My 1976 Wagoneer Build
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:07 am
So here she is, The newest member of our family. She doesn't have a name yet, but I'm kind of leaning towards Nancy. She looks like a Nancy. lol. I picked her up in Oregon this last weekend and towed her all the way home to Southern California. Can't wait to start tearing into it and getting her all cleaned up.
My original intentions were to drive it daily and work on it as I go. Its current condition is not going to allow me to do that for a little while. Have a few safety issues that need to be worked out first. Overall its in pretty good shape. Floor boards are solid with only superficial surface rust.
Engine: I was hoping it was going to be a 401 car but it has had a heart transplant at some point in its life. VIN states that it is a 401 but block is cast with 360 on it. Still has the 401 air cleaner on it. Right now it has a 360 with a motorcraft 4 barrel carb. It starts up pretty easily with no hesitation or extended cranking. It does smoke a little bit when first started so I think one of the valve seals is leaking or maybe a bad ring. I'll be doing a compression test soon. Speaking of leaks... It has a lot of leaks. I de greased and pressure washed the engine as best as I could yesterday. So now I can start with more of a clean slate and see where the leaks are coming from. I already plan on replacing most of the gaskets on the engine anyways. I plan on eventually rebuilding the motor.
Drivetrain: It has a TH400 trans that shifts pretty smooth. Only issue with the trans is that the front pump seal is leaking pretty bad. I will be bringing that into my work soon and fixing that. Not sure of the condition of the diffs or the QT yet. I ordered some QT fluid from bjs and will be changing out all fluid in the car before I start driving it more.
Interior: The interior is pretty shot. Front bench needs new upholstery. Headliner is torn out. Carpet is thrashed. Dash is cracked. Most of the interior lights do not work. Probably has to do with the mess of wiring under the dash. I will be sorting out the wiring very soon. As far as the dash goes... I plan on taking off the padded portion and just running the metal frame till I figure out what to do next. Can I put a dash from any year Wagoneer or Cherokee in here? I kinda like the full metal dashes out of the late 60's early 70s. Oh I almost forgot the most important thing that preventing me from driving more than a few feet... The steering column is extremely loose. The entire column just past the tilt portion moves side to side. I'm going to pull the steering wheel off and see whats broken in there. Probably just going to end up replacing the entire column. What vehicles are a direct replacement for this? This will be my first repair to be done.
Body: Body is pretty decent shape with no horrible rust. Roof interior has a bit of surface rust from water getting in from the roof rack holes. The exterior trim is all there but is beat up in some spots. So that all will probably have to be replaced.
Suspension: Not quite sure of the condition of the suspension at this time. My immediate plans are to repalce shocks and steering stabilizer and install rustys 2" AAL to accomodate 31" tires. My future plans will be SOA/SF and run 33s.
To Do list:
1. Fix steering column and flashers
2. Check brakes and replace pads/shoes
3. Replace all vital fluids
4. Check condition and chain tension of QT
5. Clean up disconnected wiring from under dash
6. Perform Ammeter bypass (Do I have to change the alt when I do this?)
7. Replace tires
8. Replace cracked windshield
9. Replace all window wipes
10. Weatherstrip
11. Replace door locks and ignition cylinders
12. Carpet
13. TFI upgrade
14. CS144
15. Fix busted A/C compressor
This is obviously a very preliminary list and will be edited as time goes on. I will be asking a ton of questions since this will be my first FSJ build. Thanks in advance for all of the advice!!
Hole in the A/C compressor
Greasy!
PLEASE let me know if something I'm doing is wrong or doesn't make sense. I appreciate constructive criticism.
Better to ask stupid questions than to make stupid mistakes!!
My original intentions were to drive it daily and work on it as I go. Its current condition is not going to allow me to do that for a little while. Have a few safety issues that need to be worked out first. Overall its in pretty good shape. Floor boards are solid with only superficial surface rust.
Engine: I was hoping it was going to be a 401 car but it has had a heart transplant at some point in its life. VIN states that it is a 401 but block is cast with 360 on it. Still has the 401 air cleaner on it. Right now it has a 360 with a motorcraft 4 barrel carb. It starts up pretty easily with no hesitation or extended cranking. It does smoke a little bit when first started so I think one of the valve seals is leaking or maybe a bad ring. I'll be doing a compression test soon. Speaking of leaks... It has a lot of leaks. I de greased and pressure washed the engine as best as I could yesterday. So now I can start with more of a clean slate and see where the leaks are coming from. I already plan on replacing most of the gaskets on the engine anyways. I plan on eventually rebuilding the motor.
Drivetrain: It has a TH400 trans that shifts pretty smooth. Only issue with the trans is that the front pump seal is leaking pretty bad. I will be bringing that into my work soon and fixing that. Not sure of the condition of the diffs or the QT yet. I ordered some QT fluid from bjs and will be changing out all fluid in the car before I start driving it more.
Interior: The interior is pretty shot. Front bench needs new upholstery. Headliner is torn out. Carpet is thrashed. Dash is cracked. Most of the interior lights do not work. Probably has to do with the mess of wiring under the dash. I will be sorting out the wiring very soon. As far as the dash goes... I plan on taking off the padded portion and just running the metal frame till I figure out what to do next. Can I put a dash from any year Wagoneer or Cherokee in here? I kinda like the full metal dashes out of the late 60's early 70s. Oh I almost forgot the most important thing that preventing me from driving more than a few feet... The steering column is extremely loose. The entire column just past the tilt portion moves side to side. I'm going to pull the steering wheel off and see whats broken in there. Probably just going to end up replacing the entire column. What vehicles are a direct replacement for this? This will be my first repair to be done.
Body: Body is pretty decent shape with no horrible rust. Roof interior has a bit of surface rust from water getting in from the roof rack holes. The exterior trim is all there but is beat up in some spots. So that all will probably have to be replaced.
Suspension: Not quite sure of the condition of the suspension at this time. My immediate plans are to repalce shocks and steering stabilizer and install rustys 2" AAL to accomodate 31" tires. My future plans will be SOA/SF and run 33s.
To Do list:
1. Fix steering column and flashers
2. Check brakes and replace pads/shoes
3. Replace all vital fluids
4. Check condition and chain tension of QT
5. Clean up disconnected wiring from under dash
6. Perform Ammeter bypass (Do I have to change the alt when I do this?)
7. Replace tires
8. Replace cracked windshield
9. Replace all window wipes
10. Weatherstrip
11. Replace door locks and ignition cylinders
12. Carpet
13. TFI upgrade
14. CS144
15. Fix busted A/C compressor
This is obviously a very preliminary list and will be edited as time goes on. I will be asking a ton of questions since this will be my first FSJ build. Thanks in advance for all of the advice!!
Hole in the A/C compressor
Greasy!
PLEASE let me know if something I'm doing is wrong or doesn't make sense. I appreciate constructive criticism.
Better to ask stupid questions than to make stupid mistakes!!