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1987 xj wagoneer build thread

3K views 23 replies 4 participants last post by  Project1 
#1 · (Edited)
Year: 87
Model: XJ Wagoneer
Miles(per odometer): 235,XXX
Color: Gold/Brown
Current mods: None as of yet
Current Condition: restore/rebuild

Bought it for 500$ and it has very little surface rust from what I can see currently. Interior is absolutely MINT condition no tears in the seats what so ever and 0 wear and tear. Does not run :( but the engine, trans, and tcase are already out of it.
The engine is already torn down to the block, and about to head to the machine shop. over the time that the engine is getting machined and the head is getting a nice little valve job, Ill be getting all the engine bay wiring and other engine bay components cleaned up. P/S pump, A/C compressor, and Alternator are all in good shape for being 25 years old. brackets are being cleaned, blasted and painted. Valve cover is getting the same treatment.
Ill be working on major mechanical at the house and the rest of it ie: Brakes, Steering/Suspension, HVAC, Wiring, and Tcase are all being done at school. I plan on having it functional in about 3-4 months of about 4hours of work 3 days a week at school.




PS i know its weird that i seem to have saved the entire first page but..... i rather keep all build process info in one place :D thanks for your understanding.... (bite me if you dont) :D
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Brakes:

When it was dropped off it had an almost dead pedal, and the passenger side primary and secondary drum shoes were reversed.

so i took the passenger side drum apart cleaned and properly assembled the drum. Then bled the entire system. now i have a good stiff pedal and correct brakes :D

ill start taking pictures when i really get into them and cleaning and replacing parts.
 
#4 · (Edited)
steering/ suspension:

The rear suspension is sagging a little and the shocks all the way around need replacing. the bushings across the steering components show some wear but are pretty tight at all ends. Cant really tell fully due to the engine being out and really no load on any of the front suspension/steering components.

More when the engine goes back in
 
#7 · (Edited)
Engine work

The day i got it.



3rd day



4th day

the head off Pistons show common wear, but cylinder 5 and 6 both have broken rods at the crank. So ordering new pistons, rods, rings, and bearings here soon.



all torn down



The original pistons



Pistons 1,2,3



Pistons 4,5,6



Pistons 5,6 snapped rods at the crank. lucky enough no valve damage and very little crank damage.



The crank is in decent shape. Glad i don't have to buy a new one.



The valves



One of the brackets after about 4 hours in the parts washer



and one of the main caps for the crank



bout to head back out and get the brackets cleaned up and into the blast cabinet. more pictures up later
 
#17 ·
its gonna be a build thread lol but i need to get my pictures off the camera and its being a pain.... ive got some pictures im going to be uploading after work of when i first got it. i like having the first page or so dedicated to my build so you don't really have to go thru page after page after page just to see progress.
 
#18 ·
ordering door latch, wheel cylinders, and caliper rebuild kits this week. engine is apart and ready for the machine shop. all accessory brackets are in the parts washer and will be starting sand blasting tomorrow to get them ready for powder coating. pictures of broke rods and old pistons and all the brackets are gonna be up sometime late tomorrow evening.
 
#23 ·
We love Jeeps at my house and now have a 1987 Wagoneer..... They are rare. I love the look of the front grille/lights more than the Cherokee, I guess cause they are rare. Mine is yellow well they call it cream and woodsiding. Has the 4.0 with well just turned 150,000. For her birthday she got new brakes and tires.



 
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