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I'm looking at picking up a '79 Cherokee (5.9L V8 manual).
And I looked at it and it wasn't worth it.

Rusted out frame & the body was pretty rough too; engine ran great though.

Tikker has a Jeep I believe. Not sure what year it is but I'm sure he could provide some insight into it.

My best friend and I used to restore classic jeeps back in high school. We did a '75 CJ5, '77 CJ5 and a '79 CJ7. The 75 was really special because we 'created' power steering and power breaks for a setup that didn't exist (304 V8). This was before there were countless guides on the internet for such things. He moved over to Toyota and currently owns an 86 FJ### and a 78 FJ40. I help him with the electrical work but he's handling all of the mechanical work himself these days.

I don't know how much help I could offer, but I have a lot of contacts that could probably answer anything.

Vonkaar, PM me with an email address.

Took another look at '79 Cherokee today.
Way too much work and money to get it running simply as a daily driver.

Oh. Primary focus offroad would be minor rutted roads, muddy forest paths, & fields. Don't need a huge lift kit, mudbog tires, or anything silly like that.

Jeeps have a huge following of people and finding parts/help is easy, usually.

My friend must have at least 3-4 different jeeps he uses just for parts to the main one he goes offroad with.

Looking at an '86 Grand Wagoneer that has lived inside a garage tomorrow (90 minute drive to check it out, but it looks and sounds like it is worth it.

I prefer body on frame design. Metal panels & bumpers. Don't need many amenities.
I don't like power windows/door locks/engine computers etc... electricity should be routed for the engine, instrument cluster, lights, winch, & maybe a radio.
Once things start getting complicated, things go to hell and become a bitch to fix.

up to 1983 Jeep Cherokee
up to 1987 Grand Wagoneer
Land Rover in general, but fuck the Discovery.
Range Rover in general, fuck the Discovery.
up to Series 60 Land Cruiser
up to 1981 Dodge Ramcharger / Plymouth Trailduster
Up to 1987 FSeries based Bronco (no Bronco IIs)
up to 1975 K5 Blazer
IH Scout

Other suggestions?

Buddy of mine had a 70s K5 blazer in high school. It was awesome.

Alot of good times spent in that vehicle...

sorry for the delay, you have PM...

emailing my buddy to see what he thinks.

My favorites off of your list:

Classic Range Rover. Absolutely. We had an 88 that was a BLAST to drive. Keep in mind that the Brits do things MUCH differently than just about any other, so you need to be a really creative mechanic or have deep pockets. Tranny blew on it and Land Rover wanted something like $6k to fix it... he paid less than $5k for the whole truck. Still, they are freaking tough and a lot of fun. If the drivetrain is solid, I would highly recommend this one. And then, for the rest of LR... D110 (or whatever the 80s equiv was) is my ultimate wet-dream offroad vehicle. I think that the 90s version was SEVERELY limited on importing and that there are only ~6000 of them in the US. This means finding one in good condition is going to cost you. Example. Show me another 17 year old SUV with 156,000 miles on it that goes for 35-40k. Regardless, I love this truck... and I hope to own one someday.

Grand Wagonner - pretty awesome... and you can modify the hell out of them with OEM parts. Jeep was in their renaissance in this generation and most of the parts are interchangeable, even with older models. For our 79 CJ7, we stole the brake booster out of a mid 80s Chrysler station wagon and the break pedal assembly from a grand cherokee (IIRC). Shit just bolts on... it's crazy.

K5 blazer - never owned one but they are really badass. A good buddy of mine had one and it was surprisingly agile.

FJ40, 45... 60. Surprisingly easy to work with and extremely tough... but the electronics are hell. On a 40 you wouldn't need to worry so much because there is (generally) less electronic components than on the later models. Power windows, locks, rear defroster... all of these components are usually 'gone' after 15-20 years and they are a BITCH to fix. Solid engine/tranny though.

Scout - my favorite and one that I would LOVE to find. They didn't sell very well down in the South and nobody wants one that rusted up in Minnesota. If you can find one with a decent body, it's a solid investment.

Meh on the rest. I mean, anyone can take a good platform and make a cool off-roader project. I'm just going on stuff I have experience with.

asshole sold the garaged '86 Wagoneer while I was driving down to see it. He could have called because he knew where I was coming from and how far away it was.

Pretty similar dream vehicle, you should check out Stage One V8s... easier to find than the 109s here in the States, but still rare as fuck. I was always partial to the D110 as well ever since riding around in my uncles in the English countryside back when I was 13.

our dad used to drive a wagoneer. fun fact.

road rhino

I say get a Cutlass and throw some 22s on that bitch

Found a southern '80 full size Bronco with no frame rust & some rust on the driver's side rear.
Stock 300 straight six, manual, 106k miles; new tires & runs great. Passed NY state inspections recently.
Priced @ $2,000.

Opinions?

An '80 with only 106k is nuts...

10sun wrote:Found a southern '80 full size Bronco with no frame rust & some rust on the driver's side rear.
Stock 300 straight six, manual, 106k miles; new tires & runs great. Passed NY state inspections recently.
Guy is a friend of a friend from the real estate business.

Opinions?

The straight six is a strong runner, and I'd be shocked if you found any chevy or ford without rust on the rear quarter panels.

Would at least be worth checking out.

Already had it checked out by a super critical friend who lives near it;
drives great (he didn't know about the granny gear and that confused him at first).
confirmed no frame rust and some rust on the body, not rotting though which is rare for the location (midstate NY).

-Adam

Going with the '80 Bronco.

Within 3 months planned modifications, cosmetic work, and preventative measures:

#1. Install York 210 air compressor (I don't have an air compressor in my shop atm and this can output ~9 CFM @ 100 psi).
Route air line to passenger side under dash with a filtered in-line regulator & pick up a friend's spare diving tank for a pressure tank (I'll probably pick up a small one that I can fit under/behind the rear bench after I'm done with all the work).
Also pick up a few air tools such as Impact wrench, blow gun & paint sprayer.

#2. Remove rear bench and put to the side. Remove the headliner all around; remove interior carpet. Patch any problems I haven't caught up to this point. Sand it and paint it with Valspar Tractor Implement Enamel + hardener. When it gets to this point, I'll take interior pictures and then perform mock ups with different colors. For the time being, I'm just thinking a high gloss black. I'll do the same for the front of the truck as well if I have the time.

#3. Buff oxidation off the majority of the frame and paint it with Tractor enamel (I'm thinking white). Should help prevent any rust belt rust.

#4. Clean up fenders/wheel wells & repair rust damage; paint fenders black (original color), wheel wells white (I think that would look pretty good). Same story with this as prevention work.

Thoughts? Opinions? Comments? Pictures will be forthcoming.

6" Lift and a blower