1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (Woody)

bruggymonster

bruggymonster

Member
Everyone meet "Woody", my new to me 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I have had my eye out for one for a while now and finally found one on Facebook market place listed for $2500 running and driving! I went to meet the guy and test drive it. Although it had a slight tick in the motor, was very low on oil, rusty, and needs all new suspension, the frame is solid and the interior is not completely shot. I got it for $2225 which may not be the best price for what it is but I've been wanting one for a while and they hardly ever come up for sale. I got it home and immediatley did an oil change to find out it only had about 12 oz of oil drain out. This along with the tick under the valve covers made me decide to pull the engine and do a complete rebuild. I toyed with the idea of just LS swapping it but I think keeping it as original as possible would be awesome. Plans for the near future are to get the pulled engine to a machine shop to go through it and clean it all up. While its there, I'll start on body work and getting the suspension all sorted out. Big questions I have for you guys is, what can I expect a rough estimate for a machine sop to go through it, have any of you done a similar rebuild and can you give me some advice or links for help with the rebuild? Thanks in advance everyone!

PS: I need a new grill, anyone have one for sale??

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Awesome project and good luck with it.

Hard to say on machine shop costs because they can range, but I wouldn't just find the cheapest one. If you're going through the work of pulling it yourself, find a machine shop that has really good reviews. That way they'll actually go through it properly, measure everything, rather than just slap a new set of rings and bearings in it.
 
If you're going the complete tear down throw in a 401. All AMC engines are the same block so it'll drop right in. No need for an LS - that 401 (or a 360 for that matter) will make plenty of power :thumb:
Hell, I had a 71 Javelin AMX with a built 304 that was plenty stout. I had lots of fun surprising a lot of people in that car.
 
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nice find :thumb:

I was looking at something similar and a rebuilt crate 360 at Summit racing was around $2800 or less with core exchange.

I didn't get rebuild quotes cause it was sold by the time I called back, they are hard to find and do go fast (unless they are stupidly priced)
 
jeeeep said:
nice find :thumb:

I was looking at something similar and a rebuilt crate 360 at Summit racing was around $2800 or less with core exchange.

I didn't get rebuild quotes cause it was sold by the time I called back, they are hard to find and do go fast (unless they are stupidly priced)
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Yeah I thought about throwing a crate engine or remanned engine in but I think getting it rebuilt will be a lot less expensive. Tough to say without getting a quote though.


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If you can't find that exact grill, you can always go retro. Pretty easy to swap in grills from anything earlier or from the pickups.
I'm partial to a Gladiator swap. With your grill off, you can see that the core support hasn't really changed since the 60's.

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AZ Explorer said:
If you can't find that exact grill, you can always go retro. Pretty easy to swap in grills from anything earlier or from the pickups.
I'm partial to a Gladiator swap. With your grill off, you can see that the core support hasn't really changed since the 60's.

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Yeah I need to get a new grill as mine is cracked but I can’t find anything local and people want insane money for grills in decent shape!


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bruggymonster said:
Yeah I thought about throwing a crate engine or remanned engine in but I think getting it rebuilt will be a lot less expensive. Tough to say without getting a quote though.


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Click to expand...

Generally speaking a reman is cheaper then rebuilding unless you’re doing it yourself.


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Engine is out and ready to be resealed with some new parts to freshen it up in hopes that I can get some more miles before I have to to a full rebuild. I’ll be putting it all back together hopefully this next weekend. Cleaning up the engine and engine is no fun at all! IMG_0935.jpgIMG_0820.jpg


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Awesome find! I love a good ole Waggy.

I just wish I could find myself a clean J-Truck to start a project on...

2018 JK 2-Door Auto
1997 TJ 4.0 5 Speed
 
Engine is sealed and painted, I’m hoping to get all of the pieces back onto it and ready to be put back in this week then hopefully running next week! I’m excited to get it drivable so I can start working on the exterior and a camping set up in the back.

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