I've just looked at one as I'm still shopping for a ZAV/winter vehicle. It's a bit more beat up than I'd like it to be (needs a driver's side fender and a door, plus the usual small dents fixed) but there are a couple mechanical questions as I'm not that familiar with the model:
- How quickly should the 4WD switch on? It took a good minute or two until the 4WD light came on after the switch was moved.
- I assume that even the later models are reasonably powerful and should accelerate uphill when you step on it at 40mph? It pulls quite hard at low speeds but once you get to about 40 it doesn't seem to want to know...
I'll probably pass on it anyway as it's a bit too much of a project for my liking but it would be good to know what the deal is with these issues. Who knows, I might go back and offer the guy a little less than he wants...
My dad had 2 of them. 1981 and 1986. They are good trucks. They were stock and pretty sluggish going uphills at highway speed. Everything passed us climbing west out of Denver on I-70 in the summer of 82 or 83. The hills in northern MI (M-33) would make it slow down. We had the 360 with a 2bbl carb. Each one had a different 4X4 system that worked well offroad but that is all I can remember about the truck. I would get one.
I'm seriously thinking about getting one, just not necessarily this particular one...
'87 should have the 360/2bbl but it still felt more sluggish then I'd expect.
oldtin
HalfDork
8/27/10 3:13 p.m.
You should notice the switch straight away (just the light being slow, or the actual engagement of the front axle?). The 360 will move it along pretty well - at least at 40 up to 80s - then the aerodynamics of the cinder block shape take over. 8-11 mpg is about normal - 12-13 mpg downhill with tailwind. I liked ours a lot, but on the downside, it's big, yet doesn't have a great cargo area. Kinda classy if they're in good shape. , I think I'd rather have a suburban if I'm going big - otherwise, something cheaper to live with.
There is an outfit in Kerrville Tx that refurbishes them. I went there and was impressed. The work they do looked good but that was 10 years ago.
No, light and engagement of the 4WD could be felt almost simultaneously, with a considerable delay between flicking the switch and 4WD engaging. Oddly enough, turning it off didn't take that much time.
This one didn't seem to be pulling too well once you got it above 30-40mph, plus it occasionally smelled of hot/burnt oil. I don't really need massive performance (highest speed limit on my regular commuting route is 45mph) but there is several miles' worth of uphill grade and I don't fancy going up there at 25mph with the pedal buried in the floor.
Ours would run 55 mph uphill, but it was working hard. Our 4WD lever was under the seat on the transmission tunnel. One had manual hubs, the other automatic. I remember getting 15 mpg with the 1981 manual hub model driving 55 mpg on 180 mile road trips.
Is the 4wd activated via vacuum?
I know most of the junk yards around me scrap them right away, there's not too much call for the parts.
have you considered a AMC eagle for a winter beater?
Eagles are much harder to find around here than Grand Wagoneers and decent, non-beater Grand Wagoneers aren't that easy to find here in the first place.
