O/T Best year of Wagoneer

[Tyrone Corn]

I already searched the Wagoneer forum and didn't find information... doesn't seem to be too much action over there, and there seems to be no shortage of general Jeep knowledge here in the Jeepster/Commando side. So, long story short, have a friend that would like to get an old wagoneer. The more basic the better. Vinyl floor mats, gear driven transfer case, no weird vacuum actuated stuff or electric windows. Just a simple 4 door, Jeep wagoneer for hunting and camping. It may not even get a lift. Can anyone tell me what the ideal years are. Personally, I really like the look of the old grill with the seporate headlight and running/signal lights. In the meantime I'll go look around on the FSJ pages. Any other good places to look for information?

Thanks,

[WalterX]

This is the best place. Off-Road.com's bbs get a couple hits a month.
International Full-Size Jeep Association

For me, I like pre '72. The only vacuum parts are the climate controls. Jeepsters also share alot of the parts.

[NudeJeep]

Depends a lot on which engine you want. If you want the Buick engine, that should be pre-72. After that, there's the AMC engine.

Auto transmission is a TH400 in all of them.

The bigger thing to worry about, IMHO, is that you don't get the Quadra-Trac T/C. Although, if it's maintained well, the Quadra-Trac will (and I've seen this with my own eyes, back in '78) go 100,000 plus without any repairs. But that's only an issue with the automatic tranny.

But even into the late 70's, there wasn't a ton of vacuum-operated stuff, especially on the "plain jane" models.

Another option, depending on whether you want 2-door or 4-door, is the full-size Cherokee...

The '76-'78 Wagoneers are my favorite. You can find the 401,TH400, QuadraTrac(yeah, yeah...I never had any problems)plus some stout manual transmission options.

Induction can still be a 4bbl, and the worst emissions control is air injection.