1982 Cherokee Chief

[FSJGirth]

What's up y'all. Thought I would chime in here and show off my "new to me" Jeep. I've been looking around for a FSJ for quite some time but living in the Midwest makes that search pretty tough. Most of the Cherokees I find are pretty rotted out. Until now :D. Thanks to a friend of mine looking around on Craigslist I found my 1982 Cherokee Chief. Runs great, everything works, and even has working A/C. It was originally a West Virginia rig and the guy moved to outside the St. Louis area here about 5 years ago. Before he moved here he pulled the entire interior out and rust-proofed all the bare metal. He then put all the panels back in and laid some new carpet. After he moved here he decided to rebuild the 6cyl engine. He did a Weber 2bbl conversion and a Ford distributor conversion as well. So now the Jeep has 114k miles and only 5k on the rebuilt engine. The best part to me is no holes anywhere, only surface rust to contend with. So now I'm just looking forward to doing some "moderate" restoring and other stuff of course. I really like the Gladiator grille conversion so I'll probably do that once I find one lol. If there is anyone that posts here in the St. Louis area hit me up!

[suzq044]

Welcome to the insanity. It doesn't look like any Chief i've ever seen, but nice truck regardless.

[FSJGirth]

It's titled as a Cherokee Chief and I did a Carfax on the VIN and it came back the same. I wish it still had the logos but it doesn't. There are faded "chief" images in the paint. I'll try and shoot some picks.

[suzq044]

Okay, you never know what a dealer or p/o will do to a vehicle, so a re-vinyl job wouldn't be the worst. It's not a bad vinyl job, just nothing I've seen.

[jpcoutts]

Nice Cherk! Welcome to the board. You find a lot of info here and a bunch a people with a lot of knowledge and willingness to help.

[dlowrance]

Welcome...nice rig for our part of the country...there's several on here from the STL area. I'm an hour north up in IL...

[FSJGirth]

Right on y'all and thanks for the good word. Yeah I feel very lucky to find this Jeep in it's current condition. Looking forward to years of enjoyment/hardships lol

[will e]

Welcome from a fellow 82 WT Cherokee owner. Mine is a Lorado, although all of the badges are off of it and I have a couple of 'Chief' emblems I am planning on putting on. Just can't decide where I want them.


82 WT are hard to find. Good score!

[FSJGirth]

So Will... I went and looked up some picks of your Jeep and I think there is gonna be a little bit of cloning done here lmao. I'm trying to get my hands on a Gladiator grille right now actually lol. I find out here in like 3 days... if not no worries I got the b-line on a good Razor grille too which I also like. I think I'm gonna use the K.I.S.S. method and paint mine the original color though.

[JPSwapMohn]

Don't know what the title says, but the sticker on the rear window for Tidewater Four Wheelers says it spent some time on the coast of VA or maybe NC.

Looks solid! Congrats on the find.

[FSJGirth]

Won my bid on a Gladiator grille today! Can't wait to get my hands on it. Been driving the jeep full time now for about a week and so far so good. It really runs great and the A/C is definitely nice!

[Lindel]

Welcome!

[FSJGirth]

So today I went and visited a guy here locally to pick up some headlight assemblies and beauty rings for my conversion I'm doing here. Lmao he had an entire box filled, literally, with the parts I needed. He even let me pick from the litter too which was nice. Cost: $50 for all I needed, oooooh yeah. He then took a closer look at my rig and was "floored" by it's condition. He also said that my Jeep might be older than the title says. He said I have the Quadratrac 4x4 shifter on the floor which they only did up till 79' and with the manual lockouts up front he was pretty sure it was not newer than that date. Me personally... I could care less lol. I just know I got a nice Jeep for a great price and it's fun to drive no matter what year it is. He also told me the tilt steering column I picked up at a swap meet had a steering wheel on it that was worth a pretty penny too. Just looks like a tan leather wrapped wheel to me. I'll just hang on to it for safe keeping.

[seventynine]

The taillights, bumpers, & grill all point to 1982. The Quadratrac transfer case used through '79 didn't use manual hubs.

I think the Selec Trac transfer cases in the 80's still had a flag shifter on the floor for low range.

[jpcoutts]

I think we'd have to see some pics of the rig to be certain, but I'm betting you have a NP 208 t-case since you have lockout hubs. If so, there will be a 2H 4H N 4L pattern on the flag of the shifter. There were some '80's model FSJ's with a an NP22X (can't remember if they were 227,228, or 229 were labled as QuadraTrac but they were not the same as the Full time cases in the 70's models rigs up through '79. The older, true Quadrtracs had a knob in the glovebox to "lock" the internal diff in the t-case. The floor mounted shifter for a true quadratrac is more or less round and tapered rather than flag shaped.

Bottom line is that you have really nice rig no matter what t case it has! My money is on '82...

[1jeep4me]

Here is my 82, Copper Brown Met.

I know every square inch of her, If you have any questions hit me up.

I have set my ride up for total reliability, ask me how.

Our 82 have certain little quarks that are just strange,

1. electrical systems that are nuts and dont follow wiring diagrams lol
2. here is one for ya, my dash panel lights wont work of the off heat dash button is engaged.

the list goes on.





http://a.imageshack.us/img213/5590/jeepp.jpg

[91G-Dub]

Welcome to the madness.

[Newjeeper22]

nice truck you did well.

[FSJGirth]

My Grille should be here any day now, so I went ahead and installed my new headlights.

Here's the bulbs...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/headlight1.jpg

and then...
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/headlight2.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/headlight3.jpg

[Wayne]

Looks better with the round lights. :thumbsup:

[FSJGirth]

My grille showed up today! So I ran down to the shop and installed it of course.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/Grillefinish.jpg

I ordered some Hella brand fog lamps to fill the "pie can" holes.

[FSJGirth]

Here's another pic...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/Profile.jpg

[FSJGirth]

Sooooooooooooo... I've been doing some parts hunting for the Jeep. The local yards here haven't really offered anything except for one. They had 2 full size Jeeps to scavenge.

This truck
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/113.jpg

This buried in the weeds waggy. Anyone got some weed killer?
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/114.jpg

I found this too. Wonder if it would fit?:cool:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/115.jpg

Then I took a "field trip" to a local metals market. A good friend of mine used to own a rock crawling Jeep building business. When I showed him some of the bumpers I wanted from BJ's Offroad he said, "Dude... we can do that!" So we went shopping.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/117.jpg

Picked up some bumper material and had it cut.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/118.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/119.jpg

Brought the metal back to the garage and started cuttin and welding.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/126.jpg

Got the bumper all "mocked" up and we'll be starting on the tire swing in the next day or so. I'll keep y'all posted...;)

[Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81]

:thumbsup:

[texncali]

He said I have the Quadratrac 4x4 shifter on the floor which they only did up till 79' and with the manual lockouts up front he was pretty sure it was not newer than that date.




Nice ride, maybe your quadrtrac has a part time kit in it which would need the locking hubs. I did that to my 79

[newtojeeps]

that decal set looks like the Canadian version.

[suzq044]

... He also said that my Jeep might be older than the title says. He said I have the Quadratrac 4x4 shifter on the floor which they only did up till 79' and with the manual lockouts up front he was pretty sure it was not newer than that date. Me personally... I could care less lol. I just know I got a nice Jeep for a great price and it's fun to drive no matter what year it is....

I know you don't care; but, eh; mine is a manual transmission though. I don't know if that's the same for the auto.. if yours is an auto. :thumbsup:

4x4 shifter is on the left (as you're sitting in the drivers seat); 5-spd on the right.
http://i35.tinypic.com/1z6xmq9.jpg

Sorry for the nastiness of the photo, I was removing the carpet up front, I still have one section to go. (back seat, under the now-folded seats.

[will e]

Won my bid on a Gladiator grille today! Can't wait to get my hands on it. Been driving the jeep full time now for about a week and so far so good. It really runs great and the A/C is definitely nice!

If you are planning on repainting the truck, you can get a cleaner install for the grill if you have them fix the welds they used to attach mounting points for later years. I also had them fill the horn holes and moved the horns into the engine bay.

[will e]

okay, didn't see page 2. I see you have the grill installed. Good job. I was going to warn you that a tranny cooler (in the stock location) won't work with a glad grill.

If you have factory installed air you might find the receiver/dryer is in the way of mounting hella's in the pie pan holes. Mine sure is, unless you go with something that is pretty shallow.

Take a picture of your passenger pie pan hole, I would like to see where the receiver/dryer is.

[FSJGirth]

@Will e - I'll shoot some pics here in a bit

Here's some pics of the 95% finished bumper. Working on the tire swing now
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/Bumper1.jpg

Clevis hook spots
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/Bumper2.jpg

The trailer reciever is recessed to where the pin is on the back side of the bumper. More "flush" fit.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/BigJ7/1982%20Jeep%20Cherokee/Bumper3.jpg

[FSJGirth]

Just picked up a 91' Waggy with a 360 and good drivetrain, no title...:mad: So I'll probably be using the drivetrain but the rest will be parted out. I'll post picks as soon as I can.

[Chrome]

Welcome aboard and nice Cherokee! I've got a 82 W/T as well that is my daily driver. 360/4 speed and luving it! :drivin:

[mlammers]

My 82 I6 auto had a floor mounted shifter with the positions, of 2H, 4H, 4HLock, N and 4L. I think this was the pseudo Quadratrac mentioned earlier. It was a pretty good system when I used it, the truck went about anywhere, but when it was in high lock it was tough to steer if both fronts had bite, they wanted real bad to go straight.

I loved the 258, with it in 2h at 65 it could touch 20mpg, although it had the 2.73 gears. That should be great rig, cant wait to see it all cleaned up as you progress. I like the bumper work.

[FSJGirth]

Thanks guys. Yeah I drive this beauty everyday so far and it's been pretty cool. Even in the condition it is in now people stop me to get a closer look or say hi. The best was about a month ago.

I was standing out in front of a restaurant and an elderly gentleman was walking by my Jeep. He took one look then double taked. He then mumbled something and said, "Now that's a Jeep!". "Yes it is", I exclaimed. He then walked up to me and said, "Is that yours?". I nodded, and then he went on a pleasant little rant. To sum it up he slapped my hood (Bong!), "ya hear that sound?". I said yeah and then he turned and slapped the mini-van next to my Jeep (tink...), "hear that crap!!?". I chuckled yeah. He then started to walk away and said while patting me on the shoulder, "You keep that true steel piece of Americana on the road son!". Yes sir I will, yes sir...