When your wife is not quite satisfied with her classic SUV, and you specialize in building high-horsepower vehicles, you might create something like this blinding red Jeep. Never intended as a show-quality build, the 1978 Jeep Wagoneer in Trappe, Maryland boasts new and upgraded parts end-to-end. On road or off, this tough-looking SUV can handle daily driving or (if you don’t mind its thirst for fuel) long trips. Affectionately known as Cliff, this big red dog hauler is hard not to like.
Holley Sniper EFI tops a custom-built General Motors LS with forged internals. The naturally aspirated 500 HP described in the listing will definitely get you to Grandmother’s house on time. What looks like the factory air cleaner housing makes a comical nod to the anemic stock V8. An overhauled cooling system never rises above 199 F, according to the seller.
New upholstery suits the double-red rider perfectly. Vintage Air will “freeze you out,” according to the listing. Too bad the cheesy aftermarket arm rest doesn’t come in maroon or red. A three-speed GM TH400 handles gear changes, mating to the Quadra Trac transfer case. With all the effort put into this rig, it’s surprising nobody could engineer an overdrive automatic to match the other 21st-century upgrades.
Period-correct five-slot wheels with 31-inch tires and a two-inch lift give this Wagoneer a purposeful look without going overboard. Imperfections in the body and what looks like peeling paint on the roof could be readily addressed by the buyer… or not. It’s much easier to arrange and pay for painting than to embark on the research, engineering, and fabrication done so far.
This last-year all-metal grille looks more akin to earlier models than those sold through 1991. Check out more pictures and links to build videos here on eBay. At least four bidders have the market value on this resto-mod Jeep above $12,000 so far, a fraction of the sum of its parts. What would you change on this updated vintage Wagoneer?
With all due respect, I and hopefully other Jeep/AMC fans will as well, take offense to the “anemic stock V8” remark. I’m completely disappointed in a swap like this. Despite being one of the worst vehicles I owned( think Scotty Gs Trail Duster) I still hold fast my affection for Jeeps, but I’m appalled the builder would go this route. The 360 was AMCs most popular motor, and did well. If you want more power, the 401 was more than adequate, and stays true to the vehicle,,,but today, who cares apparently. The SJ was groundbreaking, claimed to start the whole SUV thing, but an LS motor simply wasn’t in the plan. I say, boo-hisssssss,,,and 199 is too hot, I like a cool motor.
Hi Howard. Thanks for your comments as always. Not to disparage the AMC 360 in general, but the 1978 Jeep 360 had 160 horsepower, not unlike similar motors of the age. You all can decide if that’s anemic or not. I wouldn’t call the AMC V8 unreliable or poorly designed, etc. but that’s 2.0L I4 power these days. I’ll bet you’d crack a smile in this rig every time you punched the go pedal, even if you didn’t want to. Cheers -Todd
Hey Todd, sorry, don’t buy it. The 360 was capable of 480 HP. but was more of a utilitarian motor, all out speed was never a Jeep attribute, but seemed to morph into one. I come from a different time, when an LS motor was for 1/4 mile Chevelles and such, leave the poor Jeep out of this. My ’78 Jeep Cherokee had the 6 cylinder, and guess what? It did just fine. Quite frankly, I’d think a motor like this wouldn’t work well in a slow, 4×4 application, and what Jeeps are known for, slogging through the slop. 1/4 miles, not so much. Just another in the long list of in America, more must be better, but I can say, not here. Thanks for the shout. :)
Being a previous Jeep owner, I’m not sure that using the word “speed” and “Jeep” in the same sentence is a good idea. Kind of like talking about “Lamborghini” and “ground clearance” or “load capacity”.
I’m really with you on this one Todd. I’m NOT one of those drop an LS in everything people. To be honest some of them like in a Foxbody Mustang or Panther Platform Crown Vic kind of bothers me. I can’t remember the year but it was a fullsize 2 door Cherokee Chief. It had the AMC 360 as did a Grand Wagoneer my ex-wife and I owned. Not a bad engine. Sucks gas like a fully loaded 72 Cadillac though. Possibly worse. I’ll give the LS due credit. A very good engine with a Japanese engine type lifespan if maintained properly. Very readily available parts. It will get better MPGs than an AMC 360. I realize that a vehicle like this is not now nor never was an economy car but constantly filling up gets old. I wouldn’t have went through the effort of the swap but I think it’s awesome that someone else did. I’m honestly not in the market but if I was, I’d definitely throw my hat in the ring. As always, great writeup.
I’m with you on this one Howard.
My 79 Cherokee Chief with a 360 was just the right kind of monster. The only thing I did was strip extraneous emissions bits and open up the breathing as I could. That and lockout hubs for the front axle. The guy I bought the truck from had swapped out the Quadra track for a real deal manual j-10 transfer case.
Not the fastest truck out there but it put a smile on my face every time I stabbed the go pedal. And it was thoroughly capable for whatever in 4x low!
Ok i got to put in my 2cents. Had a 78 Cherokee full size 2 door. 4×4 360 with holley 4 barrel 4 on the floor with 1st gear creeper gear. It went down the road like nobody’s business. Never got stuck and sounded sweet with headers and duals!! Not every vehicle needs a ls motor for gods sake!!
I am with u on this one Howard 😎
A lot of hate for LS engines on this listing. Strange, because the majority of LS engines are found in Chevrolet and GMC pickups. Nothing quarter mile specific to them.
Hi Tony, not hate, really, GM V8s are simply the best there is. We learned that at a very early age. We grew up with them, like me, they will be 70 next year.I realize brand loyalty has gone out the window today, but it never used to be that way. A different companies motor in a certain vehicle was considered blasphemy. You made what came stock work. And splitting hairs, I mean, this is done clearly for attention, oh boy, an LS motor, well, let’s take a look see,,and whether us purists like it or not, this is what is going to sell, BECAUSE of the motor.
Love it. Great looks, modern parts availability. Install looks to be very well done. Would drive the wheels off this thing.
Too many people are “appalled” and “offended” these days. Put your feeling aside and enjoy what the owner has done. Today’s powerplants can make giant HP in a fraction of the weight of yesteryear.
I love the build and think 12K is cheap for this truck.
Well done
Howard, I fully agree with you again, and John Eder too…leave the vehicle as it was intended when it came down the assembly line!!! The high HP cars are in the next lot over!! Enjoy!
Clifford is a big red dog, right?
To me, this is one of those silly conversions that never gets what was put in it. Sorry, but if you are showing shiny paint, there shouldn’t be blotches of rust under the hood right next to a shiny, well-presented *engine* (originality aside). Also, if spending that much money, why not fix the small areas of rust and take care of the “character” dents and bruises if you want to recover your costs?
I say no harm, no foul. Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, it seemed every other Jeep CJ was running a small block Chevy. This is the modern day version. If this was a pristine 100% original truck to start with, I would be against the modifications. This appears to be very well done and at the end of the day, you have a reliable, easy to service and tastefully modified vehicle with OEM like appearance. The Dakota Digital RTX series of gauges are simply awesome. I installed a set in my 70 El Camino SS probably 5 years ago, best upgrade ever!
Back in the day of ohc 6’s and Rambler 327’s I much preferred my 2 later Jeeps with Buick 350’s and turbo hydramatics. Pretty bulletproof imo.
To each their own, the LS in this turns me off. My self, I would have installed a 71 or 72 AMC 401 with fuel injection if I was looking to double the hp of the 78 360. But as has been said, these Jeeps were great just the way they came from the factory. They were hard to beat when used for their intended purpose. The LS installation instantly lowered the value of this for me. Solid examples of these Jeeps are getting hard to find. Should have left it alone.
I remember looking at Bill Harris wagon in Reno with a Ferrari 12 cylinder engine in the lobby of his collection. At the time ,I was working at his cassino…