Jeep got it right with the original Wagoneer, offering four doors and wagon-like luxury options with the utility of a truck and four-wheel drive. This 1979 Jeep Wagoneer in Wadsworth, Ohio combines old and new with its classic body and interior riding on a 2006 Dodge Durango chassis, complete with fuel injection and Hemi’ V8 power! Check out more pictures and details on this new-meets-old creation here on Craigslist. It’s hard to believe someone would invest the time required to make this Frankenstein monster and then sell it, but that’s exactly what’s happening here. This one-off custom can be yours for $12,000, and should be easy and cheap to keep running as long as you like. Thanks to reader Baker for submitting a tip on this crazy “Durangoneer.”
Yeah; it’s got a Hemi’ in it. Mopar’s modern Hemi’ V8 makes good power and generally runs reliably for many miles. Air conditioning status escaped the listing, but a compressor with hoses connected seems promising. Black paint on the firewall likely protects the welded modifications for heater box and brake and pedal assemblies. The seller claims the swap retains “all… 2006 running gear & electronics.”
For the asking price, a mis-matched steering wheel, rattle-can paint over bodywork, and an OBDII harness dangling under the dash make small concerns. The interior looks great and the seller says it will drive to California as-is.
Some classic-bodied trucks with modern powertrains sell well into the six-digits, making this running, driving project a bargain, and the new owner could always up the ante with a Phase II build. For the price, though, this rig is hard to beat. Gear-heads will walk past the Swedish Bikini Team to jaw about this Jeep. Instead of making its 2023 Wagoneer look like another Tylenol-shaped Suburban, maybe Jeep could have leveraged the original Wagoneer’s popularity with some retro styling cues. Would you drive this modernized Wagoneer as-is or take it to the next level?
I’d opt for the Swedish Bikini team.
So cool!
That looks great!
Different wheels would help appearance a lot, the stance kind sux IMOP
The new Wagoneer is such a pig. If they’d have styled it like an updated version of the original, they’d have sold every one they could make. Restored original Grand Wagoneers sell for really strong money.
Even the new Grand Cherokee is a bloated beast, filled with Stellantis componentry that seems to bring with it a little too much Fiat/Alfa reliability, if you know what I mean.
This is dope.
Take it to the next level? No way! As it sits you could could wheel this off-road and not be worried about some scratches. I’d source a more retro style wheel set to match the late 70’s to early 80’s vibe, and if it doesn’t have the factory LSD rear-end I’d junkyard swap one and leave it at that.
The new Wagoneer’s upright B- and C- pillars are supposed to recall the SJ Wagoneer. It might have worked, if the new Wagoneer was closer in size to the original.
Swap out the ugly wheels, get it painted its original color, find a better steering wheel, and add a modern stereo system……then it’s”done”……almost…alright, they’re never really “done”. I like it.
Jeep (J-10 & Wagoneer) looks at home with BFG All-Terrain tire on white steel “wagon wheels”, red and blue pinstripe around the bead would top it off.
Nice execution. I agree steering and wheel choices is about the only change id consider.
I like it, its American muscle and Enginuity and that’s all I need. UGLY like me,!!
It brings to mind Bill Harrah’s Jerraris. The 1971 version is in the Auto museum in Reno. I was always a fan of sleepers and Bill used to enjoy dicing with Nevada Highway Patrol on his way home from the ski areas around Lake Tahoe.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrari
Interesting vehicle and appears to be a well executed build. I wonder how it’s titled? The ask seems reasonable.
As friend mentioned to me,” you know the Swedish Bikini Team are all over 70 years old now” when I mentioned them. Yea, I felt old…
Not a fan of Durango’s. We had them for field service vehicles. They didn’t hold up well. Don’t ride it hard or tow.
Grenade Motorsports?
I watched You build that.