'78 Jeep Wagoneer
Parts Truck
I've left this page online only for posterity.
A more current version of this page is here.
While shopping around a local (Lincoln, Nebraska, 68506) junk yard for parts for my '77 Wagoneer, I noticed a '78 Wagoneer in the yard with a 401, nice interior, and decent body that at one time had all the options (except tilt steering, curiously). The yard said they'd let it go for $350, so I paid my money and hauled it home on 26 Oct 2002.
Some of the parts I want to use on my own '77 Wag, but most of them I'm willing to sell off to recoup my costs. I'll take a detailed inventory before long, but here's a list so far of what it's got. Let me know what you need. This is still more or less accurate as of 10 Jan 2006.
- 401 V8. Complete pan to intake, except for the radiator fan and distributor cap/rotor (how cheap do you have to be to buy a used cap/rotor from a junk yard?). I've swiped the entire distributor for the MSD upgrade on my '77 Wag, but I'll throw in the '77's Prestolite distributor if you really need one. 4-bbl carb and air cleaner are missing, so the intake runners have been exposed to the elements for a while. I removed the intake manifold for a few months, during which time I tried unsuccessfully to plug the head intake ports with paper towels. The engine turns over reasonably easily if you put a wrench on the crank pulley, but it's missing too many parts to try to make it run as is. It would definitely need a rebuild before putting it into another vehicle. As far as I can tell, it was unmolested until the junk yard got it.
- TH400 tranny (AMC bolt patterns) & QT t-case (presumably still full-time). They're both there, but I don't know what condition they're in.
- Dana 44 front & rear axles. 3.54 gears. Tie rod & drag link are gone, as is the front driveshafts. Rear has the offset pumpkin for the QT. Since the Wag is sitting in a field, I'd rather not sell the axles or wheels until a lot of the rest of the Wag is gone.
- Wheels. Two fronts are nice-looking mags. Rears are old, rusty, stock-style. I also have three full-wheel hub caps from the Wag that was sitting next to it in th yard, as well as one center cap.
- Radiator. Heavy duty cooling package with the driver-side overflow outlet for an overflow tank (instead of just an overflow tube that vents to the ground, like my '77 light-duty has). When I tried to install it in my '78, a local shop told me (by looking at it, but not testing it) that it was shot & not worth repairing. YMMV.
- Bumpers. Both are 3-piece chrome. Front is good. Rear is bent on the left & center, but right piece is good. Very minor surface rust around the bolt heads.
- It's got a funky custom 2" receiver hitch. Looks plenty sturdy, but appears to be welded to the frame in spots. Part of the hitch doubles as a mounting bracket for the 2nd gas tank, which sits right in front of the rear bumper. It also appears to be a custom job, but there's no sign that it ever leaked.
- Grille. Black plastic honeycomb style insert is in good shape, but the chrome outer portion is badly bent on the driver side.
- Body. Front passenger door is missing & driver door is badly bent. Rear doors are in good shape. Tailgate is good. Front left fender is missing, and other fenders have moderate rust. Chrome trim is in good shape. Windows are in good shape. Rear window has factory defroster, which I'll keep. If you want the rear window, you can have the one from my '77 Wag after I install the defroster window from the '78.
- Interior is in amazing shape. It's all dirty from sitting in the yard with no passener door, but there are no obvious rips or stains. Even the carpet isn't worn through. Seats are blue vinyl with white/blue cloth inserts. Radio is missing. The steering wheel hangs down (not sure why it was disconnected). It has an interior spare tire mount. I've scavanged a few of the knobs off the dash, but most are still there. Front seats measure 24"Wx22"Dx28"H and weigh 29 lbs each. Rear bench measures 51"Wx26"Dx14"H (folded).
I've posted 100 or so photos (with tiny thumbnails) here.
The next summer (Aug 2003), I bought an '87 Grand Wagoneer that I'm also parting out.
I haven't put fixed prices on anything, so make me an offer if you want something. I'm not wild about shipping the large objects, so preference will be given to anybody that wants to come to Lincoln or meet me nearby. Buyer pays shipping or my gas costs if I deliver.
Email me (Ben Hollingsworth) at obiwan@jedi.com.
Got some parts of your own that you want to unload? Looking for something new? Join in the discussion at our Marketplace forum!
Back to Obi-Wan's Wagoneer pagelast updated 30 Aug 2003 Obi-Wan (obiwan@jedi.com)
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