New to IFSJA w/79 Wagoneer in North Carolina

[Safety Andy]

Just bought a 1979 Wagoneer Limited. Had a 88 GW 2005-2009. Sold the GW and said I would never buy another. Well, I said never, so here we go. Crazy thing this 79 is in way better shape.

The Bad:
Wiring works kind of

Actioned:
Removed interior
Cut out the floor boards
Riveted/ welded new floor boards
Hushmat and Vinyl for floor in cab and cargo
Swapped the 79 grill for an egg crate
Swapped the 79 bumpers for three piece bumpers
Replaced all window wipes
Replaced door and tailgate weatherstripping
Body work and paint
Insulated roof and reinstalled headliner
Installed Headlight wire harness from BJs
Installed Morimoto Super 7 LED projector headlights
Installed rear air deflector
Installed window vent shades
Installed Wet Okolie seat covers (waiting on fronts, wrong ones sent initially)
Replaced main lights (signal, brake, dome) with LED.
Replaced body mounts
Installed tailgate lock cover
Installed Crome strips on sides of rear “Wagoneer” plate
Installed 71-73 front turn signals
Picked up a spare Quadra-Trac w/low range for just in case.


Purchased:
Three piece bumpers front and rear (Watson and Son)
All almost new window wipes (Watson and Son)
New door weather striping (BJs)
Stainless body molding from a 73 (Watson and Son)
Clips for mounting the lower stainless trim (Restoration Specialties)
New floor pans (C2C)
Rear air deflector (local salvage)
Body mounts (BJs)
Tailgate lock cover (local salvage)
Thin Vinyl wood grain for inside body moulding (BJs)
Hood bar for egg crate grill (Jeep Recyclers)
Morimoto Super 7 headlights (TRS)
Headlight relay harness (BJs)
Hushmat (Amazon)
Floor Vinyl (BJs)
Custom seat covers (Wet Okolie)
Window vent shades (BJs)
71-73 front turn signals (EBay)
Round headlight bezels for egg/cheese grills (eBay)
A bagillion screws (Ace Hardware)
Spare Quadra Trac (Watson and Son)

Future:
Install woodgrain (March)
Install stainless body trim (March)
Ship truck to Idaho (June)
Fix vinyl flooring in front (>June)
Fix or make better wiring (<October prior to snow season)
Make vinyl floor better (>June)

[UnkleMunky]

Welcome!

I can relate to the *will never buy another Jeep* attitude. Been there. Ate those words in the long run. Had a '77 WT Cherokee from 88-93. Two biggest mistakes with that rig were....buying it in the first place....and....selling it in the end (not to mention all it cost me in the five years I had it). That was way before this forum.....if there had been a resource like this, I may have had it a lot longer. Swore off jeeps after selling it. Two years later....well...it's been more than a few Jeeps since then. It wasn't really until I got a J-truck with a 258 that I was sold on these trucks (and that was my 3rd FSJ and 4th overall Jeep...there was an XJ in there for a short period too). More now than then it's what I'm more familiar with. Have not done much work on GM/Ford/Dodge trucks otherwise, so Jeeps are the devil I know. But then, every brand has its pluses and minuses and I've come to love these old rigs. So, you are not alone in those thoughts!

Best body (solidity-wise) on an older FSJ I ran across was a 60s (65 if I recall correctly) J-truck. Way sturdier than most of the 70s/80s stuff I've had myself. Worst body I had was an '84 GW, which was only 12 years old at the time. Rest of that rig was a joke too...but I learned a lot about working on Jeeps/vehicles due to that one. Age is relative....it's more how it was cared for/etc.

Pignose grills have never been one that's impressed me. Prefer the muscle or razor grills myself, but the egg-crates look fine on wags. Only like rhino's on vehicles that came with them. But that's just me.

Wiring can be a nightmare, but patience and determination and asking for advice here can get you a long way to what you need in that regard.

Ask for advice on the paint angle....maybe someone in your area has some suggestions or good advice.

Me and the 360s have never been the best of friends, but I am a fan of HEI. Best, smoothest running 258 I have had was HEI'd when I got it. Had a manual choke put on it, but that's just technique in starting....otherwise it ran like butter. Have done a TFI on a 360, but didn't impress me as much as the HEI's I've run/heard. Did you do the HEI or was it already done when you got it?

Sounds like you've got a good start. We look forward to hearing (and seeing if you post pics) your progress.

[Safety Andy]

Working through the picture posting issue. I read the sticky but I don’t computer hard.

HEIed by the previous owner.

[Safety Andy]

Front three piece bumper installed today.

[SOLSAKS]

looks good

sounds like you have the ability to work on it

and the knowledge of FSJ's to boot.

you are in there once again....

nice looking rig.

dave in NC

[miracleed]

Welcome! You sound like you are in the same boat I am. Best of luck and I'll be watching and hoping to learn.

[rang-a-stang]

That's a great looking rig! Solid start for sure! take these projects on bite at a time and keep driving and enjoying it. If you post up wanted ads and be pretty consistent watching the classifieds, you'll find what you need for sure.

Welcome to the "association"!!!

[Safety Andy]

J&W Jeep says they have my missing trim! Not cheap so I’m getting a picture to confirm tomorrow. Super pumped but ready to be disappointed.

[Safety Andy]

looks good

sounds like you have the ability to work on it

and the knowledge of FSJ's to boot.

you are in there once again....

nice looking rig.

dave in NC

Dave,
I’m finding your posts to be very helpful. Thanks for your contribution and good luck with the kidney stones. I don’t recommend drinking a quart of olive oil to deal with the stones like I watched my Grandfather do in 1993. It worked, I don’t know why, and damn.

[Safety Andy]

I’m riveting my new floorpans. I’m using large 1/4” wide flange steel rivets dipped in E6000 adhesive. I’ve already started w/aprox 25 rivets. I don’t weld. I know everyone is cringing. Am I an idiot who will wind up on the PO thread? What problems will I encounter? Give me your worst, I can take it.

[Safety Andy]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/184521060@N08/49234021173/in/dateposted/

[Safety Andy]

Reassembled after fresh paint

https://www.flickr.com/photos/184521060@N08/49234715472/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/184521060@N08/49234491036/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/184521060@N08/49234031928/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/184521060@N08/49234485801/in/dateposted/

[SOLSAKS]

nice job....a lot of work done.

you have a unique FSJ

nice OEM rims and caps,.....you don't see that style much.
......especially gleaming like yours.

I often thought the "egg crate grille" would look good with silver in center section,..
you proved it,....

someone did that to a final edition grille too and it looked good also.

nice rig.

I am sure It gets a lot of looks when you get it out.

dave in NC

[SOLSAKS]

as far as the "no weld" floor pans,....

on a past project of mine

a lot of 3M Fusor was used in my floor pan area
where the body guy had to custom make floor pans
for a car none where available for.

I hear a lot of modern cars are held together with adhesive
as opposed to welds, etc.

so as long as you are solid
and using good adhesive
seal it well
you are prob. golden !

is your floor covering vinyl or carpet ?

dave in NC

[Safety Andy]

as far as the "no weld" floor pans,....

on a past project of mine

a lot of 3M Fusor was used in my floor pan area
where the body guy had to custom make floor pans
for a car none where available for.

I hear a lot of modern cars are held together with adhesive
as opposed to welds, etc.

so as long as you are solid
and using good adhesive
seal it well
you are prob. golden !

is your floor covering vinyl or carpet ?

dave in NC

Hushmat then Vinyl from BJ\ACC. The vinyl fit is good in the back but the front is not great. Im thinking of screwing it down with self tapping screws and 1/8 aluminum strips. Hopefully as non tacky as possible.