Bought a 1987 Jeep Wagoneer for $300

Would this be a reliable, economic work vehicle when fixed?


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CoryGuy

New member
Hi all! Cory here. New to the forum.

So recently I acquired a 1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited from a very generous seller. I'm almost as old as it is! A friend of mine who works at an auto restoration shop knows I've been in a hard spot lately and made me aware of this. The seller decided that a total restoration of the vehicle was going to be too expensive so he just decided to get rid of it.

It will be used as my to-and-from work vehicle (30 miles round trip) - but it needs a little work. It still runs well though! This will be our second vehicle so I can go to work now that the kids are in school.

So far I've needed to replace the master cylinder for $45. I'm not much of a gear head beyond general maintenance.

I'm wondering if anyone has any parts or accessories for 1984-1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer that they'd be willing to part with - as well as advice on how to make this run better.

I really love the look of this vehicle. I attached some photos of it! I'd really like to get it running nicely.
The frame is in good condition, but I'm working on the body. There are rust holes I'm going to fill with foam and Bondo, then treat. I have access to these materials for free, thankfully.

I'm REALLY surprised at the interior. Only ONE rip, and a droopy headliner. Other than that I think it looks great! Of course the speakers don't work well, but that's not that important.

The power seats work (but the controls on the driver seat are falling off and I don't know how to fix it), the window regulators work (mostly - the passenger side regulator seems it's about to die), power antenna works.

Mechanically it runs well. It runs at really low RPMS when climbing a hill. Need to floor it. The exhaust has a couple holes in it. Transmission isn't that bad! I've driven much worse. Air conditioner and heat works. Shocks are done for, and is a future investment. Wheel wells need a little work. There is a soft rust spot over left/driver rear under the wood decal that I could punch through if I wanted to. Ha. I would like to fix this but would need to purchase a complete decal kit. I plan to buy some all-in-one 4B mocha brown spray paint soon too!

My family and I would be really appreciative of any and all assistance on this. This was originally sold to me to just "drive until it breaks", but like I said I really like it!

So far I've removed all the stickers and cleaned it up a bit. I've purchased antifreeze, brake fluid, master cylinder, fuel injector cleaner, oil conditioner, wheel paint to use this week. The vehicle is currently parked outside at my friends place so I can use his tools to fix it when the weather improves.

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A woody wagon… Nice.


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson
 
wow!!!! what a beautiful cherokee. man,

you have the renix fuel injection. order an oversize throttle body from this guy and you will never have an issue with power again.

Leigh Performance Machine (strokedjeep.com)

i had an 87, many years back and i felt it was a little weak so after some researching, the number one upgrade i found was an oversized throttle body. i ordered one from that site and it was night and day difference. like i was considering regearing my jeep but that one part made the jeep so quick.

its not such an upgrade on the 4.0 with the dodge injection but you have the original fuel injection on the first year of the 4.0. many people hate it but if you can use a multimeter, its very easy to work on and repair.

most of the upgrades you read online for the 4.0 will not apply to your jeep because you have very particular fuel injection. upgraded injectors and stuff so do a fair amount of reading before swapping things around but your jeep will run forever on that injection but is lower horsepower than the 4.0ho in the dodge fuel injection jeeps.

i don't think i have any xj stuff laying around to help out though.

and you forgot the most important picture of that jeep. the front. do you have the four headlights? you should and its such a rare jeep that you have. i would totally fix that xj up and keep it
 
just take the switches out for now and clean them. usually cleaning the contacts makes them work again. and you can pull the door panels and make sure there is power to the motors with a little test light. if there is, you can clean them and they should start working better. if not, than you have a broken wire in the black plastic tube going from the body to the door in the door jamb area between the hinges.

i am so happy to see one of those being fixed for daily use. i see one every five or eight years and never have money to get it
 

Here's a picture of the front end!
 

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wow!!!! what a beautiful cherokee. man,

you have the renix fuel injection. order an oversize throttle body from this guy and you will never have an issue with power again.

Leigh Performance Machine (strokedjeep.com)

i had an 87, many years back and i felt it was a little weak so after some researching, the number one upgrade i found was an oversized throttle body. i ordered one from that site and it was night and day difference. like i was considering regearing my jeep but that one part made the jeep so quick.

its not such an upgrade on the 4.0 with the dodge injection but you have the original fuel injection on the first year of the 4.0. many people hate it but if you can use a multimeter, its very easy to work on and repair.

most of the upgrades you read online for the 4.0 will not apply to your jeep because you have very particular fuel injection. upgraded injectors and stuff so do a fair amount of reading before swapping things around but your jeep will run forever on that injection but is lower horsepower than the 4.0ho in the dodge fuel injection jeeps.

i don't think i have any xj stuff laying around to help out though.

and you forgot the most important picture of that jeep. the front. do you have the four headlights? you should and its such a rare jeep that you have. i would totally fix that xj up and keep it

Hi!

Thank you for the response! I'll look into this right away.

As for the picture of the front of the Jeep, I reached an upload limit on the initial post. It's in GREAT shape. Here it is!
View attachment 25134
 
man!!! you got the jeep we always hope to find at a great price, and have spare money for, ha ha ha. those are awesome and so rare
 
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