Today Suburbans and Explorers are the vehicle of choice for families, but back in the seventies the Wagoneer was top dog. Jeep can even claim responsibility for starting the whole luxury SUV crave when they released the wood-paneled and leather-lined Wagoneer Limited. This 1978 Jeep Wagoneer is not a Limited, but it is in great condition and has tons more character than any kid hauler built today. It is located in Portland, Oregon and is listed here on eBay where bidding is currently at $4,827.
This Wagoneer lived most of its life in Montana not far from my own hometown. It was well-optioned and was meticulously maintained by the first owners until it made its way to Oregon. There it sat in a garage for a few years awaiting the owner’s plan to convert the carburetors to fuel injection. They purchased all the parts needed to make the swap, but never got to it.
They finally decided to sell it on to someone who might finish the job. Luckily they found the right person. The current owner had a mechanic install everything and it is claimed to work like a charm now. They did save all the original parts though in case the next owner wants to switch it back. It would be interesting to compare the fuel economy of both setups as these were gas guzzlers in stock form.
Some may prefer the leather found in the Limited, but we really like the blue cloth interior in this Jeep. There are a few carpet stains, some wear on the steering wheel, and a sagging headliner, but nothing that cannot be cleaned up or replaced. These are comfortable driving machines with plenty of room to haul things in the back. The seller claims that the transmission shifts smoothly and that the optional 401 V8 runs well, as long as you let it warm up a bit.
There have been some cosmetic touch-ups on the exterior, but the seller claims that for the most part, the paint is original. We love the classic lines of these old Jeeps and the Quadra-Trac four-wheel-drive can come in handy up in the Northern States. We would continue to sort out the small issues and continue to enjoy this versatile classic.
Always love these, had a 79 Wagoneer Limited-full power leather seats, windows, tilt ,cruise, wood panels, and an 8 track! Drove great and could haul myself and 4 friends in style and comfort. Got 17 mpg in town and maybe 11 hwy, but was still a great vehicle.
There was never a fuel injected AMC V-8. The final (92) Wagoneer 360 still had a giant 2bbl with more smog equipment than you could shake a stick at.
A 401 with EFI should be fun!
C
Great truck ! These are tough but they get rusty, gotta keep them clean if your are gonna use it in the weather. Great alternative to the crud you can buy today.
I had an 82 2 door Wide Track that I restored back to life and used it as a daily driver for years. It could take 33’s without modification and looked like a Tonka Truck. Mileage was horrible but the 360 sounded great and it was built like a tank. Suffered from vapor lock terribly but easily remedied by putting an electric pump underneath near the gas tank. Emissions testing was a bear, and as someone else mentioned the amount of smog clutter under the hood was extreme.
It’s not viable today if what you want is to sit at 90 on the highway thinking that your 4WD makes you invincible, but it’s a great vehicle to have in your personal fleet. AWESOME in the snow and off road.
Miss that old thing.
What a great ride.
I’m trying to think of a No American vehicle from the 1970s with more class and character than this, and so far I can’t.
OK, start your engines—-try to name a classier ’70s people/stuff hauler.
If you can.
The perfect Valentines gift for the wife. This is the only vehicle older that ten years that that she says she is willing to trade her 03 Monte Carlo for. I have been watching for one of these for awhile. I hope the Bidding stays low enough.
The yellow wires strung willy nilly around the brake master cylinder don’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling about the quality of the EFI installation.
Good lookin Wagoneer tho
Nice, the seller has done a very tidy job on the detail, as well as the very clear photo’s, apart from the jambs, that are not that bad for the age of this car the car looks like it’s only a few years old. The only negative would be the boatload of gas even with the EFI.
Love this “West Virginia Cadillac”, the “base” status only makes it more appealing (sorta like a Caddy Calais)…love the cloth seats, old style taillights and AMC grill…and the 401 means comfortable towing for the boat. Great color combo wish I had the cash to buy it, not to mention the Mobil/Exxon credit card I’d need.
My concern is and is a big one. It is true. When Chrysler took over American Motors the large Jeep platform was still being produced up to 1991. The AMC V8 was never developed with EFI. Chrysler made that clear that the mighty Jeep was on borrowed time.
Here is where I wince. The seller states; “The fuel injection system is the same as the ones used on 1992-95 350 V8 EFI Chevrolet engines.” Then the part where the seller states “the install was not exactly bolt on” First off. An American Motors Gen II and Gen III engine is NOT a Chevrolet engine. (Thank God) There are performance application EFI sold for AMC V8’s but no one I know has yet to get it right. A performance manufacture (I will not name) has been working with a guy who installed this crap on an AMX. The head programmer made a program specific for this AMX and excuse the pun but there are still Gremlins in the system. It does not work. The original owner of the Jeep didn’t finish because in reality it (EFI/AMC) cannot be done. It may run in a sense but means little when your life may depend on it. Anyone can throw a label on a package and state it is for brand x then let the buyer figure it out….like the pain (full) wiring kits sold with everything you need but an engineer. Sad. A very nice Jeep too. I would be carefull not to get caught up with the good looks here. I believe the OEM parts may have saved for a reason. May need further development.
Bollocks. Check out IFSJA.ORG people make junkyard EFI systems work all the time….
All the EFI-related unknowns aside, I can dig it. But the wheel/tire combo would have to go. Give me the optional aluminum slots and some white letters, and I’d be a happy camper.
If, in addition, it was Alpaca Brown – or perhaps that burnt orange they used (Mandarin?) – with the appropriately coordinated interior colors to go with it, I’d be in hog heaven.
Have had a few Cherokees and Wagoneers over the years. Always had a irrational attraction to them, despite the fact that I’m a GM guy and their build quality / rust resistance were iffy at best. Comfortable to drive, definitely, but those 2bbl’s weren’t very efficient. Always used to say ‘if I were rich I’d drive one every day!’
We have a similar ’73 Wagoneer, green on green, 4V custom, mostly original with loads of patina. We love it. I’ve never tried to calculate the fuel economy mostly out of fear.
But she is comfy in that “Big old Amurikan tank” style. Ours will be for sale soon if anyone is interested, being a ’73 no smog requirements.
It’s years later, but if you still have your ’73, I’m interested.
Sold it years ago. It’s still around town hauling supplies for the owner of Pips I believe.
Judging from the rust stains on the rubber moulding and the sill plate on the passenger’s front door, I’d be checking for rust on the underside of the door itself.
BTW: Love the looks of these vehicles! Had an ’83 Jeep Wagoneer myself that I bought new, followed by three Suburbans, which are the closest approximation of these vehicles available today. Mind you the new Jeeps are looking quite attractive these days, thanks to the redesign of the interiors under Sergio Marcionne’s watch.
I agree wholeheartedly. I winced when that picture came up, because most likely the door drains are plugged up and there’s some significant metal work to be done. Can’t win ’em all!
VERY COOL RIDE ,I WOULD JUST PUT IN A 2-3 IN. SUSPENSION LIFT AND NICE WHEELS AND LITTLE BIGGER TIRES .NOW THE EFI IS SOMETHING THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN STARTED UNLESS ONE OF THOSE BIG SPEED COMPANIES LIKE ROUCH,SALEEN,SHELBY OR ONE OF THE OTHERS THAT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT STUFF WAS DOING IT.
Very nice Jeep! The last year for the Grand Wagoneer was in 1991, with the 360 2barrel carb set up.
I had one just like this one color s and all, during this time I was the snow plow driver she never failed me , not great on gas , but better on gas than the Ramcharger that replaced her . We pulled a 28 foot camping trailer with it , and after I changed the fan to a fixed blade the overheating problem while towing was solved , love these beasts .
We had one the same exterior color with the tan plaid interior that we purchased from the original owner. It was immaculate. To this day we regret selling it when we decided to purchase a minivan. What were we thinking?