New to me, 1972 Wagoneer!

[W300]

Edit: Revised topic title, I'll use this post to chronicle my progress.

Got the y-pipe off this weekend and dropped the transmission pan. Transmission fluid looks good, no metal shavings or gunk in the pan. Replaced the filter and got everything bolted up in place and topped up with fresh ATF.

Y-pipe has some horrible welds on it and lots of dents. The muffler is blown open and the exhaust pipe from the muffler back looks like swiss cheese, so that's all coming out. One of the studs on the manifold that the y-pipe connects to is bent out so the two studs are kind of like a V, makes it really hard to get the flange off. Not sure how that could happen?

Will need to get some new exhaust installed, was thinking of picking up the Hedman Headers from BJ's, but I saw a post alluding to discussion on the forum that the stock manifolds are preferable? I couldn't find any threads explaining this....

[tgreese]

As iron manifolds go, the AMC V8 manifolds pre-1980 are considered good (as in, not restrictive). Headers will give you better performance; however, they have their drawbacks. Compared to iron manifolds, the are noisy, transmitting more engine noise through the thinner metal. They will leak more than iron manifolds, both at the cylinder head and at the pipe. They raise the under hood temperature a lot. Keeping them sealed between the pipe and the header can be difficult, especially on a Jeep that sees any time on the trail where there is a lot of movement between the engine, frame and body. They are expensive. They tend to rust through and break long before iron manifolds. Strictly hot rod or race car tech, IMO. Some will argue that add-ons like exotic gaskets, high-tech coatings, special connectors and insulating wraps address some of these issues. Maybe, at added effort and expense.

JMO - I want quiet, not loud. You can have your muffler shop build an H or X dual exhaust and get the tone and increased performance you want without the headache of tubing headers. The exhaust system on a Jeep takes a lot of abuse, and adding headers makes it that much more vulnerable and expensive to keep in good order.

[W300]

Thanks for the info! Gotta say I'm not super impressed with these cone shaped seals to the existing y-pipe. I got the old y-pipe bolted back up, now I'm trying to get the old muffler and exhaust pipe out, lots of PB Blaster soaking. Previous owner installed a muffler shield of expanded metal that supports the muffler, but I need to remove the entire thing to get the muffler out. There's also a full length skid plate under the gas tank, are those stock?

Since the front is all installed, I dropped the front and put the rear-end up on jack stands to start checking out brakes. Before I dropped it, I noticed the front leaf spring is about 3/4 inch away from the bump stop. I'm guessing these springs are shot, and I need to replace all the suspension. Once I jacked the rear up, I noticed that the shocks have a load leveling coil spring on them?

Load Leveling Shock?

I'm guessing this is due to the rear springs being shot as well. Since I need to replace the springs anyway, thinking about getting the 4" lift kit springs from BJ's. I'm not planning on doing any hardcore off-roading in this thing, but I would like it a little taller. Right now It's shorter than my wife's CRV! Looks like the other option is a spring over axle setup on the front and shackle reverse kit in the rear with new stock springs, but I read somewhere that results in 6+ inches? That seems a bit much, and the issues with steering geometry makes me worried. What's the preferred route for a semi-daily driver, with occasional mild offroad trips?

[tgreese]

In the day, they used a composition gasket on that flared seal. Probably made with asbestos then. Like the exhaust-manifold-to-block seal, they were eliminated in favor of a direct steel-on-iron (or iron-on-iron) seal. The later manifolds have a sealing surface cast-in that has a shape to mate with the flare of the pipe - no gasket. There used to be a steel ring available that eliminated the composition gasket for these older manifolds, mimicking the more modern manifold design.

If you search for "header buddies" these are a similar flared end that eliminate the usual flat gasket on a flange that you get with most headers. The CJ guys like these. On a Jeep that sees much trail use, due to the flexing and rock hits it's almost impossible to keep those flat gaskets sealed.

Fuel tank skid plate is factory. IIRC it was an option in those years, though a popular option. My bare-bones J10 does not have one, for example. Any harder use than dirt roads, you pretty much need it.

Leaf springs sag with age. Just part of the package. Yes, the coil overs are likely a band aid against so-called "wag sag" where the back rides low.

I don't know about the spring options. Certainly new factory-height springs will put the Jeep up higher than it is. There should be a 2-2.5" lift kit available, which will end up 3" higher than now or better. You could also have springs made (Alcan, Deaver, local shop) that could be any height you want. These Jeeps were purpose-built for low ride height and low COG, with the drive train placed up into the chassis for clearance. You were supposed to be able to step into a Wagoneer easily, just like a passenger car.

[Tanker]

Looks like brakes need some changes as well... Those look like fun if the material brakes off...

[W300]

Yep, brakes are in the process of being replaced, just finished replacing everything in the rear, working on the fronts now.

[W300]

Hurt my back two weeks ago, so I've been taking some time off from the Wagoneer. Rear brake shoes and hardware have been replaced, and the drums turned, working on the fronts now. I also got the TGW tailgate weatherstripping repair kit, so I'm trying to get that all replaced.

My tailgate glass has a piece of chrome trim that attaches to window channel and wraps all the way around the glass. The channel needs to be replaced due to one of the regulator arm slots being broken. The replacement channel does not have a place to screw the chrome trim back on. I'm wondering if I need to put the chrome trim back on? The edge of the glass is kinda rough, so I think I need it. Any suggestions on how to reattach?

Also, the whether stripping in the channel in the body that the glass sits in when rolled up is pretty much non existent on the vertical portions. I have a new rubber piece that goes in there, but the old stuff appears to be glued in, and is not coming out easily. Any suggestions on getting the old seal out? I'm just hoping I'm missing something and this could be far less difficult than it appears it will be.