A friend of mine sent in this 1983 Jeep Cherokee two-door to list as a Barn Finds Exclusive, as he found it in a shipping container in Georgia and has gotten it running and driving quite nicely. These are desirable trucks in almost any form, but the two-doors are becoming increasingly collectible. The truck is by no means perfect and has some small rust spots, but it’s a great candidate for driving as-is or restoring back to new – I doubt you’ll have a difficult time making your money back if you choose that route. The Jeep sports its numbers matching 360 with what is believed to be 150,000 original miles. It is located in Blue Ridge, Georgia and listed for $5,000. There are a ton of pictures in the gallery below.
One of the only real issues the Cherokee has is for the rear window to be mounted back onto the regulator. Otherwise, the automatic transmission shifts as it should, brakes work strong, and all the windows go up and down. The body is in very decent shape for the year, and the seller notes that rust is limited to some small spots in front of the rear wheels and isolated spots in the floor. Tail lamp lenses look to be crack-free and the shiny bits all present well. The bumpers look laser-straight, too, as does the body up and down the sides. The photo gallery shows the spot of rust in the lower sill on the passenger side.
The interior will definitely need some tidying up, as it needs a new carpet kit and the door panels could stand to be refreshed. The dash looks presentable and it doesn’t appear to have been hacked up. The original radio is missing, but those aren’t too hard to track down on eBay. The good news is with the carpet out of the way, you can see exactly what you’re working with for rust work needed in the floors, and it’s nothing major. Plenty of good parts trucks still exist and pop up in local junkyards, so you should be able to address the floor rust pretty easily. Take a look at the gallery photos below – it’s not bad. The backseat is in nice shape.
The 360 is said to be healthy, with the seller spending some money under the hood to make it into a reliable runner. He’s installed a new alternator, belts, and starter relay, and that’a all it needed to drive down the road without issue. Four wheel drive works and engages as it should. The Cherokee has been in Georgia all of its life, which explains the mostly rust-free condition. As an owner of another vintage SUV from the Peach State, I can tell you they don’t rot out down there so long as they’re not left in the muck. This Cherokee needs a modest amount of cosmetic work to make it an attractive weekend truck, or take it a step further and make it into a sweet restomod. Or, do nothing at all other than get in and drive it. Reach out via the form below for more information.
- Price: $5,000
- Title Status: Clean
Gotta wonder, why was it in a shipping container in Georgia?
I had a 77 Wagoneer, 360/4bbl. Engine pulled like crazy, a real tank in the snow, quadratrac AWD system always worked great. (except when low on the very expensive at the time, quadratrac fluid)
But I’m not very nostalgic about it. Rust got to it, much like this one. Pwr tailgate would sometimes work, probably bad ground with the corrosion in the hinges. Due to rust I had to re-make seat belt attachment points for rear seats to strap the kiddies in.
Build quality nothing to write home about, so I’m not sure if these will ever become really collectible. Dunno about 5 grand for this puppy………..
I also had one just like this , real Bear in mud and snow . I had to replace the timing chain , other wise except for fighting rust it was a good vehicle , so good when my wife left me she took it !
I had a couple earlier models!! One way a straight six with a three speed on the column!! The second had a small V-8 with the three speed column shift too!! They were bears in the woods and snow but rusted in the same places this one is rusting in!! Don’t really think I would want another one though!! In my opinion this seems like a winter car for someone that doesn’t want to wreck there nice car!!
I bought one just like this in 1979 basic 2 dr Cherokee, same color, 360 and 3 spd floor shift. Traded in a nice amc sport about wagon. Great in southern colo snow, but no AC. Didn’t miss that til a trip to southern NM in July. With a 2 yr old kid. Shortly after that, traded for a Buick with AC.
Had a number of 70s wagoneers. Great snow cars, hard on gas.
From the very first Wagoneer to the very last Grand Wagoneer. ( and all other Cherokee cousins) Tailgate window issues. Plastic lift strap, bad grounds, short lived window motors. And with manual crank windows, the crank that would snap off in your hand. I worked at an AMC dealer for awhile in the mid 80s. There was never a Wagoneer derivative that did not have a rear window issue. Either it was in for just that or something else plus that.
Great off road and in the snow. Not reliable or cheap to own for the most part.
Had a 79 Cherokee Chief. Same thing but with factory fender flairs, wider track?
Only rust issue I had was to have the rear bed/body mounts rebuilt. Had a lot of miles under the belt by the time I got it in the late 80’s. Don’t remember having any trouble with the rear window. Electric and always worked fine.
Great truck that previous owner had swapped in a shifting J-10 transfer case which allowed me to install warn lockout hubs. Great for our weekend highway runs to a rural getaway we had before we had kids. Once out there nothing stopped that beast. Especially where shifted into 4wheel low. Except snow deeper than the skid plate under the gas tank.