Its not a pure station wagon, but it looks like SUV-Station. I've bought a 81' Jeep Cherokee Chief in Minnesota. I think on the End of Februar the car will be here in Germany. Here is the text from the add: It was purchased April 2000 from TX as a rust free SUV and ongoing project vehicle. Besides being the "on going project" it has had two major improvement periods. The body and interior were completely restored in late 2002. It had the original basic tan jeep color reapplied in base coat/clear coat but, in addition, used a custom Cherokee Chief theme done in dark brown with "401 Cherokee added in anticipation of further improvements. The interior was also restored. The carpeting and upholstery was removed for new interior paint and bed liner on floor. Replacement carpet was added, seats were reupholstered, steering column rebuilt, instrument cluster bezel changed and new stereo/speaker system. She has always been garaged but since then she has been stored during the winter. In 2009 she underwent MAJOR mechanical improvements and restoration. The chassis and axles were removed, sandblasted and painted using a naval grade coating and chassis black. The under body was cleaned, prepped and painted in OEM tan. Following is a "partial" list of the improvements. I have a folder 1 ¼" thick of receipts so I'll cover the major items. Install rebuilt 1976 401 cid V8, (Performer intake/carb, roller timing set, Lunati RV cam, MSD ignition andDoug Thorley Tri-Y headers) 3" custom exhaust with hi-flow cat and 40 series Flowmaster, (nice-not obnoxious) Replace/rebuild motor accessories Four core radiator Rebuild AMC/727 transmission, install shift kit and new torque converter Rebuild 208 transfer case Rebuild both axles, (front Dana 44, rear AMC 20), replace OEM 3.31 gears with 3.73 and install front and rear Detroit Tru-Trac differentials All Mobil synthetic oils Replace all U-joints/CV joints. Replace steering components from ball joints back to steering column. New brake calipers, rotors, drums, cylinders and hardware. Replace OEM brake/fuel/trans lines with fitted S.S. tubing Install new 2" spring suspension lift with longer shocks. We have used it very little since the paint work and even less so since the mechanical restoration, maybe as little as 5000 miles in last 4 four years. Here some pics: http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t60/nitoh/81er%20Cherokee%20Chief/ and a little video: http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t60/nitoh/?action=view¤t=DSCN1701_zpsd67435a5.mp4 Happy new year to all!!!!!
That's a gorgeous Cherokee. I owned a '77 for a short time. Just be careful in the snow with those lockers front and rear. Here's Nitoh's Jeep for those too lazy to click on the links.
That thing looks great ! I'm no authority but Lockers refers to the locking hubs for four wheel drive. Eagle Freek explain SNOW ?
Sorry, I was mistaken. You should be fine with the Trutrac because it is just a limited slip. I was thinking of an auto locker.
Great addition to your stable, Nitoh! I'd hazard to say, that's probably a good investment as well. Those should do nothing but go up in value......
Congrats Thomas! Freek, was the 401 available from factory on the Cherokee in '81? Never mind, read the text of the ad and answered my own question.
I also had one of these Nitoh. I bought it at an auction. I loved it and so did my wife. The only two issues we had with it was the fuel mileage was brutal and ours had rust hidden by a good bodyman and painter. Our was a 78 or 79, can't quite remember the year, but it was a chocolate brown, white roof, same interior as yours, and it went anywhere we wanted to go. We did a lot of fishing along the Rocky Mountains in those days and some of the roads in to the good fishing areas were only accessible by an aggressive 4 wheel drive yet this one, our daily driver, motored in and out without any issues on a regular basis. The only reason we sold it was the aforementioned rust and fuel mileage. Great buy on your part. These are starting to get a lot of attention and there are not too many in the shape of yours.
Thanks guys, yes my wife and I fell in love with this car in first time we saw it in the internet. I know 3 other Chiefs here in the north of Germany. My wife is a Jeep Freak, she has had a 89 Cherokee 4.0L 2door, a 98 Grand Cherokee 5.9L and a 78 Wagoneer 360cui. We sold all these cars in the last 3 years, not a good idear A view month we have all 3 Generation of Jeep:
the grille on that cherokee is called the "muscle" grille ....its my favorite. (the one on your wagoneer was called the "pig nose") i love the big jeeps..well all jeeps really. I had a 1993 jeep cherokee, a 1993 YJ (wrangler) and a 1988 Comanche. loved them all.
Congrats, Nitoh!! I know you have been looking for a good '81 for a long time. Looks like you found the grand champ!
Nice collection, but surely there must be more than three generations. http://offroadaction.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/wagoneer-wagon.jpg mike
