own or have owned. They all suffer from corrosion and degraded harnesses.

Coming from an 80s full sized Dodge truck, these have support for days.

Thanks. I've been through the BJ's and TGW sites and I have been checking Facebook and eBay regularly to find the stuff that can't be fixed or replaced with new parts. My Bronco I could literally rebuild from the ground-up with new parts (if I wanted an inferior reproduction version with everything made in China). Complete interiors, new bodies, new frames, every nut, bolt and fastener available in repro form. Just takes some more time searching for parts on the GW, that's ok I like the hunt.

I think I'm just about done with the wiring. I like wiring projects, I don't get many chances to soldier in my everyday life, but the GW has a lot more going on than my past projects. My Bronco and Porsche have simple no frills systems. The Wagoneer is more complex. Fingers crossed, hopefully it will have it's maiden voyage this weekend...

Nice looking truck!

You are correct, these are much more difficult to find parts for but still a great community here that is quite helpful.

Also, your not the only other bronco guy here.... I'm Yeller on Classic as well

jtf9146 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:48 am My Bronco I could literally rebuild from the ground-up with new parts (if I wanted an inferior reproduction version with everything made in China). Complete interiors, new bodies, new frames, every nut, bolt and fastener available in repro form.

Yeah, a lot of reproduction parts aren't what people think they are. Just because you can get it new, doesn't make it a good thing.

Cheers to your project....
OE parts are tough to find... junkyard are seldom getting FSJ, and when they are in the yard, a quick inspection let you know that rust was the major reason... I found an 87, that was eaten raw, the A pillar was almost powder... yes in the SF bay area... the second one a 1989 barely clocked 2000 miles between 2003 and 2020, with plenty of rodent turds in the engine bay, not too sure why, spark plugs looked perfect, may be trans! ... the DMV paper for change of ownership was still inside, so was the for sale sign from the PO ... and less than 99Kmiles... I had to buy the cluster, the charcoal canister and the carb

Welcome! Great community here with a lot of support offered.

The wiring side of these definitely offers a lot of opportunity to improve and upgrade.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Thanks for the welcome! Yeah none of the salvage yards in my area have Wagoneers. Found a nice one in the Atlanta area, tried ordering parts, called the yard, “Son, where are you calling from? I don’t ship anything”. Oh well…

When I was cleaning up the fuse box, I found this kit helpful:
https://www.americanautowire.com/shop/c ... 8AQAvD_BwE

letank wrote: ↑Fri Jan 21, 2022 6:00 pm 1989 barely clocked 2000 miles between 2003 and 2020, with plenty of rodent turds in the engine bay

My Bronco was infested, it lived it’s life in a temporary shelter as a plow truck, hadn’t run in years. There were nests, skeletons, and acorns everywhere… every time I thought I had found the last one there was always another. I had to vacuum out the frame rails, I found bodies in the coolant reservoir (they had chewed off the cap), seats, glovebox, rockers, heater core, heater fan, in the shift boot for the transfer case. The garage smelled like bleach for months…
Now:

So how is this Waggy project coming along?

Welcome. A few years back I had an 81 wagoneer. It was plagued with gremlins that took the fun out of driving it. I sold it with full disclosure. Now have two Cherokees. Both with manual lift gates and windows.